#241 - Does Everybody Have Sensory Quirks?

Sensory processing disorder (SPD) occurs when the brain and the body cannot properly process and modulate the sensory input coming in. This causes a negative, adverse reaction to the incoming sensory input. This in turn negatively affects the individual’s life, on a DAILY basis.

Sensory quirks are the smaller, less significant sensory things you seek out or avoid throughout the day. For example: chewing gum to stay focused, or fidgeting with your pen while listening to a lecture, or disliking loud noises. The difference between a sensory quirk and SPD is that a sensory quirk does not negatively impact daily function.

Listen to this episode to learn more about SPD and sensory quirks, plus a few tips and tricks.

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Links

Sensory Processing Disorder 1 Hour Training
All Things Sensory Podcast Instagram
Harkla YouTube Channel
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Harkla Instagram
The Ultimate Guide to Sensory Processing Disorder
Everything You Need to Know About Each Sensory System
What is SPD? Plus 5 Activities!
Sensory Checklists from Sensational Brain

Transcript

Rachel: 0:00

Hey everyone. Today we are talking about sensory processing disorder and sensory works. What's the difference? Why is it important to know about these two options? And what do you do going forward? I'm Rachel.

Jessica: 0:19

And I'm Jessica. And this is All Things Sensory by Harkla.

Rachel: 0:22

We are both certified occupational therapy assistants and together with Harkla, we are on a mission to empower parents, therapists and educators to help raise confident and strong children of all abilities.

Jessica: 0:33

On this podcast, we chat about all things sensory, diving into special needs, occupational therapy, parenting, self care, overall health and wellness and so much more.

Rachel: 0:44

We're here to provide raw, honest and fun strategies, ideas and information for parents, therapists and educators as well as other professionals to implement into daily life.

Jessica: 0:55

Thank you so much for joining us. I like how you phrased them as options.

Rachel: 1:05

I mean, because they're not, they're not necessarily diagnoses, like you can't be diagnosed. Hey, you have a case of mild sensory quirks.

Jessica: 1:13

Wouldn't that be hilarious? Everyone would have a diagnosis. Exactly, exactly. We do have a quick one hour training on SPD. If you're interested, we'll link it in the show notes. But if you've listened to any one of our other episodes, you've probably heard us talk about sensory quirks. And today, we're really going to just break it down and explain the differences between these two options.

Rachel: 1:44

First of all, what is SPD or sensory processing disorder, if you've listened to any of our episodes, you probably already know. But we are going to go into a brief, quick explanation. Also, we do have a couple of other podcasts that we will link in the show notes that really break down sensory processing, sensory modulation, all of the important things if you do want to go into more detail there. So first things first, sensory processing disorder occurs when the brain and the body cannot properly process and modulate sensory input coming in. My first thought is my auditory system, of course, because you know, that's what's on my mind all the time. You know, being able to process competing background noises, competing sounds simultaneously. Being able to process what someone is saying to me, and actually have it makes sense in my brain, rather than just say that I'm listening and going in one ear and out the other or not even going in one ear, maybe just going over my head completely. Sensory Processing and modulation is a natural process that occurs in everyone constantly, subconsciously, all the time.

Jessica: 2:51

We all have eight senses. And I know that we really only learn about the main five, you know, growing up, but we have three hidden senses. And if the messages coming into the body from the outside world get mixed up or jumbled or even completely missed, we won't be able to process that sensory input, and we won't be able to provide an adaptive response. And that is sensory processing disorder, or SPD. Now this can happen in any of the eight systems, sensory systems. It can happen in just one sensory system. It can happen in multiple sensory systems. So it's very individualized. Everybody's signs of SPD and what they struggle with is very unique.

Rachel: 3:41

So an example of sensory processing disorder would be having an extreme adverse reaction to a certain clothing texture, like a tag in the shirt, or the sock seam or wool underwear that your grandma got you right underneath. I hope that's not a thing. But I feel like maybe you never be. But you're having an adverse reaction to that to the point where it affects your ability to get dressed every day. So that's when we know it is true SPD when it impacts your ability to get through daily occupations or things that you do everyday to survive. So you know, not being able to process the auditorium information coming in, during a conversation in a party while you're trying to listen to the music in the background and hear someone else's conversation that caught your eye or your ear I guess, resulting in not being able to hold a meaningful conversation and maybe being able to process the music in the background or there's a car that drives by really fast outside and it makes you extremely anxious, and you have to leave the party or you're so anxious that you melt down when you get home or maybe you go into the bathroom and you have a panic attack. So that's severe, it's severely impacting your ability to get through your day confidently and successfully.

