What is Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)
Sensory processing disorder, formerly known as sensory integration dysfunction, refers to how our brain processes sensory information through multiple senses, the way it receives and responds to it from both our environment and our bodies. In addition to the conventional five senses – sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell – it affects the vestibular (relating to balance and spatial orientation, proprioception (the awareness of body position and movement) and the interception (perception of internal bodily states, such as hunger or pain). This condition is particularly prevalent among children and adults with neurodevelopmental differences such as autism or ADHD.
Some people with SPD may be oversensitive to things around them, while others may not seem to notice what’s happening at all. Children and adults with SPD might feel overwhelmed by everyday things, which leads to sensory overload. They might avoid hugs, loud places, or certain textures of clothing or food. Others might seek out strong movements, like spinning or jumping, because their bodies crave sensory input. It’s different for everyone in everyday life. Many occupational therapists and specialists know how real and challenging SPD can be, so sensory integration therapy can help people feel more comfortable and confident in their daily lives.
How Sensory Processing Disorder Affects the Senses
Our senses are our guides when it comes to navigating through our environment. When people with Sensory Processing Disorder experience sensory processing issues, more than one of the senses may be affected, and specific challenges might arise. Therefore, when discussing sensory processing disorder, it’s crucial to understand how it affects the senses. By doing so, we become more aware of specific challenges and learn how to support people experiencing SPD.
Sight
Our eyes constantly gather information, as it helps us identify objects, recognise people, shapes, colours, and movement. Even a small amount of visual input can feel too much for someone with SPD. Bright lights might cause discomfort. Flickering lights (like those in some offices or classrooms) can trigger anxiety or headaches. Busy patterns or too many things in a room make it hard to focus or feel safe.
People with SPD might experience:
- Hypersensitivity to light (flashing or bright lights)
- Challenges with visual overstimulation
- Challenges with vision-motor coordination
- Sensitivity to visual patterns and textures
- Challenges with visual distractions
- Challenges with depth perception
Most of these challenges cause confusion, irritation, and inability to focus or concentrate. However, with tailored support, people can find proactive ways to manage the symptoms.
⇒ Read more about Visual Processing Disorder (VPD).
Touch
Touch is essential to human connection and comfort. Yet for many with SPD, touch can be a source of stress. People experiencing challenges with sensory processing might have challenges and sensitivity to touch, hugs, or any form of physical closeness. Additionally, some people might experience sensitivity to temperature, avoiding or seeking tactile input.
A soft fabric might feel scratchy. A loving hug might feel too tight. A light breeze can cause goosebumps that last too long. Some children with SPD don’t like touching, while others might constantly seek hugs, fidgets, or deep pressure, like weighted blankets, to feel grounded.
Smell
Smell is powerful. It can bring back memories or trigger strong emotions. A sense of smell helps us identify specific odours. This sense is crucial for our safety because it allows us to determine what is safe and unsafe (recognising gas, smoke, or similar toxic matter).
Certain smells can be unbearable for people with SPD, even those that others find pleasant. Perfume, cleaning products, or the scent of certain foods might trigger nausea, headaches, or a strong urge to escape. Conversely, some individuals may crave strong scents and seek them out repeatedly. Smell-seeking behaviour might be misunderstood as odd, but it’s a way for that person’s body and brain to find balance.
Additionally, people might experience:
- Challenges with smell discrimination
- Hyposensitivity to a specific smell
- Challenges with appetite due to specific smell sensitivity
Taste
Taste is deeply tied to survival and pleasure, and it helps us to distinguish between what is safe and harmful to eat or drink. Additionally, taste helps us learn the textures of food (soft, hard, mushy, crunchy, etc)
A major challenge in sensory processing that affects taste is the possibility of people being unable to consume certain foods, which can lead to nutritional deficiencies. Certain textures may cause gagging. Flavours might seem too spicy, too sour, or too intense. Even the sound or sight of certain foods can cause distress. In some cases, people might require more oral sensory input and chew on things that are not edible. This increases the risk of an eating disorder referred to as ‘pica’.
Hearing
Sound is everywhere – cars honking, people talking, music playing. Hearing helps us identify tones, sounds, and understand language. When people are experiencing sensory processing disorder regarding hearing, it is referred to as auditory processing disorder (APD).
This can lead to challenges in distinguishing between sounds or words. Therefore, they might also experience misunderstandings during conversations. Moreover, people can have challenges processing auditory information in crowded or noisy places.
Types of Sensory Processing Disorder
Some people feel too much; others feel too little. Some avoid sensations; others crave them. And for some, the response changes from day to day. Let’s explore the different types of Sensory Processing Disorder with compassion and curiosity.
But first, why does this matter? Because everyone deserves to feel safe and understood in their own body. By learning about SPD, we can better support the people we care about and perhaps even understand ourselves better.
Sensory Modulation Disorder (SMD)
This is the most common type. It affects how a person regulates their response to sensory input. There are three subtypes:
Sensory Over-Responsivity (Hypersensitivity) – People with this pattern may react too strongly to sensory input. A light touch might feel painful. They might cover their ears, avoid hugs, or struggle in busy environments like shopping malls or classrooms.
