Untethered: it’s a word I’ve often used to describe the feeling of having a sensory shutdown. It’s the moment that my ears, unable to sort through the garbled heap of auditory input, stop trying to form words and derive meaning from sound. It’s when my eyes, unable to weave together fragments of the visual whole in front of me, turn the scenery sharp with parsed, unaffiliated details. It’s the moment my body gives up its battle to make a connection, however shy and tenuous, to the physical space I’m in.

The “Terrible-Twos”. Separation anxiety. Night terrors. These conditions are closely associated with childhood. They can cause misery to child, caregiver and family alike. They bring distress, angst, loss of sleep, and unfortunately, sometimes the need for professional intervention. What these childhood conditions generally share as a group is the tendency for people to “outgrow” them as they age. In general, we view “childhood conditions” as just that – issues we need only worry about with children.

Let's talk about something that nearly every single person with sensory issues has to deal with: ANXIETY. Gosh! Even the word itself sets me on edge.

For people with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), anxiety comes as part of the package. It's the bonus prize that nobody wants.

As a parent of a child with SPD and anxiety, I feel like the stars have somehow been out of alignment since that very first moment at the age of two, when I realized we had a serious issue on our hands.  Do not get me wrong! I absolutely love my daughter and her way of judging the character of people she encounters in her life.  The complex process of maneuvering evaluations is a topic for another day, not to mention the emotions that go along with that.