NORWICH – As human beings, our senses gather the information we need to perceive, process and interact with the world around us. For those suffering from sensory processing disorders (SPD), where the central nervous system does not organize or process the information it receives into appropriate behaviors and responses, the world can be a confusing, frustrating place.

For children with an SPD, school in particular can be a challenge.

“Sensory disorders impact a child’s ability to interact with peers, with the ability to attend to tasks and therefore their ability to learn,” explained Karen Randall, director of Chenango County Head Start.

In recent years, she said, her staff has noticed an increase in the number of kids with sensory issues and requested more training to ensure they are meet the needs of these students.

Last week, they received that training by way of a full-day program presented by Carol Stock Kranowitz, MA. Kranowitz is the author of two books on the topic, The Out of Sync Child and The Out of Sync Child Has Fun, as well as a number of articles and other writings.

“We’re thrilled to be able to offer this level of training by one of the experts in this field,” said Randall, who explained that the program was funded through a $12,000 federal grant from the Department of Health and Human Services.