Week 8 Podcast Idea

I have decided to post 200 words on this topic because a lot of the comments on my text from peers regarded the age at which SPD is generally diagnosed. After editing my webtext, I discovered for myself that I had never indicated an age at which SPD is diagnosed. Therefore, I chose this topic for my audio as an answer to the questions I had received from peers. I hope that once they have a better idea of when it is diagnosed, the audience is able to visualize and imagine for themselves what a child’s life is like with this deviation. This podcast will not simply repeat information that my audience will read in the webtext. Rather, it will help them better understand an individual’s life with sensory processing disorder. Maybe it will cause them to recall their days as a young child. This may in turn reveal to them how difficult it would have been to function without their proprioceptive and vestibular systems functioning properly.

The prevalence of sensory processing disorder in children is at about 5% of the general population. However, for people with diagnosed developmental disabilities, the rate of sensory processing disorder is estimated to be from 40% to 80% (Hubbard, 2010). There is not an average age of onset, or diagnosis, but research has shown that sensory processing disorder is most commonly diagnosed in the early stages of childhood development; anywhere from 3 months old to 5 years old; though parents can generally sense when something is “off” about their child after only a couple months. Symptoms and behaviors may become more severe and noticeable as a child enters a school setting. As a result, a diagnosis is made once the condition is severe enough that it significantly impacts the child’s daily life.

Although it is most commonly diagnosed in young children, more cases are coming up where older children or even young adults were misdiagnosed earlier in life with other disorders, like ADD for example, and doctors are just now re-diagnosing them with sensory processing disorder. The down-side of being misdiagnosed early in life is that the form of sensory processing disorder will only continue to worsen as the child ages because it was left untreated for so long (Morris, 2010).

Early diagnosis is best because it leads to early intervention. Early diagnosis also increases the chances of a successful intervention. Younger children’s brains are still developing which allows them to change more easily while older children may benefit from therapy but the results may take longer to achieve. Children who receive treatment at younger ages also benefit because they acquire the skills they will need to succeed in school. Another benefit of being diagnosed during the earlier stages of life is that it can prevent secondary problems from developing like acting-out behaviors, temper tantrums, or low self-esteem. Early diagnosis also prevents teachers and parents from stereotyping these children as “aggressive” or “weird” (Miller, 2006).

·         Hubbard, S. (2010). Diagnosing Sensory Processing Disorder. Retrieved from      http://www.kidsdr.com/daily-dose/diagnosing-sensory-processing-disorders

·         Miller, L. J., Fuller, D. A. (2006). Chapter 3: Assessment and Diagnosis. In Kranowitz, C. S. (Ed.),   Sensational Kids: Hope and Help for Children with Sensory Processing Disorder (pp. 43- 57). New York, NY: Penguin Group.

·         Morris, M. (2010). Age of Onset of SPD. Retrieved from http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/age-of-onset-of-spd.html