מה ההבדל בין רגישות גבוהה לבין הפרעה בוויסות חושי

האם יש שוני בין

אדם רגיש מאוד (The Highly Sensitive Person)

לבין אדם בעל הפרעה בוויסות חושי?

בעקבות שאלות רבות בנושא זה אני מצרפת את תשובתה של ד"ר ארון. אשמח אם תגיבו. מקווה מאוד שהטקסט יתורגם בעתיד לעברית.

What is the Difference between Sensory Processing Sensitivity, the academic term for high sensitivity, and Sensory Processing or Sensory Integration Disorder   (actually, the first term has replaced the latter)?

Simply put, high sensitivity is not a disorder. It is found in about 15 to 20% of humans. Further, some trait like it, usually termed differently but with close to the same ratio, is found in almost every animal species studied. So it is a normal temperament variation that has evolved for a reason. It is one of two strategies that works for individuals. One is "look before you leap" or "do it once and do it right" (our strategy). The other is "the early bird gets the worm." Act fast and be first–the first to get the food or to be the food. In other words, neither way of behaving is really dysfunctional, and each is a sort of impairment in one type of situation and an advantage in another. Different strategies for different folks.

We HSPs know, however, that "normal" can be in the eyes of the beholder. HSPs and HSCs can seem strange and even dysfunctional to non-HSPs–always a problem when a non-HSP is making a diagnosis.

The term Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) was first applied to children, but now it is used to describe certain adults as well. It was discovered by occupational therapists working with children. They noticed that certain individuals have unusual difficulties due to being too sensitive or not sensitive enough in various sense modalities, or having poor balance and coordination. To help these children, occupational therapists use a variety of one-on-one treatments plus various equipment.

You can learn about SPD on many websites from different sources. If you go to an "official" site you will find the symptom checklists. You are going to see considerable overlap with what I would call normal sensitivity. This has led to some skepticism about SPD, some likening it to the "new ADHD," and you can find this on the web too. Still, also on the checklist are behaviors that are obvious red flags about a child's development, such as not rolling over by 7 months or not walking by 18 months and these would need more evaluation.

If I were seeking such an evaluation, one that might lead to a serious diagnosis and costly treatment, I would want it done by someone with years of experience observing both normal behavior and its normal temperament-related variations, as well as a vast experience in recognizing non-normal development of all types and evaluating both its possible innate and environmental contributors. I would not have a diagnosis made by someone working within one specialty, whether that be ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, or SPD. This is true for myself as well. I do not evaluate children overall because my natural bias and lack of broader experience could easily cause me to miss a problem in a child, thinking it was only due to normal sensitivity.

As for treatment, I have heard many parents rave about what occupational therapists have done for their child after he or she was diagnosed with SPD. Still, before sinking money into it, I would ask to see studies on its usefulness that were done by researchers not in any way associated with its treatment. These studies should have had a control group in which children received equal amounts of individual attention by a caring adult, but one who was not familiar with SPD and not using any special methods. There may well be such well-controlled research, but I have not reviewed the scientific literature on it so I cannot say.

There is a well funded SPD foundation, and part of its purpose is to educate the public and professionals about SPD. Part of that effort is to advocate with the American Psychiatric Association to make SPD a disorder in the next, fifth, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, the official manual used for all medical diagnoses involving in any way mental health. This will mean medical insurance will cover its treatment, allowing a great expansion of this occupational therapy specialty and many more children to be treated. Those lobbying for this are almost certainly doing so in all good faith and in the best interest of children. But while it may be best for some children, we who deal with HSCs may find they are being given a DSM diagnosis simply because the diagnosis exists and includes some behaviors HSPs exhibit. It may be forgotten at times that these are normal and highly functional for those having this particular temperament variation. So it will be one more thing for parents of HSCs to deal with. Indeed, since the diagnosis has been expanded to adults, all of us may hear more about it.

מתוך:  http://www.hsperson.com/pages/2Feb09.htm

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ביאטה שבון יהב, תרפיסטית גוף-נפש, מתמחה באנשים רגישים מאוד, מנהלת הקהילה של אנשים רגישים מאוד בישראל https://tnuaitit.com

 

 

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