Hi and welcome back to the savvy psychologist podcast. I'm your host

Dr Ellen Hendrickson and I'll help you meet life challenges with evidence-based

research, a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.

This week we'll talk about sensory processing disorder or SPD and answer three big questions.

So you might be asking, sensory who?

But surprise, SPD affects up to 16% of kids,

making it the most common disorder you've never heard of.

Imagine pumping up the volume on everything you see, hear, and feel.

A walk on a sandy beach feels like a forced march over broken glass.

The sound of a blender makes you feel like you're inside the engine of a 747.

Either way, all you can do is scream until it stops. But at the same time,

imagine turning the volume down so low that other sensory input can barely be perceived. You don't even feel a tap on your

shoulder, but you can register slamming into a wall or a person. There's just that pesky fact that people

get mad when you slam into them.

What's more, when your brain constantly says what just happened to whatever is coming in,

it can take a long time to settle down, get used to something, and focus. Therefore,

transitioning to another activity once your brain is finally in a rhythm is

maddening. For example, you just got the hang of this indoor lighting thing, and now someone says you have to go outside in the sun.

Neuroologically, it's totally overwhelming.

Welcome to the neurological puzzle of sensory processing disorder.

Within each of us, a neurological process organizes the sensations that come into our bodies and allows us to respond in kind. But in kids and adults with SPD, that process is impaired.

This, as Ankerman Ron Burgundy would say, is kind of a big deal deal because what in our world can't we see, hear,

...