About SPD | Sensory Product Design

About Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)

Sensory Processing Disorder is a tricky thing to even diagnose because it basically means that one or some or ALL of your senses are “super sensitive”, to the point of it causing pain or being so bad that it limits or disrupts one’s life. With that very broad definition, it might be easy to imagine how any individual that has multiple senses that they simple cannot tolerate, might have SPD (whether it was diagnosed or no).
Add to that, every individual might have their unique triggers and reactions, your same “senses”. Two people that struggle with sound might experience those overwhelming feelings in very different ways. Then, you add in the variable of “combination of senses” being triggered, and the possible outcomes become exponentially bigger! With ALL those possible variables, diagnosing, treating and simply understanding SPD can be a lifelong journey!
This is a valuable article that highlights how difficult simply getting a diagnosis can be!
The Sensory Processing Three Dimensions Scale (SP3D)

First, research. I have had SPD my whole life, but only was diagnosed 8 years ago. However, I spent my whole life trying to figure out “what was causing so much pain”? These past eight years, I have been exploring how to “untangle the mess”, understanding all the different triggers and combinations of all 5 of my senses– site, smell, hearing, taste and touch. Being an industrial designer, product developer and the daughter of an inventor, I realized that I have been inventing things for myself to navigate this prickly world even before I had any understanding of SPD. Even with all that I am not a medical professional, and certainly don’t claim to have any cures (which there are none, just treatments). I am simply sharing some of the products that I have created, that might make YOU feel better too!
If you are an adult, starting to understand your sensory sensitivities, the resources are less than they are for children, but have grown a lot from the time I was diagnosed. Personally, I think that the last few years of pandemic, lock down and much uncertainty have heightened SPD in people, I know it has for me, even though I have created so many “hacks” to help all my overactive senses. Here are some organizations that can be very helpful. Check out:
• Sensory Processing Disorder
• Sensory Coach
• Sensory Nerds

The way I see the distinction (again, as a patient & observer, not as a Dr.), is the “Disorder” is on the serious side of things – the amount that these overloaded senses has real-world effects on your life. For me, when I am overstimulated in multiple senses, my nervous system shuts down and it either causes serious headaches and/or makes my current headache much worse. From a layman’s perspective, what helped me understand what I was experiencing was Sensory Processing Disorder is on the autism spectrum. With that understanding, I could completely relate to that “feeling” – it felt like what I imagine that would feel like.
For many, they have “sensory issues”. They say to me, “Oh I can’t stand light in my eyes either!” or, “I have to cut all the tags out of my clothes before I can wear them!” etc. While that experience might not limit what they can do in this world, it often IS something that must be handled! Each person’s varying degrees of just how important “handling that” is, starts to be a measuring stick for how much that one thing dictates your life. If you cannot stand it and specifically arrange your life to avoid that experience, then you might want to check out some of the resources on our website.

The short answer is that this is our FIRST line of products and I chose specifically to launch a line that has the most universal appeal that I could imagine.
I wanted to connect with all kinds people, far more than those that identify with SPD. Why, you may ask? Because, first it solves a universal and big problem! When your hands and feet are cold, you can put on more layers, wrap yourself up, but if your extremities are cold, it is very difficult to truly get warm! If you relate to that experience – that tension in your body & nervous system, it is nearly impossible to relax when you feel this way. In the following article you will see a wide range of health benefits to keeping your extremities warm
Cold extremities and difficulties initiating sleep
what-causes-cold-hands-and-feet

Our CozyThrow💤^™(which is coming first) takes care of you in every other room in your house – while you’re awake (or asleep because you’re so warm and toasty).
- Our toddler version of the CozyThrow💤^™has a consistent effect that when they crawl in, they seem to suddenly be asleep. This happened so often we almost called it the “magic napper”. Instead, that one is the “CozyCo💤” (pronounced the Cozy-Cozy, because we found toddlers LOVE to call it that!)
Our CozyToes💤^™takes care of not only your needs in bed, but also gives each user their own choice, throughout the night.
Our CozyGo💤^™takes care of you on the GO! How many times have you thought a sporting event was going to be much warmer than it turned out to be? With CozyGo💤^™^,keep it in your car so it’s right there ready to warm the whole family. Our upcoming CozyGo💤^™ doubles as a waterproof picnic blanket. Say goodbye to the times you thought the grass was dry enough, only to find that it was NOT and now your butt IS wet! Our 100% waterproof shell will not only warm you head to toe, with our super cozy fleece on the inside, but if the rain comes down and the game is still going, it’s like having your warmest Gortex^TM jacket from head to toe. The biggest issue you will have is who gets to use it?? For family peace, you may want to get one for each member of your family!