Sensory Processing Challenges (Effective Clinical Work with Kids & Teens)

Many children and teens suffer from sensory challenges, meaning that they have unusual reactions to certain sensory experiences that most of us find commonplace. These challenges can range from moderate to severe—from an aversion to bright lights or the feel of anything remotely abrasive, to stopping short in panic every time a loud noise or siren is heard, or having an oral tactile sensitivity that prevents normal feeling in the mouth and hinders feeding. Accompanying these sensory issues—the full-blown version of which is called “sensory processing disorder” (SPD)—can be a range of behavioral problems like OCD and anxiety, and more severely, Asperger’s and autism. This book equips clinicians with all the information they need to know to accurately identify sensory sensitivities in their child clients: how to pay attention to sensory issues and recognize when a client is struggling; how these issues factor into the behavioral problems at hand; and how best to partner with the right professionals to help kids at home and in school.