SPD Symptoms
Over: Sensory Over-Responsiveness
Those who experience sensory over-responsiveness are also commonly referred to as 'sensory defensive'. A person with a hypersensitivity to sensory input will experience the world as a threatening, painful, and/or scary place. They are often hyper-vigilant and under a lot of stress, and may experience frequent meltdowns. They truly have weak filters for sensory input.
Tactile Defensiveness
_______ Distressed by light touch or gentle caress
_______ Overly agitated by seams and tags in clothing, as well as certain fabrics
_______ Extremely ticklish
_______ Difficulty with being touched when not able to see the person or object touching you, or when touch is unexpected
_______ Frequently rub skin firmly after it is exposed to light touch
_______ React extremely or even violently when being touched
_______ Difficulty washing face or body, being splashed, or adjusting to cold or hot water temperatures
_______ Difficulty handling changes or extremes in outside temperature
_______ Difficulty with getting hair cuts
_______ Hate the feeling of being dirty or sticky, may wash hands or body excessively
Gustatory/Oral Defensiveness
_______ Distressed by certain tastes and textures of food, and may hate mixing foods and textures
_______ Overactive gag reflex
_______ Extremely 'picky' or repetitive eating habits
_______ Inability to tolerate temperature extremes in foods
_______ Difficulty brushing teeth (toothpaste may burn)
_______ Difficulty trying new foods, and changing from set meal plans
Olfactory Defensiveness
_______ Difficulty tolerating certain smells
_______ Excessive reactions to some smells, may even get headaches or vomit
_______ Often notice smells others don't
_______ Very swayed by scents, may avoid people or places based on smell
Visual/Auditory Defensiveness
_______ Difficulty tolerating bright lights
_______ Unable to handle flashing or moving lights
_______ Difficulty with changes in lighting - dark to bright, and vice versa
_______ Often rub eyes, which may water frequently
Auditory Defensiveness
_______ Difficulty tolerating and/or easily startled by loud noises
_______ Avoid situations where there will be noise, such as crowded shopping centers
_______ Avoid social situations or group settings because of noise level and possibly the sounds of people's voices
_______ Irritated by appliance noises, such as vacuum cleaners and beeping timers
_______ Difficulty at transitioning from quiet to loud environments
_______ Often cover ears, which may hurt frequently or turn red
Vestibular Defensiveness
_______ Very sensitive to movements in head or body position
_______ Experience motion sickness
_______ Hate going upside down or sideways
_______ Often avoid roller coasters or other fast moving amusement park rides, especially ones that spin, drop, or go upside down
_______ Experience vertigo or 'fear of heights'
_______ Difficulty using escalators, elevators, or climbing stairs
_______ Easily made dizzy, very sensitive to dizziness, or may feel as though your body is moving even when it isn't
Proprioceptive Defensiveness
_______ Have difficulty tolerating other people moving your body and hugging you
_______ Avoid moving or stretching limbs or other body parts
_______ Often have rigid or tense posture
_______ Avoid physical activities, such as sports, that may involve lots of running, jumping, crashing, etc.
Interoceptive Defensiveness
_______ Distressed by hunger, thirst, bladder or bowel sensations
_______ May frequently go to the bathroom to avoid the sensation of a full bladder
_______ May overeat to avoid hunger sensations, which may feel painful to you
_______ Distressed by a pounding heartbeat or by the movement of the lungs while breathing
_______ Overly agitated by body heat