Have you ever considered how much the way your brain perceives stimuli from your senses can impact your daily life, your ability to stay focused, keep calm, and be resilient to stress?
Have you ever thought about the possibility that you might be experiencing a Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)?
Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is thought to affect one in every twenty people, many of whom may remain undiagnosed throughout their lives or are diagnosed only in adulthood, often due to incidents or co-occurring conditions.
But how different would their lives have been if they had known about it earlier?
On the other hand, there has been a surge in diagnoses among young children today, indicating that in the near future, we will have a workforce that is increasingly aware of sensory diversity and its associated needs. This trend is related to the growing social awareness of cognitive diversity in children, making us more likely to seek diagnoses when there are signs of neurodivergence, which often accompanies sensory differences.
SPD is a disorder related to the diversity in the way our brain processes sensory information. It causes individuals to be either over- or under-stimulated by certain sensory stimuli, with direct consequences on their biological and psychological health as well as their social and professional lives in the short term.
Due to the difficulties in coping with hyper- or hypo-sensitivity related to their sensory channels, these individuals may become progressively excluded from society, as they are unable to engage with—or, in some cases, process—one or more sensory stimuli at a given time in daily life.
Currently, diagnosing and treating sensory processing issues and related disorders requires specialized and costly therapy sessions and exams, which are often inaccessible to many. As a result, a large number of people remain undiagnosed. Those fortunate enough to be part of the working population may experience varying degrees of challenges, ranging from issues with accessibility to difficulties in communication and the identification of their condition.
SPD is the most severe manifestation of sensory processing diversity. However, there is a larger number of individuals who, while not experiencing SPD, can be negatively impacted at various stages of their lives by not understanding how their brain processes sensory stimuli.
Consider, for instance, those going through menopause or andropause; they might temporarily experience sensory processing sensitivities. Others with mental health conditions or neurodivergent traits might be over- or under-sensitive to certain stimuli, exposing them to risks like worsening mental health, meltdowns, or crises due to exposure or an inability to perceive certain sensory stimuli.
When we consider these dynamics in the workplace, especially in fields like the legal profession, we must recognize that there isn’t yet enough attention on this topic. It’s a relatively new area of research in psychopathology and neuroscience, but one that could yield significant rewards if adequately addressed for the collective well-being of the firm. There are basic norms that can be adapted to avoid the negative effects of exposure to harmful sensory stimuli.
First and foremost, it is important to raise awareness on this topic and avoid opportunities for stigmatizing the use of personal devices that reduce or eliminate sensory stimulations that negatively impact individuals. These might vary according to personal needs and can include earplugs, headphones with soothing sounds, sunglasses, fidget toys, and weighted garments, among others.
Paired with such tools, people can implement specific strategies to avoid being over- or under-stimulated and adapt to the workplace. Some of these strategies can be learned through occupational therapy sessions and are personalized and unique to the individual.
It is now known how carefully designed sensory decompression strategies in the workplace can help reduce conflicts and anxiety among employees, thereby benefiting not only those experiencing sensory diversity but also their overall communities.
Our ability to design and plan for sensory diversity is likely to evolve greatly in the coming decade, as we increasingly rely on digital technologies to modernize treatment and diagnosis, advance research, and increase the accessibility of daily environments.
Until then, we can take some small steps today that will make a significant difference to many of us. So why not start now?