Sensory Discrimination Disorder Checklist
Sensory Discrimination Problems
People with Sensory Discrimination Disorder truly live in a different world. Their brains are giving them jumbled or confused information, making it difficult for them to determine the source, frequency, or pitch of a sensation. This can make the world a terribly confusing place to live in, and makes learning difficult.
Instructions: please mark (from 0 to 5) the frequency at which you experience each symptom, with 0 being 'never', and 5 being 'always'. If you find an issue that you used to experience, but might no longer experience, please write 'R', indicating that the issue may have already been resolved. For more information about SPD Life Checklists, please visit our How to Use page.
Tactile Discrimination Disorder
_______ Difficulty knowing where you are being touched
_______ Difficulty knowing what you are holding without looking
_______ Will need to use your eyes when searching through a bag, desk, purse, or packpack
_______ Difficulty with describing the physical characteristics or texture of an object by touch alone
Gustatory/Oral Discrimination Disorder
_______ Not able to tell the difference between textures or tastes while eating
_______ Unable to tell what you are eating or drinking by taste and texture alone
_______ Difficulty in knowing when something is too hot or too cold for consumption
_______ Difficulty distinguishing between flavors
Olfactory Discrimination Disorder
_______ Unable to identify the source or cause of odors
_______ May not be able to distinguish important smells, like something burning
_______ Difficulty in telling the differences between two smells
Auditory Discrimination Disorder
_______ Difficulty determining the source of a noise or who is speaking to them
_______ Have a hard time determining which sound to pay attention to, or whos voice to listen to
_______ Frequently mistake sounds in language, especially with similar sounding words, like 'chip' and 'tip' or 'cars' and 'cards'
_______ Difficulty fallowing multi-step instructions
Visual Discrimination Disorder
_______ Difficulty in distinguishing between colors or shapes of objects
_______ Failure to see the 'big picture', focusing on only a small piece of what is seen
_______ Difficulty identifying objects that are partially covered
_______ Difficulty fallowing a map or identifying landmarks
_______ Difficulty with driving, especially while merging or parking
_______ Poor depth perception
_______ Unable to determine which visible object to attend to in your environment
_______ May confuse left and right
_______ Difficulty determining between similar letters by sight, such as 'q, p, d, b, and g'
_______ May have poor or sloppy handwriting, otherwise known as Dysgraphia
_______ May write at a slant, up or down
Vestibular Discrimination Disorder
_______ Difficulty determining head or body position
_______ Poor perception of elevation
_______ Difficulty in determining your own posture without looking
_______ Unaware of whether you are upside down, sitting, or standing without looking
_______ Frequently fall out of chairs
Proprioceptive Discrimination Disorder
_______ Difficulty knowing how much pressure to use to pick up or hold an object
_______ Frequently use too much or too little pressure in physical activities
_______ May constantly slam doors and windows or not shut them well enough
_______ May often break pencils and other utensils while using them
Interoceptive Discrimination Disorder
_______ Difficulty determining the difference between hungry and full, thirsty and not thirsty
_______ Not able to know whether or not you need to use the restroom
_______ Cannot tell whether your heart is pounding or how fast you are breathing