Jessica: 5:01

Another example would be getting so motion sickness when you're the passenger of a vehicle that you can't even ride in the vehicle unless you are the one driving. And this is an example of being over responsive to vestibular and potentially visual input. And so these examples we just gave are all signs of being over responsive to sensory input, which is one of the subtypes of SPD. But there's also two other subtypes. There's under responsive and craving. And these two are very similar. But there are some differences that we actually explain in another episode, that'll like Rachel said, those episodes will be linked in the show notes, so you can dive in for more information. But when you're under responsive or craving to sensory input, it's the opposite of over responsive. You're going to want to touch everything that you pass, you're going to crave loud noises and busy environments, you're going to always need to be moving and on the go. And again, these sensory craving or under responsive moments are severely impacting your ability to get through your day.

Rachel: 6:21

Maybe other people are noticing these things and questioning why maybe your your in laws or your your kiddos grandparents were like, Why is your kid jumping on the couch nonstop? We don't jump on the couch in our house like this is not okay, what's going on, maybe other people are starting to notice how severe and how significant their sensory needs are. That is when we want to look further, chat with your pediatrician, chat with a doctor who can identify this is true SPD, we need to intervene. Now I do want to mention, I share a lot about you know, infants and toddlers on my instagram at The Sensory Project. And a lot of questions I get are things that infants and toddlers are doing sensory wise, like, they're, they're rocking in their crib, before they go to sleep, they're banging their head on the crib bars, they're fidgeting with their hair before they go to sleep. They're chewing on something - I can't think of an example off the top of my head - a toy. Yes, and and I think too, like sensory is natural, like it's natural for us to find these regulating activities to help us get through our day to help self soothe. And it's it's generally a good thing as long as it's not harming anyone or anything or their own bodies. And I think it's important to identify, these are sensory preferences. These are sensory quirks, which is what we're going to chat about next. And that's why we feel like it's so important to identify the difference between true SPD and sensory quirks.

Jessica: 8:05

Yeah, so when we talk about sensory quirks, we're talking about all those little sensory things that we seek or avoid. You know, we all have a sensory system. So we all have sensory quirks. And I think Rachel brought up a really good example of the toddlers and infants who are doing these little sensory things. And the parents are wondering, is this a sensory processing issue that I should be concerned about? or is this some like a "normal" sensory thing that's happening. And I think we're just gonna keep repeating this as much as we possibly can is that it's only a sensory concern, if it's impacting the child's ability to get through their day, or you as the adult, if it's impacting your ability to get through your day. If you are seeking sensory input to feel calm and regulated, but it's not impacting your success throughout the day to do the things you want and need to do, then it's more of a sensory quirk, and it's not sensory processing disorder. So I hope that distinction makes sense. So some examples of sensory quirks. I'm gonna use myself as an example. I love vestibular input. I love swings. I love roller coasters. I love movement in general. But my enjoyment of movement of vestibular input does not prevent me from doing the things I want or need to do. It's just that I enjoy them. Sometimes I need to move so I'll go on a walk, but it's not preventing me from doing things. Another example is that I fidget when I'm trying to focus on something so right now I'm like twirling my hair fidgeting with my hands. And this is just a sensory quirk that I do when I'm focusing on a cognitive task or listening to somebody talk. That fidgeting helps me focus, but it doesn't prevent me from doing what I need to be doing in this focus task.

Rachel: 10:11

That's actually what I was gonna mention earlier when we were talking about sensory quirks. You were fidgeting with your hair, and I was like, just because currently fidgeting with her hair. It's sensory quirk of her. She does it all the time, especially when our hairs on a braid, which it is today. And it's not impacting anyone. It's not distracting anyone. It's just helpful for her.

Jessica: 10:30

Yeah. What are your sensory quirks?

Rachel: 10:32

There's too many to list.

Jessica: 10:33

List one.

Rachel: 10:35

Okay, auditory, I get very overwhelmed with competing noises, really loud noises trip was screaming bloody murder just three times in the car just for fun, while Austin was also losing her mind, so that was fun. Visually, I get a little overwhelmed with just messy areas. That's tricky. For me. I'm a little mixed with vestibular input, though, because I love roller coasters and rides like I love that thrill. Like I secretly want to go skydiving it gives me like a rush just thinking about doing it. But also, I grew up getting super motion sickness driving, and I would throw up in the car all the time. And you know what? Side note- I have never been able to watch the Polar Express. It's a classic Christmas movie. And I've and we were talking about while my family was in town. They were like, Hey, let's watch the Polar Express. I'm like, No, I'll throw up. Because every time I watch it as a kid I would throw up.

Jessica: 11:40

So it's more of the visual input than the vestibular for you. We didn't

Rachel: 11:44

we didn't connect that until my mom was like, Hey, I realized why you can't watch The Polar Express. It's a visual. It's a it's a movie like moving train visual vestibular. Like, could that really be? Totally, that would be wild.

