SENSORY PROCESSING AWARENESS MONTH
During the month of October, Sensory Awareness Month takes place helping to increase identification of the symptoms of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), its diagnosis and treatment. During this time, parents, educators, therapists, and other caregivers come together to raise awareness of sensory processing, and how if affects not only children, but adults, every day. So, what is a sensory processing disorder? It’s a condition in which the brain has trouble receiving and responding to information that comes through the senses. This condition often goes undiagnosed, but around 5,000 children every year are admitted to the hospital for it. Experts say the real number of people affected is likely much higher than that. People with sensory disorders may:
-Be uncoordinated and bump into things often
–Not be able to comprehend where their limbs are in space
-Be hard to engage with in conversation or play
–Scream or throw a fit if they get wet
-Have an extremely high or low pain tolerance
-Get extremely upset or scared of loud noises
HOW TO OBSERVE
Visit www.spdstar.org for more information and use #SensoryAwarnessMonth to share on social media. Take a child (or adult) you know who has a sensory processing disorder out on a walk or to a spend the day at a park. They’ll be happy you did!
HISTORY
Within our research, we were unable to find the origin of National Sensory Awareness Month.