Autism Spectrum Disorder is complex in itself, but this complexity is only compounded by the comorbid conditions that may accompany it. Some of these include sensory processing disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and seizures. Understanding the disorder and its comorbidities is challenging but important for parents, healthcare professionals, and educators. A common comorbidity of autism spectrum disorder is sensory processing disorder. Sensory processing disorder is the disruption in the way the nervous system receives sensory information and translates it into appropriate motor and behavioral responses (Sensory Processing Disorder Explained, 2014). In the normal process, the first step is to receive some sort of sensory input, second, the nervous system processes this input and finally the nervous system translates it into an appropriate response. For example, the child receives sensory input when a teacher lightly touches their hand to return them to task, their nervous system processes this input and sends signals to the brain, which ultimately translates it into an appropriate response. In this case, the child quickly gets back to the task. However, in sensory processing disorder, there is a break somewhere in this cycle. A person who has a sensory processing disorder will often have difficulty processing sensory input. There may be over or under treatment. An example of overtreatment would be a child reacting painfully to that teacher's light touch. Although this teacher only lightly touched the child's hand, it caused discomfort. Excessive processing can make light, sound, clothing, and even food unbearable. While underprocessing occurs when a child fails to detect...... middle of paper ...... smspeaks.org/family-services/epilepsyGreenspan, SI and Salmon, J. (1996) . The Difficult Child: Understanding, Raising, and Appreciating the Five Types of “Difficult” Children. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Pub. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). (August 9, 2013). Symptoms. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ocd/basics/symptoms/con-20027827 Sensory Processing Disorder Explained | SPD Foundation. (February 19, 2014). Sensory processing disorder explained | SPD Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.spdfoundation.net/about-sensory-processing-disorder.html Steensel, FJ, Bögels, SM, & Perrin, S. (2011, July 7). Anxiety disorders in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved February 20, 2014 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3162631/