Psychological Interventions for Children with Sensory Dysregulation

Sensory processing difficulties can lead to puzzling, hard-to-treat emotional and behavioral challenges in children and adolescents. For example, children who can't filter normal background sounds may seem anxious, those oversensitive to touch may seem phobic, and those who seek sensory input may appear hyperactive. Filled with case vignettes, this highly informative guide helps mental health clinicians recognize and address sensory dysregulation that may co-occur with or be misdiagnosed as anxiety disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and other psychological or behavioral problems. In rich detail, the authors illustrate how to modify cognitive-behavioral therapy and other evidence-based interventions to meet this population's unique needs and make treatment more effective. Reproducible clinical tools can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.

Ruth Goldfinger Golomb, LCPC, is a clinician at the Behavior Therapy Center of Greater Washington, in Silver Spring, Maryland, where she has worked with hundreds of children and adults with anxiety and related disorders since the mid-1980s. She has led many workshops, seminars, and training programs and has written articles for journals and newsletters. A member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Trichotillomania Learning Center, Ms. Golomb is coauthor of two books, including A Parent Guide to Hair Pulling Disorder (with Suzanne Mouton-Odum).

Suzanne Mouton-Odum, PhD, is a psychologist in private practice in Houston, Texas. She has extensive training in cognitive-behavioral treatment for children, adolescents, and adults with anxiety and related disorders. Dr. Mouton-Odum is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Trichotillomania Learning Center and past president of both the Texas Psychological Foundation and the Houston Psychological Association. She has published numerous scientific journal articles, presents at national conferences, and is coauthor of two books for the general public. Dr. Mouton-Odum is Vice President of PsycTech, a company that translates psychological interventions into online self-help strategies.

1. Sensory Regulation and Dysregulation
2. The Senses
3. Assessing Sensory Dysregulation
4. It's Complicated: Sensory Dysregulation and Other Psychiatric Disorders
5. Treating Sensory Dysregulation: A Formula for Success
6. Specific Interventions for Over  and Underresponsive Children
7. The Challenging Child in Context: Involving Parents in Treatment
8. Integrating Treatment for Sensory Dysregulation into Therapy for Specific Disorders
9. Troubleshooting in Therapy
10. Where Do We Go from Here?