Sensational Kids – Book Review

Our bodies are created in tune with the environment.

However, what happens when a child fails to register extreme temperatures or recoils from a slight sound?

Children with sensory processing disorder experience sensations-taste, touch, sound, sight, smell, movement and body awareness-vastly differently from other children their ages.

They may feel attacked by the slightest touch, fail to register bumps and bruises, or be unable to figure out where they are in space without constantly touching others.

However, since sensory processing disorder affects different children in different ways, Sensory Processing Disorder is an increasingly common diagnosis, with a wide range of symptoms that can be difficult for parents and pediatricians to identify.

While SPD is more widely recognized than it once was, parents of these sensational children have been searching for ways to help their children navigate in the world.

In the book, Sensational Kids, internationally renowned expert Dr. Miller shares her more than forty years of experience and research findings on SPD as well as new treatment options and coping strategies for parents, teachers, and others who care for kids with SPD. 

Sensational Kids teaches parents about Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD).

The book opens with a checklist guiding parents on how to get started if they suspect their child has SPD, giving parents the necessary information and encouragement.

Miller’s initial chapters help define Sensory Processing Disorder through highlighting the symptoms with further checklists and explaining treatment strategies.

This knowledge provides parents with the necessary tools to become part of the team that will help their child.

Part II of the book follows five children to help highlight examples of children with SPD and how it manifests in different children.

The book follows a typically developing first grader, an over-responsive kindergartener, an under-responsive second grader, a sensory-seeking preschooler, and a third grader with dyspraxia, a developmental coordination disorder.

By reading about these children, one reaches a greater understanding about the experience of the children with SPD and their families.

Embedded in these stories, Dr. Miller introduces “A Secret”-a problem solving framework that explores beyond the “why” of SPD to focus on a solution. The strategies work on modifying factors in these areas:

• Attention
• Sensation
• Emotional Regulation
• Context/ Culture
• Relationships
• Environment
• Task

The third part of the book explores research into SPD, prevalence, causes, its interaction with other disorders, and treatment methods. 

The book is a great read for parents and professionals alike which serves as a valuable tool to the understanding of Sensory Processing Disorder.

As a professional in the field, I often refer to Miller’s book when recommending treatment for the kids and families I work with. 

To learn more about Dr. Miller and her research see

https://www.spdstar.org/

http://www.spdfoundation.net/index.html