Jessica: 11:58

Totally. It is interesting. If you put your sensory goggles on and look at Rachel and I, you'll notice that Rachel is a little more on the sensitive or over responsive side. While I'm the opposite. I'm a little more under responsive or craving. But for both of us, we have strategies in place with our sensory quirks so that our sensory quirks don't negatively impact us to the point where it prevents us from getting through our day.

Rachel: 12:30

I'm wondering if we weren't in this field and we didn't know anything about sensory processing, would those sensory quirks be more obvious? Would they be harder for us to cope with because we don't have those strategies? We don't have the ability to name it, claim it, tame it?

Jessica: 12:51

Could be. I know it would probably be harder for me with Logan. As you know, he has sensory quirks he's an oral seeker, as well as a vestibular and proprioceptive seeker. I definitely think it would be harder to help him meet his sensory needs. And he might be a little bit more towards SPD than he is. Because right now he's able to meet his sensory needs. And we use strategies to help meet his sensory needs. But if we didn't do those, would he be even more of a seeker to the point where it would impact him? I don't know.

Rachel: 13:33

That's an interesting thought. I was just thinking about that. So really here, the goal with this episode is, you know, number one, to answer that question of, hey, I'm concerned, I'm seeing some sensory things in either my child or myself. What do I do? How do I know? When do I need to intervene? I mean, if you're concerned at all, obviously, we don't want to say, Oh, it's just a sensory quirk, you're fine. You know, because it's important to learn about the sensory system, take our take our quick training, soak up some of our information if you're new here, and then take a checklist. Sensational brain has a sensory system checklist that you can quickly identify if you're under responsive over responsive or craving to sensory input. And then if there's a couple checked, you know, okay, that's probably just a quirk. But if you know, there's a whole plethora of items checked off, you can say, wow, this really might actually be impacting our day more than I thought. Even if you're, if you're a parent listening and you subconsciously are modifying your child's day, your child's clothes, their meals, to avoid meltdowns or tantrums because you know, they're going to throw a fit with certain pants, with certain foods, with certain movement activities. That also might be something to keep in mind too because you know your child's best, and you know what helps them thrive. So being aware of how much modifying you're doing during the day for those sensory preferences.

Jessica: 15:09

We just interviewed Larissa about sensory overload in adults specifically. But it's important to remember that for kids, we have to be meeting helping them meet their sensory needs in order to thrive. And this is true for kids with SPD or without SPD. Same with adults. But we'll specifically talk about kids here. So if your child's sensory needs are not getting met, they're more likely to show signs of SPD. Whereas if you're providing sensory experiences for your child, throughout the day, every day or at least almost every day, a couple times a day, then they're probably less likely to show those signs of SPD if they just have sensory quirks. Does that make sense?

Rachel: 16:05

It does. Why don't we share like three sensory based things that we do with our kids every day to help them thrive? Like almost like a sensory diet, but not It's not like a true sensory diet. Sensory lifestyle activities that we do strategies?

Jessica: 16:22

The first one that comes to mind for me is that

Rachel: 16:23

Yeah, we use a visual schedule a trip to it's like a Logan has a morning visual schedule that he uses. And I've shared this in stories before we, we made it together, we listed out all the things because he was struggling to get through his morning routine at the beginning of the school year. And I was constantly having to remind him, hey, you need to go do this next, Hey, have you done this yet. And he was just kind of struggling. And you know, it was a new routine. He's in third grade. It's a new challenge. So lots of different factors. But we made a visual schedule for his morning routine. He colored it and drew on it, we laminated it, and it's on the fridge. And you know, we're recording this at the end of December. So we've been using it for like, four months. And he does it independently now. Sometimes I might remind him, if he's kind of like goofing off a little bit, it'd be like, hey, have you gotten everything done this morning? And he'll, you know, kind of snap back and be like, oh, yeah, and he'll go look at his visual schedule and see what he still needs to do. But that's, honestly, we recommend visual schedules for everyone because we as adults use them. So that's the first thing that comes to mind that really helped us. little magnet board and the week we have like our is babysitter comes over and we pick the activities and whatnot. And yesterday, I noticed he was really into it. And he was like, let's do this and this and this. And like he didn't totally know. I mean, he's two so he doesn't like totally get it. But he understood like, oh, we pick this one. And he was telling me what they were. Oh, this one is... and eating and you know, trains and so he's able to kind of identify what they are. And I'm getting him to grab it. Once he's already gotten dressed, he takes it off and he puts it away so he can see that it's done. But even with him it to using a visual timer is really helpful and it's not necessarily a sensory strategy, but it definitely helps him understand what's next, what's done. You know, kind of that start and stop. But I think one of the one big one for us is transitioning to the dinner table or the...

Jessica: 18:36

The meal table!

