SENSORY INTEGRATION DISORDER: SYMPTOMS, CAUSES - NEUROPSYCHOLOGY - 2024

The sensory integration disorder, also known as disorder of sensory regulation processing disorder or sensory processing, is a problem of neurological origin that causes difficulties in processing from information from different sensory organs, the vestibular system (perceiving movement) and the proprioception or consciousness of the own body.

This disorder can occur both when the brain does not detect sensory signals and when it does not respond well to them (STAR ​​Institute, 2016). The nervous system handles the information in an irregular way, leading to anxiety and confusion in the affected person.

It is a problem that occurs between 5 and 16% of school-age children; and it affects a myriad of activities in people's daily lives. It can appear in both children and adults, and it is a diagnosis that is increasing; despite not being properly recognized.

Regarding treatment, there are many therapies to improve it, however, this condition has no cure.

Sensory integration characteristics

These are neurological organization processes that have the objective of giving an adequate response to the stimuli that arrive through the senses and their subsequent processing and interpretation by the sensory centers of the brain. In addition, by responding to the environment, the senses help us to survive, learn and enjoy.

Anna Jean Ayres

For sensory integration, the brain must gather isolated information from each sensory organ that is processed in different parts of the nervous system.

However, the connections between brain areas, in addition to certain areas that are responsible for integration, will make us perceive globally; combining in the best way all the data (Koleva, Efe, Atasoy & Kostova, 2015).

The Theory of Sensory Integration and its therapy was developed in 1960 by an American psychologist and neuroscientist named Jean Ayres.

Types

It has been classified by Case-Smith (2005) and Miller et al. (2007) in 3 diagnostic groups:

Type 1: Sensory modulation disorder

This means that those affected do not respond to sensory stimulation, they have a reaction below normal and even carry out behaviors to try to stimulate their senses.

That is, your brain cannot classify or define the information that comes from the senses in intensity, duration, complexity or novelty. In this way, they are not able to adapt their behavior to existing sensations.

Those who present it usually react with fear and negative behaviors, they are immersed in themselves, self-stimulating behaviors such as rocking or hitting themselves are frequent. All this gives them problems when it comes to relating to others.

Within this type there may be several subcategories. For example, there are children who may have a failure in a component of sensory modulation, such as sensory registration. Problems in this phase of perception would affect the attention to sensory stimuli, causing them to fail to capture information that healthy individuals do not even perceive.

Another type of alteration can be gravitational insecurity, which consists of an abnormal response of anxiety or fear when changing the position of the head. This change involves the proprioceptive and vestibular sensory systems.

Type 2: Motor sensory disorder

The characteristic of this subtype is that they present disorganized movements and motor clumsiness, since they cannot process sensory information in a normal way.

Type 3: Sensory discrimination

The problem in this case is centered on the differentiation of the information that comes from the senses, which gives rise to difficulties such as dyspraxia or problems in postural control. Children who have this deficit tend to perform poorly in school.

Causes

The exact causes are not known and are still being studied. Research carried out so far suggests that sensory integration disorder has an important hereditary component.

However, complications in pregnancy or childbirth, or environmental factors can also influence; as having received little care or sensory deprivation in childhood.

Also associated with this condition is being born with a lower weight than normal or prematurely.

All of this is linked to abnormalities in brain function. Scientists from the University of California in San Francisco published this study, which indicates the existence of alterations in the microstructure of the white matter of the brain in children with this problem.

More specifically, a reduction in the white matter in regions such as the posterior part of the corpus callosum, the internal capsule and the semioval center (called the white matter in this area "corona radiata") and posterior thalamic radiation.

Symptoms

Individuals affected with sensory integration disorder vary in a wide range of sensory processing dysfunction, encompassing different levels of hyposensitivity and hypersensitivity to stimuli.

The first is that the information of the senses is not considered, as if it were not captured or captured very slightly (for example, you can touch something very hot without burning yourself); while the second implies the opposite: even slight contact with clothing, for example, can be perceived with dread.

Also the sensory integration disorder can vary in the affected senses, presenting some difficulties in a single sensory modality, others in several and even others in all.

Others, on the other hand, are true thrill seekers always aware of how to stimulate their senses and they love to capture intense information, but in a pathological way. Be careful with this because it is often misdiagnosed as ADHD.

