Sensory Processing Disorders...

[Tim Sommer]

I am involved with a group called THE SENSATION AND EMOTION NETWORK
(www.sensationandemotion.com). We support research in sensory
processing and emotion regulation, and we are particularly interested
in increasing awareness and finding solutions for Sensory Processing
Disorders, a brain based problem that affects approximately five
percent of school age children in the U.S. One subtype of SPD is
Sensory Over Responsivity (SOR). SOR kids respond to sensory
information (i.e. sound and touch) as though it were extremely
aversive. They feel continually bombarded by stimuli. Patterns of
instable moods are typical and SOR children find even pleasurable
activities difficult, or unbearable. Awareness of SPD is very low.
Children are frequently misdiagnosed, and the results can be
devastating.

On March 2 and 3 of this year, we are putting on The Sensation To
Emotion Conference, which will bring together scholars and clinicians
across disciplines in order to advance the understanding of how
sensory processing and emotion regulation interact, and how these
processes affect human behavior. We will explore the neurobehavioral
processes underlying the emotions often associated with a high
reactivity level to sensory information, with attention focused on the
auditory domains and upon the fear response. Some heavy hitters in
neuroscience, occupational therapy, music therapy, and related fields
will be there, including Joseph LeDoux, Lucy Miller, Jeffrey Brantley,
Daniel Pine, Elizabeth Phelps, Connie Tomaino, Peter Fonagy, Robert
Zatorre, Gil Foley, and many more. For more information on the
conference, please go to www.sensationandemotion.com.