The problem with the concept of sensory processing disorder, if it exists, is that there is little clinical utility in the designation. We don’t have sophisticated enough tools to tease apart sensory from behavioral characteristics of other disorders.

The tools that we DO have are being used to make bigger statements than I professionally feel comfortable making. I don’t think we can talk about percentages of kids having some unique disorder when kids with other ‘known’ disorders are shown to also score poorly on the test.

In my opinion, this makes for a weak foundation from which to develop a position for diagnostic inclusion of SPD. Unfortunately, not many people want to have an open debate about it – on the web at least.

Our science in this area is in a very nascent stage of development. Admitting that is not heresy – or even nay saying. It is just reflective of an expressed interest to move it forward at a logical pace and in an unbiased direction.