🧠 Ask yourself: Could someone I know be misunderstood as “sensitive” or “difficult” when they are actually overwhelmed?
Sensory Under-Responsivity (Hyposensitivity) – On the other end, some people may not respond enough to sensory input. They may seem slow to notice sounds, movements, or even pain. They might not react when their name is called, or appear tired or disinterested.
💭 What would it feel like to live in a world where everything seems dull or distant?
Sensory Craving/Seeking – Some people crave sensory input. They might spin, jump, crash into things, or make loud noises. They are often seen as “hyperactive” or “always on the go.” But they’re not misbehaving—they are trying to feed their nervous system what it needs.
🧠 What if we saw this not as a problem to fix, but a need to understand?
Sensory-Based Motor Disorder (SBMD)
This type affects how sensory input helps with movement, balance, and motor planning. It includes:
Dyspraxia
Dyspraxia affects coordination and the ability to plan and carry out movements. A person with dyspraxia might seem clumsy or have trouble learning motor skills like riding a bike or tying their shoes. But it’s not about laziness or lack of effort—it’s a disconnect between the brain’s ideas and the body’s ability to carry them out. Dyspraxia can also affect speech and emotional regulation.
Postural Disorder
People with postural disorders may have poor core stability, making it hard to sit upright, balance, or maintain body position. They might tire easily or seem floppy. Could someone’s “low energy” or “poor posture” signify something more profound?
Sensory Discrimination Disorder (SDD)
This type affects the ability to tell the differences between similar sensations. Someone with SDD might struggle distinguishing between textures, sounds, or spatial positions. They might drop things often, bump into furniture, or not notice the difference between pain and pressure.
This can impact everyday skills like buttoning a shirt, judging how much force to use, or knowing where their body is in space. Specific subtypes of SDD encompass auditory discrimination disorder and visual discrimination disorder.
How can we support people with SPD? Here we have some gentle ideas:
Occupational therapy can help build sensory regulation skills.
Sensory-friendly spaces, noise-cancelling headphones, weighted blankets, or fidget tools can offer comfort.
Predictable routines and slow transitions can ease stress.
Most importantly, listening without judgment and asking, “What do you need right now?” can go a long way.
Symptoms of Sensory Processing Disorder
Sensory processing disorder can make everyday activities challenging and overwhelming.
There are some common symptoms that people might recognise in children or adults:
- Being overly sensitive to certain sounds, lights, textures, or smells
- Feeling overwhelmed or anxious in crowded environments or around loud noises
- Feeling uncomfortable with certain sensations
- Having challenges with fine motor skills, like tying shoelaces or buttoning clothes
- Experiencing poor coordination
- Seeking intense sensory experiences
- Being easily distracted or having trouble staying focused
- Having challenges with transitions or changes in routine
- Feeling uncomfortable with certain types of clothing
- Portraying behaviour that challenges when sensory input becomes too much
Remember, everyone with SPD is unique, and symptoms can vary from person to person. If you or someone you know experiences these symptoms, seeking support and guidance from Leaf Complex Care’s occupational therapists who specialise in sensory issues is essential.
⇒ Learn more about how our therapy team can support you.
Sensory Processing Disorder and Related Conditions
Sensory processing ‘problems’ can exist on their own or alongside other neurodevelopmental differences like autism, ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), dyspraxia, or anxiety disorders. It’s important to note that SPD is not currently a stand-alone diagnosis in some diagnostic systems, like the DSM-5. Still, many occupational therapists and families recognise it as real and impactful.
Proper assessment by healthcare professionals is crucial in understanding and addressing each person’s specific needs, the earlier the better.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and SPD
Autism is a neurological difference that affects how a person communicates, interacts, and processes information. No two autistic people are the same. Some might enjoy quiet routines and find comfort in repetition, while others may be energetic and eager to explore. Everyone’s journey with autism is unique. Sensory Processing Disorder, or SPD, involves difficulty managing information from the senses – touch, sound, taste, sight, smell, and even balance or movement. A person with SPD might feel overwhelmed by a buzzing light, the texture of clothing, or the smell of certain foods.
So, what happens when autism and SPD overlap? For many autistic people, sensory sensitivities are part of everyday life. Bright lights, sudden noises, or even gentle touch can feel uncomfortable or painful. Some may avoid these sensations, while others might seek them out in ways others don’t understand. Why is it so hard to sit still in a classroom? Why does a soft tag in a shirt bring so much distress? These questions open the door to more profound empathy.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and SPD
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) are two conditions that often affect how people experience and respond to the world around them. While different, they can appear together in the same person, especially in children, and can deeply influence everyday life.
ADHD is when a person may have trouble focusing, sitting still, or controlling impulses. It’s not simply being “hyper” or “easily distracted.” On the other hand, SPD affects how someone’s brain processes sensory information, like sound, touch, taste, and movement. When ADHD and SPD appear together, it can be especially confusing. Is a child fidgeting because they can’t focus, or because their clothes feel scratchy and uncomfortable?
