Volume_5_Issue_2_Digest

13 TPC Digest Children experience the world through their senses—auditory (sound), olfactory (smell), tactile (touch), visual (sight) and gustatory (taste). Two lesser known senses are proprioception and the vestibular sense. Proprioception is a sense found in muscles, tendons and joints that deciphers bodily awareness and coordinated movements. The vestibular sense is located in the inner ear and provides sensory input regarding one’s balance and gravity. Sensory processing is a complex and constant neurobiological process in which individuals’ seven senses perceive information or stimuli from the environment, sending data to the brain to interpret and process. A typically developing child may easily and accurately perceive and process environmental stimuli. However, approximately 5–20% of the population has some degree of sensory processing disorder (SPD), a neurological disorder impacting children’s daily functioning. According to theorists and researchers, the neurological cycle of receiving, sending and processing stimuli is different for individuals with SPD compared to their typically developing peers. As a result of poor sensory processing, individuals with SPD may overreact or underreact to typical environmental stimuli, such as a crowded, loud school bus. Unfortunately, SPD is a lifelong disorder. While typically developing children gain the ability to increasingly suppress stimuli with age, children with SPD often struggle throughout their lifetime, particularly if SPD is unidentified, misdiagnosed or inaccurately treated. Professional counselors are called to accurately diagnose and treat clients’ mental health and co-occurring disorders. However, SPD is widely unrecognized and misdiagnosed in the counseling field. Sensory disorders are identified in the Diagnostic Manual for Infancy and Early Childhood as well as the Zero to Three’s Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood-Revised . However, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not recognize SPD, despite lobbying efforts from SPD experts. As a result, counseling students and practitioners may be unaware of SPD characteristics, screening and treatment. This article provides readers with (a) background information on SPD in children; (b) general implications for all counselors and specific recommendations for mental health and school counselors working with children with SPD, including education, Read full article and references: Goodman-Scott, E., & Lambert, S. F. (2015). Professional counseling for children with sensory processing disorder. The Professional Counselor , 5 , 273–292. doi: 10.15241/egs.5.2.273 advocacy, screening, treatment, stakeholder collaboration and research implications; and (c) a case study example. When counselors engage in professional education, accurate screening, effective counseling treatment strategies, stakeholder education and collaboration, as well as research, they advocate for children with SPD across settings, in efforts to dramatically improve the lives of children. Emily Goodman-Scott, NCC is an Assistant Professor at Old Dominion University. Simone F. Lambert, NCC is the Counseling Department Chair and Associate Professor at Argosy University. Correspondence may be addressed to: Emily Goodman-Scott, 110 Education Building, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529, egscott@odu.edu . Professional Counseling for Children With Sensory Processing Disorder Emily Goodman-Scott, Simone F. Lambert