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The number one thing parents must understand about SPD is that there are seven sensory systems. We’re taught from Elementary school that there are five sensory systems. We learn all about the senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch. But there are actually two more systems that aren’t discussed. Here’s a short breakdown of all the systems:
Auditory: This is our sense of hearing. It involves not just what we hear but how we hear and how we interpret sounds. (This sense is closely related to the vestibular system.)
Olfactory: This is our sense of smell. It's actually the only sense that doesn't need to make pitstop at a specific processing area in the brain before telling the body how to react. The sense of smell can be a powerfully emotional experience because we often connect certain scents with memories. It affects what we'll eat, what we'll play with, who we'll get close to or even play with.
Visual. This is the sense of sight. This involves everything we see but also how our brains interpret what we see. Because the eyes use muscles to adjust to light (which lets us focus on objects), it's closely related to the vestibular and proprioceptive systems.
Gustatory: This is the sense of taste. It's closely related to smell (think of when you have a cold and can't taste anything.) Taste is important because it not only helps us have a good relationship with food but it helps keep toxic things out of our bodies (eg: When things taste bad, you spit it out.)
Tactile: This is the sense of touch. The skin is the largest organ on the body. This system helps us learn how to interact with the people and objects in our environments. It also helps keep us safe by understanding when things are hot, cold, soft, hard, painful or feel good. It makes us feel safe touching and being touched.
Vestibular: This is the sense that is closely connected to the cochlear system in the inner ear. It helps us feel balanced, coordinated, grounded and helps us with maintaining proper head movement (Helping with vision and hearing).
Proprioceptive: This sense sends messages back and forth between the brain and the muscles and joints. This system not only tells our bodies how to move but if we're moving, and how fast. And because it involves all the muscles in the body, it can affect speech and eating (tongue, jaw and mouth muscles), writing and hand grip (fine motor skills) and muscle tone (gross motor skills).
See? There are seven. We always knew there were other problems with Jaimie but until we got her into SPD therapy, we didn’t know the names of the other two systems. Parents need to learn about, understand and inform others about the vestibular and proprioceptive systems. Often, a child’s body desperately needs input for these systems too but isn’t getting it—or the right kind of input—because people don’t know about them.
Get the word out!
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