THE SENSORY CRAVER

Many of us are familiar with the term Sensory Processing Disorder, and we usually think of this term as it relates to people who are highly sensitive to environmental factors such as noise, odors or proximity to other people. If you’ve ever seen a child having a meltdown in Wal-Mart, it might be that the florescent lights, the noise and movement of customers and the combination of many aromas has overloaded the child’s senses and compromised the child’s ability to self-regulate.

There is another side of Sensory Processing Disorder too. People who are under-responsive to sensory input are known as sensory cravers. These individuals respond to the environment by seeking out ways to ramp up their sensory experiences. Some of the behaviors you might notice in an individual on this spectrum of sensory processing disorder are:

• Using a loud voice, enjoying noisy environments

• Licking and chewing nonfood items and might prefer food that is spicy, sour or sweet

• Prefers flashing lights, TV and video games

• Loves spinning, running, roller coasters, being held upside down or tossed in the air

• Constantly jumping, crashing and pushing into things

• Often touching and feeling objects and enjoys messy play for long durations of time

Katherine Generaux, Community Inclusion

THE EXPLOSION OF THE STICK FIGURE FAMILIES

I was waiting for a green light the other day, and I noticed the car in front of me was displaying one of those stick figure families on their back window. I’ve been noticing more and more of these lately, though I’m a bit perplexed as to the purpose they’re intended to serve. On this occasion, the BMW in front of me showed a Dad holding a briefcase, while the mother figure held a briefcase in one hand and a laptop in the other. The stick figure family included one child, a boy holding a soccer ball. There were no pets in this busy professional family.


Since these stick figure families are becoming more personalized in an effort to make a bigger, better statement about who they truly are, I decided to investigate further:



Dad is handy.  Mom likes to shop.  Big sister plays soccer.  Little sister seems a bit miffed, and the family has a pair of cats who ignore one another.

This one depicts a big family, with Dad wearing a tie and holding a briefcase.  Everyone seems happy, including the family pets.

Dad plays golf while Mom is on the computer.  Sis is either a cheerleader or she takes ballet lessons, I’m not sure.  Little brother likes to wear a cape, and the dog is wondering what he’s doing in this family.

This family enjoys riding their bikes together.

This family, including the cat and dog, ride motorcycles.  Is that legal?

Sporty, athletic family----very impressive.  I want to be in this family.

Festive family

I’m thinking this family has at least three Christmas inflatables on their front lawn,

and finally,

She likes to shop, and he’s still in a garage band.  This is clearly a family that’s not yet ready for any stick figure children!

Katherine Generaux, Community Inclusion