Rachel: 18:40

He has to stop playing he has to stop what he's doing. So sometimes that can be difficult. So I'll ask him - do you want to frog hop or wheelbarrow walk to the dinner table and sometimes he'll pick one of those sometimes they'll say a wheelbarrow walk or bear walk or whatever. And I'll help him and we make the movements really big and really silly and it gives him control but it also gives him some of that input before meals which is also proven to be helpful for him too.

Jessica: 19:09

I'm curious how many people got the meal table? Um, no, that's so important that like sensory routine before a sit down task. So important for everyone.

Rachel: 19:27

Okay, what's another one that you guys do?

Jessica: 19:28

Another one is our like jumping and crashing. Logan loves to jump and crash. We've got our big beanbag and it's a few feet away from the couch. So he has to launch himself from the couch onto the beanbag. He does it every day. Sometimes he does it. He doesn't really do it in the morning. But he does it after school and then in the evening before bed for sure.

Rachel: 19:51

Okay, he's nine, Trip's two. They they both do that.

Jessica: 19:56

They're meeting their sensory needs.

Rachel: 19:58

Yeah. I'd say no. Another big one that we do besides that we do a lot, but like going outside is really helpful for him. And I noticed like he sleeps better when we go outside. And when he's moving and getting fresh air and exploring, like, even right now in Idaho, it's, you know, 20 degrees outside and he was like, my nose is cold. And I'm like, suck it up buttercup... just kidding.

Jessica: 20:20

I'm not kidding. But mine too.

Rachel: 20:24

But we still we get outside we move. You know, even if he's being pushed in his little bike, he's still outside getting fresh air and we hop out and we climb a mountain of dirt or something, we just try to get something and that helps us a lot.

Jessica: 20:37

Whether your child has SPD or if they just have some sensory quirks. Use sensory strategies, use visual schedules, get outside. It's all important for all of us to modulate sensory input regulate our nervous systems to just feel good throughout the day.

Rachel: 20:58

I think through this podcast, we're helping to normalize sensory processing challenges, because more and more we're seeing it come up in kids and adults. And I think if we can really spread the word of like, Hey, this is your sensory system. This is why you feel this way. It's okay. But this is what you should do to help - that's the goal.

Jessica: 21:22

Because we're all going to feel sensory overload at some point in our life and different parts of our lives. We might feel more sensory overload. So like you right now, Rachel, you have basically two under two I know Trip's over two, but you basically have to under two, two under three. Yeah, we'll say. And so you're experiencing sensory overload more often right now because of two young children. But it's just I think it's just so important to know that we are all sensory beings, we all need to meet our sensory needs. And some of us and some children just need more than others. And that's okay.

Rachel: 22:03

Yeah, that's okay. We're all doing the best. You didn't know what you didn't know until you found out you didn't know it.

Jessica: 22:10

And say that five times fast. We do have an episode specifically on sensory overload. So make sure you listen to that episode, to just get more strategies for when that sensory overload occurs.

Rachel: 22:24

Yep. Thanks for hanging out with us today. If you have questions, don't hesitate to reach out and make sure you're following us on Instagram at all things sensory podcast, as well as Harkla_family and share this episode with someone who doesn't know much about the sensory world. open their eyes a little bit.

Jessica: 22:45

We actually we love when you screenshot the episode and tag us in a story that you share of listening to the episode. We love seeing what episodes you're listening to. So snag a screenshot, share it in your stories and tag us.

Rachel: 23:01

And then don't forget to leave a review on iTunes or Spotify now. Those just mean the world to us. So thank you. And we will chat with you next week. We won't see you next week. But we will chat with you. Thank you so much for listening to all things sensory by Harkla.

Jessica: 23:35

If you want more information on anything mentioned in the show, head over to harkla.co/podcast to get the show notes.

Rachel: 23:44

If you have any follow up questions, the best place to ask those is in the comments on the show notes or message us on our Instagram account, which is at Harkla underscore family or at all things sensory podcast. If you just search Harkla You'll find us there.

Jessica: 24:00

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Rachel: 24:18

Head to harkla.co/sensory to use that discount code right now.

Jessica: 24:24

We're so excited to work together to help create competent kids all over the world. While we make every effort to share correct information we're still learning.

Rachel: 24:33

We will double check all of our facts but realize that medicine is a constantly changing science and art.

Jessica: 24:38

One doctor or therapist may have a different way of doing things from another.

Rachel: 24:42

We are simply presenting our views and opinions on how to address common sensory challenges, health related difficulties, and what we have found to be beneficial that will be as evidence based as possible.

Jessica: 24:54

By listening to this podcast you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or your child

Rachel: 25:02

Consult your child's pediatrician or therapist for any medical issues that he or she may be having

Jessica: 25:08

This entire disclaimer also applies to any guests or contributors to the podcast

Rachel: 25:13

Thanks so much for listening!