calystraluv

09:25 pm: Sign Language/Sensor
Had a great day today, was out all day in the ministry learning sign language.  Before Sundays used to be my worse day of the week, but now they are turning out to be great!  I am picking up a lot of signs. I have a comment prepared for this week. Now I have to catch up with work. 

Found a cute jewelry box for $12 at Big Lots. The amazing thing was that is was soo cheapy and yet it was so well made that it actually had the shelves that don't fall out, but catch! That is such an awesome place, cheapy but good stuff. I love the lighting, everytime I go in I lie down on the bed and rest a few seconds. Love their limited selections of beds, no more endless hours of trying out 40+ beds with sneaky salespeople.

If your wondering why I mentioned the lighting, and why I always go straight to the paint section of Lowe's to look at all those beautiful colors, read the following. I have discovered I am a sensor and this has explained a lot for me about why I am the way I am :-)

What’s Your Sensory Type?

Dr. Winnie Dunn, in her new book called Living Sensationally, has determined a new way to classify people. Dr. Dunn is an Occupational Therapist (OT) who works with people who have Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), a fairly new description in and of itself, divides people into 4 groups of sensory types: Sensors, Avoiders, Seekers, and Bystanders.

As some of you may know, SPD is often seen as a comorbidity to Autism Spectrum Disorders. However, Dr. Dunn contends that everyone, regardless of diagnosis (or lack thereof), has a sensory type. Much like Jung though, she emphasizes that people do not fall neatly into one category or another. It is possible to see yourself potentially in all of the categories, but there does usually seem to be one that has preference over the others.

Here, look:

SEEKERS enjoy going to firework displays; make noises such as humming and whistling; order or cook spicy food; tend to touch people when talking to them; walk around barefoot; change daily routines to keep them interesting; enjoy extreme sports.

BYSTANDERS are easy-going and not easily ruffled; have to be called several times to get their attention; miss signposts; may leave dirt on their face or hands; find scratches or bruises and don’t know how they got them; don’t notice clutter until someone points it out; don’t notice ambient noise; may wear clothing askew.

AVOIDERS leave the room when a crowd starts to gather; like their surroundings clean and tidy; keep curtains or blinds drawn or partially drawn; make narrow food choices; don’t like getting their hands mucky; select solitary leisure activities; wear gloves for messy chores; steer clear of shopping malls.

SENSORS are distracted by sounds; startle easily; are bothered by fast-changing images on TV; have precise ideas about clothing textures; repeatedly pick the same food in restaurants; prefer clean design in the home; select only a few chosen rides at amusement parks; notice minor changes in recipes; get motion sickness more than others.

And on a further side note, I found a link about sensory integration therapy which is linked to autism. I don't have autism, but the relationship with how these things overlap is fascinating:

http://autism.healingthresholds.com/therapy/sensory-integration#iarocci

What is the theory behind it?

On a daily basis, most people experience events that simultaneously stimulate more than one sense ⁽⁵⁾. We use our multiple senses to take in this varied information, and combine them to give us a clear understanding of the world around us. We learn during childhood how to do this ⁽⁶⁾. Thus, through childhood experiences we gain the ability to use all of our senses together to plan a response to anything we notice in our environment ⁽⁵⁾. Children with autism are less capable of this kind of synthesis and therefore they may have trouble responding appropriately to differently stimuli.

Children with autism may also have a difficult time listening when they are preoccupied with looking with at something. This is an example of their difficulty in receiving information via more than one sense simultaneously ^{(5, 7)}. Physicians who treat children with autism believe that these difficulties are the result of differences between the brains of children with autism and other children ^{(5, 7, 8)}.

The underlying concepts of sensory integration therapy are based on research in the areas of neuroscience, developmental psychology, occupational therapy, and education ^{(1-3, 9)}. Research suggests that sensory information received from the environment is critical; interactions between the child and the environment shape the brain and influence learning. Furthermore, research suggests that the brain can change in response to environmental input, and rich sensory experiences can stimulate change in the brain.

Tags: sensory type, sign language