SPD – Sensory Processing Disorder – is a neurological disorder that causes abnormal responses to sensory information. SPD is a complex disorder of the brain that affects both developing children and adults.
Those with Sensory Processing Disorder can act inappropriately to sensory input. People with SPD react and respond differently to sensory input than other people.
Sensory information becomes mixed up in the brain and responses are often considered to be inappropriate to the context in which the SPD sufferer finds themselves.
The exact cause of SPD has not yet been identified.
Some sufferers react strongly to sounds that others find normal. SPD sufferers may flee from the source of the sound and try to hide. SPD sufferers may scream when touched or recoil from the textures of some foods. Sufferers may go into meltdown .Other SPD sufferers may fail to respond to extreme heat or cold.
SPD can be treated with therapy. SPD treatment often means working with an occupational therapist on activities to help retrain the senses.
The Meltdown Kids series of seven books explore what triggers meltdown in some children and the form that these meltdowns take. Each story shows the form of different meltdowns and the impact these meltdowns can have on children and those around them. Strategies to help the children, their families and other carers are introduced.