Question
How does the latest research define sensory over-responsivity?
Answer
Current evidence describes sensory over-responsivity as a type of modulation disorder in which responses to sensation are exaggerated, prolonged, or more intense than the situation warrants. It is crucial to understand this as a heightened emotional, physiological, and behavioral response to stimuli rather than just an increased ability to detect it. While the term "sensory over-responsivity" remains common in literature, leaders in the field are moving toward the more inclusive term "heightened responsivity". This distinction helps clinicians focus on how the nervous system itself is over-responding to the environment.
This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the course, Dressing And Sensory Over-Responsivity: A Guide For OTPs, presented by Kathryn Hamlin-Pacheco, MS, OTR/L, ASDCS.
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