Sensory Discrimination Disorder

DisclaimerThis page is not here to be used as a self-diagnosis, self-identification, or promotion - it's simply here to be informational. Whether or not one self-diagnoses, self-identifies, and/or seeks a professional diagnosis is up to them.

**Sensory Discrimination Disorder (SDD)** is a problem in recognizing/interpreting differences or similarities in the qualities of stimuli. Those that experience sensory discrimination disorder often have a hard time perceiving information.

## Signs & Symptoms

Common general signs:

* Bumps or pushes others.
* Grasps objects too tightly or uses too much force.
* Frequently drops things or knocks things over.
* Mouths, licks, chews, or sucks on non-food items.
* Craves movement.
* Afraid of heights/swings/slides.
* Has poor balance.

Each of the eight senses have their own type of discrimination disorder and someone this subset of SPD can have any combination of all eight types.

### Tactile Discrimination

Tactile discrimination is when one is not able to process things that they touch, they must be able to see it.

Some common signs of tactile discrimination include:

* Unaware of being touched.
* Unable to identify objects through touch.
* Unable to describe a texture via touching.

### Gustatory/Oral Discrimination

Gustatory discrimination usually happens in conjunction with olfactory discrimination.

Common signs of oral discrimination include:

* Unable to distinguish taste and texture while eating.
* Unable to distinguish temperature of food.

### Olfactory Discrimination

Olfactory discrimination usually happens in conjunction with gustatory/oral discrimination.

Common signs of olfactory discrimination include:

* Unable to identify the source of odors.
* Unable to identify smells.

### Auditory Discrimination

Auditory discrimination is when one has a very hard time separating background noise from the noise of the individual speaking to them.

Common signs of auditory discrimination include:

* Unable to identify who is speaking.
* Frequently mistaking sounds in language for homophones.
* Difficulty following verbal instructions.
* Talking too loudly or quietly.
* Appears to ignore others.

### Visual Discrimination

Visual discrimination is when one has a hard time reading emotions and recognizing patterns and letters.

Common signs of visual discrimination include:

* Difficulty distinguishing between colors.
* Difficulty distinguishing between shapes.
* Difficulty identifying objects that are slightly hidden.
* Poor depth perception.
* Difficulty knowing left from right.
* Difficulty distinguishing similar letters.
* Lining up numbers in math problems.

### Vestibular Discrimination

Vestibular discrimination is when one is unaware of where their body is in the space around them.

Common signs of vestibular discrimination include:

* Difficulty determining head or body position.
* Poor perception of elevation.
* Poor posture.
* Clumsiness.
* Constantly falling and being able to stop self.
* Gets disoriented easily.

### Proprioceptive Discrimination

Proprioceptive discrimination is when one is unable to determine how much force is required to interact with an object.

Common signs of proprioceptive discrimination include:

* Unaware of how much force is need to pick up or hold an object.
* Constantly slamming doors or not closing them tight enough.
* Breaks utensils.
* Roughhousing to the point of someone getting hurt.
* Unable to judge how much force to use throwing a ball.

### Introception Discrimination

* Unable to tell when hungry, thirsty, full or quenched.
* Unable to tell the difference between hunger and nausea.
* Unable to determine the necessity of using the bathroom.
* Unaware of being out of breath.

## References

https://sinetwork.org/subtype-3-sensory-discrimination-disorder/

https://www.spdstar.org/sites/default/files/publications/5.%20Nov.-Dec.%202012%20-%20SDD.pdf

http://www.therapyinpraxisltd.co.uk/pdfs/sensory-discrimination-disorder.pdf