Some children who have been labeled "difficult, picky or oversensitive" have been found to have an unusual disorder that is often misdiagnosed.

If this sounds like your child, he or she could have sensory integration dysfunction. It is common, but it is often misdiagnosed as autism.

Sensory integration dysfunction is a complex disorder of the brain that causes children to misinterpret sensory information such as touch and sound.

Annie Celico, 3, was diagnosed with sensory integration dysfunction after doctors originally thought she had autism.

Annie is now calm and quiet. But there were times before her diagnosis when she was out of control.

"I would have to hold her down and wrap my legs around her to literally get her dressed," said Linda Celico, Annie's mother.

She would also hit people.

"I reacted like a typical parent -- 'Don't you dare hit me' -- and the result was she wouldn't hit us but it wasn't really giving her what she needed," said Mario Celico, Annie's father.

"She has a fear of buttons, snaps, zippers, anything that could hang off the clothes," Linda said.

Annie is also very sensitive to crowds and noises. Exposure to these stimuli can lead to behavioral problems.

The disorder is described in the book, "The Out-Of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping With Sensory Integration Dysfunction."

It was a book that Lisa Landry, of the Hasbro Children's Hospital in Rhode Island, had to read cover-to-cover.

She also has a child with sensory integration dysfunction and now works to help other parents.

"There's definitely hope because if a child's treated early on, when they go into their teenage years and their adult years they'll have ways to cope," Landry said.

The treatment includes a "sensory diet," which is made up of exercises that help give children an outlet so they can cope.

Annie is using these techniques.

"If she's upset, she'll get on the floor and she has to pull herself with her arms swimming on the floor. That stimulates her big muscles and it's making her actually feel better," explains Linda Celico.

There are some specific signs to look for in deciding if a child may have sensory integration dysfunction.

"Irrational outbursts, they don't calm easily, they have a hard time transitioning from, say, going from home to a family event, busy crowds, they end up having what they call a meltdown," said Lorri Massa, an occupational therapist.

Massa said that time outs don't work for these children and usually makes matters even worse. She said children with learning disabilities also have sensory integration dysfunction.

Sensory Integration Dysfunction

Click here for more information sensory integration dysfunction.