The bonding experiences of mothers of children with sensory processing disorder

Maternal bonding is known to involve tactile and proximal components that support the bonding process. In addition, mothers report that feelings of maternal competence and role identity develop by being able to predict and meet their child’s needs. However, research in this area does not consider how sensory processing disorder (SPD) in children affects maternal bonding experiences. This research aimed to address a gap in the literature about mothers’ experiences bonding with a child with SPD, including the impact of SPD on a mother’s felt experience. Mercer’s maternal role attainment was used as the theoretical framework for exploring this topic. A phenomenological research design was used with a sample of 10 mothers of children diagnosed with SPD who were primary caregivers. Colaizzi’s (1978) method of data analysis was used and findings revealed that mothers felt that bonding was difficult and overwhelming and created a lot of fear, but ultimately bonding felt rewarding. Findings also suggested that maternal feelings stemmed from concerns around not understanding their child’s needs, not being able to implement effective strategies to soothe their child, and from comparing themselves to other mothers in their community. These emergent themes are consistent with the literature on maternal bonding of other special needs groups such as autism spectrum disorder. These findings could create positive social change by broadening the types of clinical support provided for mothers of SPD children, making them more emotionally available for their child’s therapeutic programs. The results can also impact the parental role in therapeutic intervention for children with an SPD diagnosis, which often involves a large component related to parent training to be effective.