Researcher in Sensory Processing Disorder coming to county

Do you have a child who hates loud noises? What about a very picky eater? Ever have to cut out the tags out of all your child’s clothes? Do you know a child with Autism-like behaviors? Are you looking for answers to your struggles with your child’s behaviors?

These behaviors can all be signs of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), a neurological condition which affects the way a person perceives and responds to their environment. It often looks like a child that has difficulty attending, following directions, interacting with peers, learning how to write, or performing other everyday tasks. Inside, these children are struggling to filter out the important information in their environment, and then responding in not-so-appropriate ways when they become overwhelmed. Recent studies suggest that as many as 1 in 6 children suffer from SPD.

Growing Healthy Children Therapy Services, Inc. is excited to be bringing world-renowned researcher Dr. Lucy Jane Miller to El Dorado County on Thursday, Nov. 1 to present her seminar on SPD, “Sensational Kids.” Dr. Miller has been featured on NBC’s Today Show and ABC’s 20/20, in The New York Times and numerous other popular and professional publications. She is the author of more than sixty articles and/or chapters in scientific and professional journals, magazines, and textbooks and is a frequent presenter or speaker at conferences and workshops worldwide. She has received more than thirty funded awards and grants to further research on SPD and other childhood disabilities.

As founder of the first comprehensive Sensory Processing Disorder research program nationwide and author of groundbreaking Sensational Kids: Hope and Help for Children with Sensory Processing Disorder and No Longer A SECRET: Unique Common Sense Strategies for Children with Sensory or Motor Challenges, Dr. Miller’s name is synonymous with sensory research, education, and treatment.

Dr. Miller has been investigating, analyzing, and explaining SPD to other scientists, professionals, and parents since she studied under sensory integration pioneer A. Jean Ayres, Ph.D., more than thirty years ago. Since then, studies by Dr. Miller and her colleagues have helped bring SPD widespread recognition, and her work with families has improved countless lives. Thanks specifically to Dr. Miller’s mobilization of the research community, SPD now appears in two diagnostic manuals and her application has led to consideration of SPD for inclusion in the 2013 revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-V). Dr. Miller has also developed seven nationally standardized tests for use worldwide to assess and diagnose SPD and other developmental disorders and delays. Dr. Miller’s widespread recognition and enormous credibility within the professional community are part of the reason that advanced clinicians travel from all over the United States and other countries to be mentored by Dr. Miller and her team at the SPD Foundation (formerly KID Foundation) she founded three decades ago.

In 2004, Dr. Miller received the Award of Merit from the American Occupational Therapy Association, the profession’s highest honor, reserved for those therapists who have made an outstanding global contribution to the field. In 2005, she was awarded the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian award by the state of Colorado for her three decades of work with children who have Sensory Processing Disorder.

Dr. Miller will be presenting her seminar explaining SPD at the Cielo Estates Winery on Ponderosa Road in Shingle Springs. This event is being hosted by Growing Healthy Children Therapy Services, a pediatric therapy practice which offers occupational, physical and speech therapy services. Growing Healthy Children is offering this seminar as part of their monthly seminar series which covers a wide range of issues from feeding disorders to technology interventions. Doors open at 6:30 and the seminar will begin at 7:00 PM. This event is being offered with a suggested donation to the Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation. For more information visit ghcot.com.