Anxiety and SPD
Anxiety is something many people feel—it’s that tight feeling in your chest, the racing thoughts, or the worry that won’t go away. For people with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), anxiety can be even more intense.
Anxiety and SPD often work together like an unkind loop. A sensory overload can trigger anxiety, and anxiety can make the senses feel even sharper. But here’s the important part: no one chooses this and is alone in it.
Could Sensory Processing Disorder be Causing Challenging Behaviour?
Yes, Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) could be a significant factor behind behaviour that challenges, particularly in children and young people. SPD occurs when the brain has difficulty receiving, interpreting, or responding to sensory input from the environment, such as sounds, textures, lights, movement, or touch.
For people who are hypersensitive or hyposensitive to sensory stimuli, everyday experiences can feel overwhelming or underwhelming, triggering intense emotional or behavioural responses. These responses may manifest as aggression, social isolation, or selective mutism, often misunderstood as “bad behaviour” when they are coping mechanisms for sensory discomfort.
Causes of Sensory Processing Disorder
The exact causes of sensory issues in children remain unclear, although researchers suggest that it may be connected to how the sensory pathways in the brain process and organise information.
But several factors have been identified, such as that sensory processing disorder may be associated with prenatal or birth complications. These complications can include premature birth, low birth weight, parental stress, and substance consumption during pregnancy. Additionally, a lack of sensory stimulation during childhood may contribute to the development of sensory processing disorder. Environmental factors, alongside genetic and neurological influences, may also contribute as potential causes.
Further research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms underlying sensory processing difficulties and their relationship to other conditions.
Treatment of Sensory Processing Disorder
Treating sensory processing disorder typically involves a multidisciplinary approach tailored to each individual’s specific sensory needs and challenges.
Occupational therapy is often a key component of the treatment process for sensory processing disorder. Occupational therapists work closely with people with SPD to develop strategies that address sensory sensitivities, enhance sensory integration, and promote adaptive responses to sensory input. Occupational therapy may recommend sensory-based activities, such as deep pressure techniques, therapeutic play, and structured sensory experiences, to help people gradually increase their tolerance and adapt to sensory stimuli. Environmental modifications, such as creating sensory-friendly spaces and providing sensory tools or accommodations, may also be recommended to support people’s daily routines.
Collaboration with other healthcare professionals, such as speech therapists, psychologists, and educators, can further enhance the progress, and people can develop coping skills to manage their stimuli. Speech therapy may focus on improving speech and language skills affected by sensory challenges, while psychological support can address anxiety or emotional difficulties related to sensory issues. Educators can implement sensory accommodations and strategies in educational settings to optimise learning experiences for people with SPD.
Overall, the treatment of SPD aims to encourage people to understand better and manage their sensory needs, improve sensory processing abilities, and enhance their participation in various activities and environments. By addressing sensory challenges and providing appropriate support, they can experience improved quality of life and better community integration.
Occupational Therapy for Sensory Processing Disorder
So, how can we support someone with sensory processing differences?
It begins with listening.
If a child covers their ears during lunch at school, rather than forcing them to “get used to it,” we can ask: Is it too loud? What helps you feel calm? We can work with them to find strategies—noise-cancelling headphones, quiet spaces, sensory breaks, or even different lighting. The same goes for adults. Are we offering sensory-friendly workplaces? Are we allowing people to take breaks, move around, or work in dim lighting?
Occupational therapists often work with supported people and families to understand sensory needs and create what’s called a “sensory diet” – a plan that includes specific activities throughout the day to help regulate the nervous system. This might involve swinging, deep pressure, fidget tools, or time in nature. Families can also make small changes at home: using soft lighting, allowing quiet time after school or work, being flexible about clothing, and avoiding strong smells during meals.
It’s also important to talk openly about sensory needs. We can reduce shame and build understanding when we name what’s happening. A child who knows, “I need a break because my body feels too buzzy,” is already learning self-awareness and self-advocacy. An adult who says, “Fluorescent lights give me headaches,” is setting a boundary with strength and clarity.
Read what our occupational therapist, Ophelia Xerri, has to say firsthand on the role of an occupational therapist and the holistic model of it.
Support for Individuals with Sensory Processing Disorder with Leaf Complex Care
At Leaf Complex Care, we specialise in turning overwhelming environments into empowering ones. Our teams – trained in sensory integration, Positive Behaviour Support, and trauma-informed practice – work together with people to understand their sensory needs. Whether designing a calm space at home or supporting emotional regulation in community settings, our dedicated therapists and support workers focus on each person’s unique strengths. It leverages them through methodologies that result in positive outcomes.
We aim to create a safe and healthy environment for anyone experiencing sensory processing disorder while increasing their independence. Moreover, we understand that each person is different and has unique needs, wants, and requirements. Hence, we focus on creating bespoke care plans for each need.
With our offices in Bristol, South East, Somerset, and Birmingham, Leaf Complex Care is available every day of the week. If you or a loved one requires support through your journey, make sure to contact us today.
