If Sensory Processing Disorder (not an official diagnosis, but is recognized by health professionals) is a new concept to you, one definition is as follows: "Sensory processing disorders (SPDs) can be described as difficulty detecting, modulating, interpreting, and/or responding to sensory experiences." (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9688399/)
Many people are used to having some sensitivity (or lack thereof) in one sense or another, but SPD is when sensitivity/insensitivity impacts our daily functioning (ex. not noticing thirst cues, completely avoiding certain food textures, feeling pain or discomfort at loud or complex sounds, etc.). Unofrtunately, even though this disorder is well known, well researched, and considered to be commonly comorbid with Autism and other neurodiveregent disorders, it seems it is still not well understood by the health professionals who's clients/patients would benefit the most from education on it.
As an autistic person myself, with a sensory processing disorder, I have had to face a lot of necessary needles that caused me a lot of pain (ex. intravenous needles for anesthesia, blood tests, vaccinations, etc). What surprised me, and what prompted the writing of this blog, was how many of these nurses, hematologists, and doctors had no idea what SPD is whenever I would inform of them of it.
It would take me multiple hands to count the times the injector has insisted - after my sharing of my SPD - that it will not hurt (or that I will only feel a small pinch), with one of them even saying that I wasn't allowed to be anxious at the pain becuase if I got anxious, then they would get anxious and miss the vein.
This level of ignorance around a medical condition, that is very relevant to the work, is very disheartening and regularly leads to gaslighting and invalidation. As a therapist, I am not surprised to hear many examples from my clients of similar stories with other health professionals (ex. dentist, family doctor, hospital staff, etc.), where their sensory sensitivity is written off as anxiety or irrelevant.
Therefore, please spread awareness of SPD, and please advocate on behalf of those who are not believed when they share it themselves.
If you have a sensory processing disorder yourself, please keep advocating for yourself. It may not help you in the moment, but it might help them be more likely to believe the next person.
Jenna Hill
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