In adults it manifests as problems to follow a routine or keep a job, as well as difficulties for social relationships and leisure; although depression and isolation can also occur.

We are going to present, below, some signs of this disorder as an example:

- Feeling annoyed by an unexpected tactile contact, no matter how slight. Especially if it is touched in certain parts of the body or hugged.

- Discomfort when putting on certain clothes, fabrics, rubbing against labels… or accessories that are tight to the skin.

- Special dislike for staining, or, on the contrary, rejecting personal hygiene activities. Rather, they tend to show a strong avoidance towards certain contact such as water, a toothbrush or something that stains their skin such as food or paint.

- Great activity, or else, can be extremely sedentary.

- Hypersensitivity to sounds, either due to their frequency or volume. Or discomfort when being in noisy environments or hearing unfamiliar voices or in another language.

- Pain threshold exaggeratedly low or high.

- Great discomfort when capturing intense smells or highly seasoned food.

- Regarding vision, they rub their eyes or blink assiduously, it takes longer to learn to read, it bothers them to look at moving or shiny objects, they avoid visual patterns or lights, they have problems discriminating between colors, shapes or sizes, etc.

- Delay in fine motor skills, which is what allows coloring, writing or fastening a button.

- Deficits in gross motor skills, which influences walking, climbing stairs or running.

- Clumsy and chaotic movements.

- Muscle tone too high or low.

- Oral problems such as frequent drooling or nausea, hypersensitivity in the mouth, delayed speech, panic to try new foods, etc.

- Difficulties in relationships with others, being isolated.

- Discomforts related to the vestibular system such as being moved by another person, riding in an elevator or a means of transport, activities that require changing the position of the head, standing upside down, jumping, riding a seesaw, etc.

With what pathologies is it associated?

It can appear together with other neurological problems such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), autism, dyslexia, developmental dyspraxia, Tourette syndrome or speech delays (Goldstein & Morewitz, 2011).

Diagnosis

There are currently many difficulties in diagnosing this condition, since many of the health professionals do not know how to recognize sensory deficits of this type and go ahead to classify it as another different disorder that may present similar symptoms.

As such, there are other experts who are enacting this condition and demanding that it be recognized and further investigated.

One of the ways to diagnose sensory integration disorder is by completing lists of behaviors such as the Sensory Checklist by Biel & Peske (2005) or the Sensory Processing Disorder Checklist by Winnie Dunn (2014), in which a list of behaviors and You must answer them if it is something that happens frequently or not or if it is something that the person avoids, seeks, both, or is neutral.

Treatment

The treatment depends on the characteristics of the child, but it does not have a cure, but consists of improving the life of the affected person as much as possible within his problem, and very good results can be obtained if it is treated properly.

Sensory integration therapy

It can be useful for many of those affected and basically consists in exposing in a structured and repetitive way to different sensory stimuli. It can be done as a game and its objective is that, through brain plasticity, the mechanisms gradually change and gradually integrate more information.

Make you feel better

The most common is to alleviate your discomfort with different techniques. Once the things that are unpleasant for the person have been detected, they try to avoid these situations, reduce them, or try to deal with them gradually.

For example, a child with this problem may detest a certain item of clothing or type of fabric, therefore, that item may be discontinued.

Another example would be that of a child who cannot bear to brush his teeth due to hypersensitivity of his gums. Something that can be done against this is to get the child used to using a toothbrush, first using a rubber thimble or a washcloth. In pharmacies there are several products that can be useful for massaging the gums or mouth.

DIR model

1. About SPD. (sf). Retrieved on July 20, 2016, from STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder
2. Dunn, W. (nd). Sensory Processing Disorder Checklist. Retrieved on July 20, 2016, from SPD parent zone
3. Koleva I., Efe R., Atasoy E. & Kostova ZB (2015). Education in the 21st century, theory and practice, St. Kliment Ohridski University Press.
4. Peske, B. &. (2005). Sensory Checklist. Obtained from Sensory Smarts
5. Wieder, G. &. (sf). What is the DIR® / Floortime ™ Model? Retrieved on July 20, 2016, from Stanley Greenspan