Neurosensory Challenges: Insights and Solutions for Sydney Communities
When kids have outbursts, it’s often because their brain has trouble processing the information that comes in through their senses. That includes the five traditional senses (taste, smell, touch, sight) and three other sensory inputs, like body and space awareness and movement.
Although guidelines and policies recommend sensory approaches in psychiatric units, little is known about their use or what demographic and clinical factors influence it. This study aims to fill this gap.
What is Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)?
For many people with SPD, outside stimuli feel like an assault of competing sights, sounds, and touch. This happens because the nervous system isn’t efficient, causing the brain to misinterpret input. This misinterpretation can be a result of overstimulation or understimulation. People with SPD can also experience difficulties with sensory discrimination, meaning that they don’t know what sort of sensation they are experiencing or how intense it is. For example, if they stub their toe their brain may not send the correct messages about it to their body (or it might send a bigger message than is actually occurring).
There are numerous factors that contribute to Sensory Processing Challenges and SPD, but it is important to remember that every case is different. Understanding these factors can be crucial to developing a tailored approach that will maximise your loved one’s wellbeing.
A range of research-based theories aim to explain the underlying causes of Sensory Processing Challenges and SPD. These include cognitive, genetic, birth complications, environmental and neurodevelopmental variations. It is essential to keep up-to-date on the latest research into this field so that you can continue to explore the wide spectrum of therapy options, interventions and support services available for you and your loved ones. Staying informed can help you make the most of the growing pool of professional knowledge and peer support in Australia.
What is the Significance of Sensory Processing Disorder?
Children and adults with SPD need help interpreting the sensory messages they receive from their bodies and environment. When these messages aren’t processed correctly, they may have a negative impact on life functioning. This can include motor skills (such as using scissors and catching a ball), social behaviour, self-regulation and emotional wellbeing.
In addition to affecting fine and gross motor skills, sensory processing disorders can also lead to difficulty with eating, sleep and attention. They can cause a high level of discomfort, fatigue and frustration for many people who experience them. These symptoms can interfere with school, work and play, leading to isolation and a lack of independence and confidence.
The symptoms of sensory disorders can range from mild to severe, depending on the child or adult’s unique response to stimulation and the extent to which their brain cannot regulate this reaction. It is important to note that some people do not develop sensory symptoms at all. Instead, they adopt coping strategies that mask or minimize their sensory issues.
These include finding a “sensory diet” of activities that expose them to a wide variety of sensations, such as being tossed in the air and jumping on furniture. They can also use listening therapy (LT), in which they listen to a range of frequencies and patterns in order to stimulate the senses.
What are the Insights and Solutions for Sydney Communities?
A number of initiatives are underway to understand the impact of Neurosensory Sydney challenges. For example, WSU research colleague and NAB interview guest Neil Perry is exploring the impact on areas that are experiencing longer-term economic disruption. He’s working with communities in both the Hunter and Lithgow regions to help them deal with the loss of jobs, skills and services as demand for fossil fuels declines.
Another major issue is the underfunding of community services in Western Sydney. This is partly due to the fact that it’s difficult for service providers to know where the need is greatest unless they can access detailed information about local demographics and lifestyles. The new online tool – the Community Profile Explorer – is an important first step in this direction. It allows users to define a community and generate an automated report within 10 minutes.
The next Australian Government has a huge opportunity to partner with State/Territory and community leaders and make place-based approaches central to social policy reform over the next ten years. This should involve non-partisan political and APS commitment at senior levels to make place-based initiatives a reality, with a clear process for establishing community-led decision making for integrated investment and delivery of services. This could include a mechanism for communities to be given greater discretion over their funding and to break the rules where needed to focus on a specific area’s greatest strengths and needs.
How can we Help?
Many kids have trouble handling sensory information, including those with autism spectrum disorder. They can be oversensitive (hypersensitive), which means they take in too much sensory information, or undersensitive, which is when they don’t get enough. They can also be overwhelmed by certain smells, tastes and touch. Usually, these reactions are temporary but they can get in the way of social interaction or learning. Providing tutoring for autism students can be an effective way to address their specific sensory processing challenges and support their learning and development.
It’s important to remember that neuroscience is a new and developing field. The goal of 21st-century neuroscience is to measure, understand, and describe the brain in all its complexity. That’s a huge task. To accomplish it, researchers need the same kinds of large-scale resources as are available in disciplines such as astronomy or physics. This includes coordinating large research teams, depositing data in public repositories, and sharing tools.
The work of neuroscience can be a source of fear. Some concerns stem from ethical issues, such as how future technology might be used to probe or manipulate people’s deepest thoughts. But there are also concerns about how neuroscience could be applied to social problems, such as criminal behavior or addiction.