What You Should Know About Tactile Defensiveness and Other Tactile System Disorders

One of the most common sensory disorders is Tactile Defensiveness.  With this condition, a child is over or "hyper" sensitive to different types of touch.  Light touch is one of the most upsetting types of touch to a child with SI dysfunction.  Depending on the intensity of their dysfunction, they may become anywhere from mildly annoyed to completely freaked out by having someone lightly touch them.  A gentle kiss on the cheek may feel like they are having coarse sandpaper rubbed on their face.  They also may dislike feeling sand, grass or dirt on their skin.  Getting dressed may be a struggle as different clothing textures, tags and seams may cause them great discomfort.

Often children with Tactile Defensiveness or touch hypersensitivity will avoid, become fearful of, or are irritated by:

The wind blowing on bare skin
Light touch
Vibrating toys
Barefoot touching of carpet, sand and/or grass
Clothing textures
Tags and seams on clothing
Touching of "messy" things
Changes in temperature

On the other side of the spectrum is a child with Tactile Undersensitivity or "Hyposensitivity".   A tactile undersensitive child need a lot of input to get the touch information he or she needs.  They will often seek out tactile input on their own in sometimes unsafe ways.

A child who is undersensitive to touch may have these difficulties:

Emotional and social  - Craves touch to the extent that friends, family, and even strangers become annoyed and upset.  This could be the baby who constantly needs to be held, or the toddler who is clingy, craving continual physical contact.

Sensory exploration - Makes excessive physical contact with people and objects. Touching other children too forcefully or inappropriately (such as biting or hitting).

Motor - To get more tactile sensory information, he may need to use more of his skin surface to feel he's made contact with an object.

Grooming and dressing - May choose clothing that is, in your opinion, unacceptably tight or loose. He may brush his teeth so hard that he injures his gums.

If you child shows signs of Tactile Defensiveness or Undersensitivity, it's important to get a proper screening by an Occupational Therapist, pediatrician or other licensed professional.  This sensory assessment will help you in seeking out the proper course of treatment and therapy.

Visit [http://www.SensorySmartKid.com] for more information and support regarding Sensory Integration, PDD and other Autism Spectrum Disorders.

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Tactile Defensiveness - The Facts About the Wilbarger Brushing Protocol

Many children with Sensory Integration Disorders exhibit symptoms of tactile defensiveness. In layman's terms this simply means that they have hypersensitivity to touch and/or tactile input. This in turn may cause:

-Difficulty transitioning between activities

-Lack of attention or focus

-A fear or resistance to being touched

Your child may benefit from what is commonly known to most parents as "Brushing Therapy". It is known in Occupational Therapy circles as The Wilbarger Deep Pressure and Proprioceptive Technique (DPPT) & Oral Tactile Technique (OTT). It was developed by Dr. Patricia Wilbarger, MEd, OTR, FAOTA, an occupational therapist and clinical psychologist that has been working with sensory processing theories for over 30 years.

When first introduced to this, many parents are a bit skeptical. How can "brushing" my child help them with their sensory integration issues and tactile defensiveness? The theory behind it is that our skin is the human body's largest sensory organ, and therefore it is in constant contact with our nervous system; relaying information that allows us to interact effectively with our environment. Often times, the inability for the human body to process sensory input effectively can cause motor skill delays, tactile defensiveness, or social and emotional difficulties. Brushing therapy seeks to use this connection between the skin and the nervous system to assist kids who may be having difficulty organizing sensory information properly.

It is thankfully, quite simple to implement. The first step in the therapy involves using a soft, plastic, surgical brush which is run over the child's skin, using a very firm pressure, starting at the arms and working down to the feet. The chest and stomach area are always avoided as these are sensitive areas that can cause adverse reactions. There can be some drama at first, until the child becomes accustomed to the therapy, but most children find it pleasurable after a few sessions and may even ask for it when they are feeling "off". Along with the brushing, most practitioners will also prescribe joint compressions. In this phase of the treatment, the therapist or a parent trained by a therapist provides gentle compressions of each of the child's major joints for a count of ten. Finally, the therapist may also suggest the Oral Tactile Technique, or OTT. This technique involves using a finger to swipe along the inside of the child's mouth. This has been found to help with some children who have an issue with what is known as oral defensiveness. If your child is adverse to new foods because of their texture, or has a severe aversion to having their teeth brushed, they may have an issue with oral defensiveness.

If you think that your child would benefit from this form of therapy, it is important to seek guidance from an Occupational Therapist. Performing the therapy in a manner other than taught by a trained professional can be, at best, useless and could possibly do more harm then good.

Visit [http://www.SensorySmartKid.com] for more information and support regarding Sensory Integration, PDD and other Autism Spectrum Disorders.

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