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Adrienne Gleason was used to sticking out at playgroups. Her sons were always the Tasmanian Devil types, constantly moving, climbing furniture, always on the go.

At the mommy-and-me gym class, her son, Kirby, wouldn’t sit in the circle like the other toddlers. “He’d be in the ball pit,” says the Towson mother. “I couldn’t get him out of there. And I would be getting the hairy eyeball.”

Nothing looks wrong with her blond-haired, blue-eyed son, now 6 years old. But, says Gleason, “Hindsight is 20/20. It makes sense now.”

That’s how a lot of parents feel when they finally hear what’s causing their children to be so impossible to dress, clumsy and easily distracted. It’s called sensory processing disorder.

“It can look like a behavioral issue,” says Liz Albright, a senior occupational therapist at Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital. “Parents think, ‘My kid is out of control.’”

Many pediatricians are still unacquainted with the disorder, and activists are working on having SPD recognized by insurance companies, which will raise awareness about the disorder and make getting treatment easier.

“Kids are not getting treatment. Kids are mislabeled,” says Dr. Lucy Miller, director of the Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation, author and pioneer in SPD research.

What is it?
Sensory processing disorder (SPD), also known as “sensory integration dysfunction,” is a chronic difficulty processing sensory information.
Children might not be able to tolerate certain clothing, physical contact, light, sound, food or other sensory stimulus. Others might have little or no reaction to stimulation, including pain. Posture, balance and motor skills can be affected.

Children who are labeled “floppy babies” and, later, “spaz” may actually have SPD. But they and other children are often misdiagnosed with ADHD and labeled autistic and bipolar.

A new study done in New Haven, Conn., suggests that as many as one in six children could have SPD. They are more likely to have social problems, anxiety and be aggressive, says Miller.

“This is not a trivial problem,” she says.

For so long, SPD has been confused with behavioral problems or other disorders such as ADHD. They share some of the same symptoms, such as trouble concentrating. And there can be some blurring. Because it can take years before SPD is diagnosed, some kids develop behavior problems, such as aggression, to compensate for the SPD symptoms.

“There can be a fine line between what’s behavioral and what’s SPD,” says Albright.

The other difficulty in diagnosis is that SPD is also fairly common in children with other disorders, such as autism.

Gleason’s son has ADHD and is on the autism spectrum. But, she says, addressing the sensory issues were key. “If you get that (addressed), you can get help with the next issue.”

Once diagnosed, some parents then realize that their child’s sensory issues existed from infancy. Some mothers even say their pregnancies felt different.

“I hear all the time from parents, ‘When he was baby….’ ”says Mary Lashno, senior pediatric occupational therapist at Kennedy Krieger Institute, and author of “Mixed Signals: Understanding and Treating Your Child’s Sensory Processing Issues.”

That’s not to say that every colicky infant or toddler who is hard to dress has SPD. But Lashno and other experts say, parents have a nagging feeling that something more is wrong. Yet, too often, Lashno says, “Their pediatricians tell them, ‘They’ll outgrow it… There, there, mom.’ ”

How is it treated?
In reality, children need occupational therapy with a sensory integration approach, experts say.

Children will receive a “sensory diet” — various techniques and stimulation such as deep pressure hugs.

Gleason’s son has a “motor skills gym,” that includes a trampoline, bicycle and deep pressure swing. “He does a circuit,” she says.
With occupational therapy, Gleason says, “His improvement has been amazing.”

He can also verbalize what he needs. “He’ll say, ‘Mommy I need a hug.’ It’s huge.”

Learning to communicate needs is also part of therapy, says Albright. “We teach children to advocate for themselves, to be able to say, ‘It’s too loud.’ Or, ‘It’s too bright.’”

And they learn the words to describe how they’re feeling.

Environmental modifications may help. Standing in the middle of a line can cause anxiety in some SPD patients. They might lean or push on the children around them, in part, to help define where their own bodies are, says Beverly Neway, senior occupational therapist at Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital in Baltimore.

“It gets them into trouble,” Neway says.

Simply putting that child at the end or front of a line can make a big difference.

A child who was affected by background noise in places such as the mall and grocery store was able to block the overwhelming sensory input with a simple CD player connected by earphones. “It was a socially acceptable way to manage the auditory issues that sent her screaming in the past,” says Neway.

For other children, spicy foods or spicy gum will calm their systems.

“Gum, especially, is organizing. It makes them feel calm inside,” Neway says. “When you chew, you’re doing joint compressions.”

Many SPD patients find that sitting on an inflatable cushion that allows them to slightly rock is helpful, says Neway. “It gives them the sensory input they need. It says, ‘This is where my body is. This is where it’s supposed to be.’ It’s soothing and calming.”

Miller recommends a period of intensive treatment, with occupational therapy multiple times per week initially.

But Lashno says most children have weekly sessions. “We don’t want to pull them out of school,” she says.
And she says, “It’s not just the one hour of therapy that makes the difference.”

Much of the work will be done at home, which is why parent involvement is so important, Lashno, Miller other experts say.

As the child continues in therapy, he’ll be able to tolerate more and the strategies may change.

Is it cured?
Miller has found that the brain actually changes after intensive occupational therapy. In following up with her own patients, Miller has found about 1/3 will need “booster” therapy after a while and about 1/3 are doing well without it.

But it’s unclear whether the condition is ever actually cured, experts say.

But the earlier treatment begins, the better. “Everything builds on everything else,” says Albright. “Each kid is different.

“There’s a learning curve,” she says. “And it needs to be monitored.”

But most kids will see remarkable improvement. As adults, they might sit in a chair a certain way. They might be clumsy. As with any short-coming or disability, Albright says, “We learn to deal with it.”

Just having a name for what they’re experiencing can be an incredible relief for families.  “I hear all the time, ‘I thought it was me,’” Neway says.
“Parents know their children best,” says Neway.

If pediatricians are responding to concerns with the old, “He’ll outgrow it,” it may warrant a second opinion.

“He’s not going to outgrow it by ignoring it,” she says.

“I swear by the Mommy gut,” says Gleason.“… Keep looking for answers.”

More Reading:
Sensational Kids: Hope and Help for Children with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)Parenting by Lucy Jane Miller

Your Child with SPD: A Family Guide to Understanding and Supporting Your Sensory Sensitive Child by Christopher Auer and Susan L. Blumberg

The Out Of Sync Child by Carol Stock Kranowitz

The Sensory Connection Program: Activities for Mental Health Treatment by Karen Moore

Mixed Signals: Understanding and Treating Your Child’s Sensory Processing Issues by Mary L