Sensory Processing Disorder Checklist
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HOW TO USE THESE CHECKLISTS:
In her book, “The Out-Of-Sync-Child”, Carol Kranowitz, uses a similar checklist to understand what she refers to as the “five Caveats” of the sensational child. It is important to remember the following when using this checklist:
In her book, “The Out-Of-Sync-Child”, Carol Kranowitz, uses a similar checklist to understand what she refers to as the “five Caveats” of the sensational child. It is important to remember the following when using this checklist:
- Children with a sensory dysfunction will not necessarily display every characteristic. For example, a child with vestibular dysfunction may have poor balance but good muscle tone.
- “Inconsistency is the hallmark of every neurological dysfunction”- a child may show signs of dysfunction one day but not the next. For example, they may be “clumsy” and trip several times on Friday but kick a ball perfectly into a goal on Saturday.
- A child who shows signs of a particular dysfunction may have a different underlying problem and not a dysfunction at all. For example, a child who dislikes being touched may not be over-reacting to tactile sensation but may have an emotional problem instead. It is therefore important to consult your doctor or Occupational Therapist for an accurate diagnosis.
- Children can be both hyposensitive and hypersensitive. To illustrate, a child may jerk away from a light pat on the shoulder, but may show indifference when given an inoculation.
- We all have sensory integration problems from time-to-time and all kinds of stimuli can temporarily disrupt normal functioning of the brain. This can either occur through sensory overload or if we are deprived of sensory stimulation.
- Only use this checklist as a guide, it is NOT designed to be used as a diagnostic tool but rather as a means of understanding the signs of sensory processing dysfunction.
- What is of importance is which symptoms your child shows, which of the categories they are having difficulties with, how much it interferes in their and others lives, and how much it affects their global level of functioning.