Sensory Processing
Everyone has a sensory processing system within them. Each one is unique. Sensory processing is how one interprets and responds to environmental input that they hear, see, feel, smell, and taste. Some people may not even realize that some of their “quirks” or preferences are driven from their own sensory system. It can be difficult to understand what sensory processing is, so here we will try to help you gain a better understanding of what it is, how people are impacted by it, and what we can do about it.
FIVE + TWO SENSES
As we all have learned from a young age, we have our five senses: touch, smell, taste, sight, and hearing. What is not as well known, is that we all have two additional senses within our bodies: proprioception and vestibular. Our proprioceptive sense is the way we interpret input to our body’s muscles and joints. Our vestibular sense is the way our body interprets or responds to head movement.
As I mentioned, everyone’s sensory system is unique! Some people may be respond LESS to input, some may respond MORE, and some may have MIXED responses to input. A pediatric occupational therapy evaluation will include answering questions regarding a child’s response to every day input. These answers will help determine how a child’s sensory system in working and what their specific needs may be.
Sensory Dysfunction
When a child is having difficulty with their sensory processing skills, it can impact their development, motor skills, social interaction, learning and eating habits. Here are some RED FLAGS that may indicate a child may have sensory processing dysfunction and would benefit from an occupational therapy assessment to address it:
-overwhelmed by loud/crowded places
-over react to bright light
-become uncomfortable with certain clothing feelings
-appear clumsy or uncoordinated
-always touching people or objects
-fear of slides, swings, climbing
-light touch seems painful
-difficulty managing big feelings appropriately, such as frustration and excitement
-gags on or refuses certain textures of food
-poor safety awareness
-seeking out strong feelings such as crashing, jumping, running frequently
Many times, children will have some of these characteristics as a phase or personal preference. They do not always indicate an issue with sensory processing, but if there are more than couple of these that may describe your child and their sensory difficulties are impacting their daily activities, then speaking with a pediatric OT can be a great start!
Some common terms you may hear from an OT regarding sensory processing kiddos are sensory SEEKING, sensory AVOIDING, and MIXED sensory processing skills. Here I will break down these terms and explain what each means.
Sensory Seeking describes kids who love to run, crash, jump, climb all day long! They are busy and almost always on the move. These children can usually be described as having an under responsive sensory system, where they do not interpret everyday input as well as a typical sensory system would. For example, when they are walking on the sidewalk, they have little feedback to their body of their feet hitting the ground, so for them it feels “more normal” to stomp their feet or jump all the way down the sidewalk in order to gain those feelings we all get from walking on a hard surface. Another example is a child who is constantly mouthing or chewing on nonfood items, such as their shirt or pencil. Seeking behaviors can become disruptive to a child’s occupations (play, eat, sleep, learn, socialize) as their bodies’ number one goal is to gain this strong input before all else. Therefore, the sensory seeking interferes with a child’s development.
Sensory Avoiding describes a child who is over responding to the sensory input they experience in their daily life. They may have overreactions to walking outside to the bright sun, have an extreme reaction to hair cuts and nail cutting, not like to cuddle, or have a hard time with their hands or face being messy. Again, some of these can just be personal preferences however, when these behaviors truly begin to impact a child’s occupations and interfere with daily routine, is when it may indicate intervention.
Mixed sensory processing skills can be the most challenging and complicated, yet, it is also a common form of sensory processing disorder. Children who present with mixed responses, have a sensory system that can both over and under respond to sensory input. They also can have inconsistencies with their responses from day to day. When a child is overwhelmed or underwhelmed by everyday things, they cannot properly participate in their occupations.
Sensory Diets
Once your child has received a thorough assessment by an occupational therapist, a treatment plan and goals will be created. When it comes to dysfunction of the sensory system, the treatment plan should include a sensory diet. This is a specific list of activities that will feed the unique sensory system of your child and therefore provide them with the input their body needs to feel “normal” or regulated in order to actively participate in their occupations. The purpose of a sensory diet is to maintain regulation every day by providing extra input during a child’s daily activities. As everyone’s days are already so busy, I always aim to make these activities fit into the daily tasks parents and caregivers are already doing. Another goal is to have a child, as they get older, to be able to manage their own regulation independently. They know how their body is feeling best, so as they learn how to regulate their sensory systems, they can gain independence with choosing and executing appropriate activities for their needs. Self-regulation is a skill that one can learn to control their emotional and physical state to be appropriate within the environment or space at the time. Here is an example to better understand:
A child who is under responsive to sensory stimuli or sensory seeking will be frequently looking for input through moving, jumping, climbing, etc. This constant state of movement and seeking these “thrills” is disruptive to the child’s participation in his everyday life, and sometimes a safety concern as well. His body’s priority is to find out how to feel that strong and heavy input, regardless if someone is trying to interact with him, it is time to sit at the table and eat lunch, time to wind down and take a nap, or quiet play time at daycare. As you can see, this seeking behavior can truly impact this child’s development. The goal with a sensory diet is to provide the child with the input they seek in a more FUNCTIONAL way! Therefore, decreasing the seeking behavior and INCREASING the child’s attention to social interaction, functional play, eating, and improving regulation for sleep. Additional information regarding sensory diets here.
As difficulties with sensory processing skills can impact every part of one’s life, it is really vital to be on top of figuring out what your child may need to stay as regulated as possible and therefore living life to their highest potential! Along with that, it is important to have your child’s OT be in collaboration with their teachers as well. School is an environment that is crucial for children to maintain their sensory regulation in order to learn, interact and attend. Sensory integration activities in the classroom need to be a team effort between a child’s OT, parents and teachers.
Learning about sensory processing can be a bit confusing and overwhelming. There’s so much information to gain. Linked here are some helpful podcasts that can help with absorbing all things sensory. Hopefully this helps gain a better understanding of sensory processing, including how to recognize it and ways to manage it with help from a pediatric occupational therapist!
Harkla:
https://harkla.co/blogs/podcast/65-multi-sensory-processing?_pos=5&_sid=f411b3891&_ss=r
The OT Butterfly:
https://theotbutterfly.com/nervous-system-regulation/sws-podcast/
Feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns! We are happy to help ☺
Lauren & Cassidy
Pediatric Occupational Therapists
