At an occupational therapy appointment in Chicago, a therapist wrapped colorful wrist and ankle weights on a four-year-old girl with pigtails. The patient had been diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as well as Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). The weight bands helped her have a better sense of her body as she worked on coordination tasks.
SPD is an umbrella term used to describe a person’s difficulties in processing sensory information. For some people, SPD can mean they have a hard time sensing the size of a room or if other people are too close. For others with SPD, lights, sounds or touches can be painfully overwhelming. Some estimates suggest as many as 15 percent of the population has a form of SPD.
