GRAPEVINE, TEXAS—
Payton Mundhenk is a little girl on the go, running circles around her frazzled mom Cathy. She has what what therapists call sensory processing disorder, a little understood condition that keeps mom hopping."It's exhausting we would go to school we would things do do outside," Cathy said. "We would run the dog but I really couldn't do anything, errands were a joke."
The family decided to take Payton to physical therapy at Our Children's House at Baylor University Regional Medical Center in Grapevine, TX
Occupational therapist Liz Janbaz takes Payton through a series of sensory inspiring games like a fabric tunnel, writing with shaving cream and a cocoon swing that wraps around the body like a banana peel.
Janbaz said it's all designed to stimulate learning and calm the nervous system.
"We do a lot of deep pressure, I always like to tell parents to think of yourself getting a deep pressure massage and that calms or that you are under a comforter in bed that's calming to you."
Janbaz added that everyday at least half of her caseload is kids evaluated with SPD. Payton's older sister Jordan is also being treated because she can't handle the way some clothes feel on her skin.
"Elastic waist, no jeans they are too itchy," Cathy said. "she is very slow to warm up type of person, oh, we have to cut out all the tags in her clothes."
Sensory processing disorder isn't among the psychiatric disorders listed in the current diagnostic statistical manual and Janbaz said many doctors don't believe it even exists. But a growing number of parents like Cathy do believe.
Jordan is now more comfortable with jeans and tags on her shirts. As for Payton? Cathy said she's a less busy, busy body.
"Since we've been doing this she waited with me in the deli area at Central Market for fifteen minutes and I was like oh my gosh this child waited with me!"
Some believe SPD is linked to autism or attention deficit hyper-activity disorder while others believe it should be a stand alone disorder. So far, Payton's therapy is covered by insurance.
