Behavior Problems Associated With Sequencing Deficits

Any action involves many steps. For instance, if you tell your child to get dressed, he will put on his underpants, his undershirt, his pants, his T-shirt, his socks and his shoes. Once learned, typical developing children do this automatically and effortlessly without thought. But some children with sensory processing disorder may have difficulty with praxis, the ability to efficiently plan, organize and carry out a sequence of unfamiliar actions. The child may feel confused about what to put on first, the undershirt or the shirt, the right or left sock, so getting dressed may take conscious effort that makes the child feel frustrated, stupid, clumsy and inept. This challenge can affect behavior.

Controlling

• To feel in control of their movements, children with sequencing problems need structure and one step at a time. If they don't get it, they will feel frustrated, negative and anxious, and their behavior can become rigid in an attempt to feel in control. They also may seem "manipulative" as they may try to get other people to do tasks that are difficult for them, such as writing out their story or cleaning up their room.

Anxious/Fearful

• Since simple things take effort for children with sequencing problems, they feel anxious around new or novel situations where they don't feel in control. Afraid of getting hurt, they may be fearful of doing what seems to be an automatic skill, such as catching and throwing a ball and later driving a car. These children also may show fear when put in certain positions, such as being upside down or when their head is thrown back.

Explosive

• Simple tasks, such as holding a pencil and writing, require more effort for these children, so they may get easily confused and frustrated, causing them to withdraw or explode. This is especially the case when adults do not understand the child has a problem and blames the child for being sloppy, late, not finishing, not focusing, not trying hard enough, giving up too easily and so forth, increasing the child's frustration and anger. Structure and predictability help them feel more in control, so they may have a meltdown when faced with unexpected changes.

Typical Problems

• How do you know if your child has sequencing problems? She may have difficulty using a knife and fork, jumping, catching balls, clapping, holding paper while cutting or a cup while pouring, getting dressed and doing homework. Your child may switch hands to write or draw on different sides of the page and, as writing takes effort, she may have sloppy handwriting. Since sequencing problems affect bilateral integration, your child may show difficulty with skills requiring alternating limb movements, such as riding a bike, roller skating or when doing two-handed skills such as buttoning a shirt.