Sensory

Sensory disability is a neurological disorder that affects the human brain to process sensory information (such as sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell) normally and properly. Some examples of Sensory Disability are: 

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) 

  • It is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. People with ASD may communicate, interact, behave, and learn in ways that are different from most other people. Some people with ASD need a lot of help in their daily lives; others need less.

  • Signs and Symptoms: 

    • Not point at objects to show interest.

    • Not look at objects when another person points at them

    • Have trouble relating to others or not have an interest in other people at all.

    • Avoid eye contact and want to be alone

    • Have trouble understanding other people’s feelings or talking about their own feelings

    • repeat or echo words or phrases said to them, or repeat words or phrases in place of normal language

• Blindness and low vision

  • "Blindness and low vision" covers a broad variety of definitions, including legal blindness, limited visual acuity, and color blindness. People with low vision have different experiences from people who are blind.

  • Low Vision:

    • Low vision usually interferes with the performance of daily activities, such as reading or driving. Persons with low vision may prefer to read large print. A person with low vision may not recognize images at a distance or be able to differentiate between colors of similar hues.

  • Blindness:

    • Blind persons may use mobility aids, including canes and guide dogs. 

  • Causes: 

    • Uncorrected refractive errors

    • Cataract

    • Age-related macular degeneration

    • Glaucoma

    • Trachoma

• Deafness/loss of hearing 

  •  Total or significant loss of hearing and there are four types of hearing loss. 

    • Conductive Hearing Loss

      • Hearing loss caused by something that stops sounds from getting through the outer or middle ear. This type of hearing loss can often be treated with medicine or surgery.

    • Sensorineural Hearing Loss

      • Hearing loss that occurs when there is a problem in the way the inner ear or hearing nerve works.

    • Mixed Hearing Loss

      • Hearing loss that includes both a conductive and a sensorineural hearing loss.

    • Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder

      • Hearing loss that occurs when sound enters the ear normally, but because of damage to the inner ear or the hearing nerve, the sound isn’t organized in a way that the brain can understand.

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  • Causes: 

    • Maternal rubella, syphilis or certain other infections during pregnancy

    • Low birth weight

    • Birth asphyxia (a lack of oxygen at the time of birth)

    • Inappropriate use of particular drugs during pregnancy, such as aminoglycosides, antimalarial drugs, and diuretics

• Sensory processing disorder 

  • SPD is formerly referred to as sensory integration dysfunction. It is a neurological condition that interferes with the body’s ability to interpret sensory messages from the brain and convert those messages into appropriate motor and behavioral responses. Sensory Processing Disorder makes patients have difficulties filtering out unimportant sensory information (like the background noise of a busy school hallway) and causing them to feel overwhelmed and over-stimulated in certain environments.

  • Common Symptoms: 

    • Be unable to tolerate bright lights and loud noises like ambulance sirens

    • Refuse to wear clothing because it feels scratchy or

    • Be distracted by background noises that others don’t seem to hear

    • Be fearful of surprise touch, avoid hugs and cuddling even with familiar adults

    • Be overly fearful of swings and playground equipment

    • Often have trouble understanding where their body is in relation to other objects or people