Some children who have a difficulty with learning respond best to a sensory processing based approach. These children are often overwhelmed by their sensory environment. There are 5 common senses - vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch and 2 additional special senses of proprioceptive and vestibular movement (where information is received from the muscles, tendons and joints, and provides us with an awareness of the position, direction, force and speed of movement - without vision).
One of the main difficulties children with a sensory processing disorder have is with sorting and screening out the messages coming from the senses. Children can either over - react or under - react. Some examples are that children may strongly react to hair cutting or brushing; be irritated by certain clothing fabrics; become distressed in high noise or movement areas such as shopping centres or playgrounds.
Children in the Autism Spectrum Disorder continuum have been commonly found to have difficulty processing and responding appropriately to sensory information. The use of sensory processing therapy has been successful in reducing anxiety and behavioural difficulties, and in increasing children�s positive interaction with their environment and people in it.
