Earlier this week, I evaluated a 5 year old boy who was having trouble adjusting to kindergarten. He was constantly getting in trouble for running in the hallways, bumping into other kids, and falling out of his chair during lessons. His mother explained that getting him out the door for school every morning was a nightmare. When told to get dressed, he'd respond that his legs were broken. When ushered into the car, he would kick and scream. When she picked him up from school, he seemed like a ball of anger, yelling insults at his mom, and picking fights with his siblings. His mother felt like the whole family was walking on egg shells, never knowing when he might melt down. After chatting with his mom and observing him play in our sensory gym, it became quite evident that her son experienced faulty sensory processing. Our ability to regulate our emotions and engage in positive behavior is highly dependent on the brains ability to properly make sense of the world around us. Unfortunately, children experiencing sensory processing challenges often receive unclear or inaccurate information, which can turn the world into a scary place.
Sensory Processing in Early Childhood
Infants rely solely on sensory experiences as they learn to make sense of their world. They form attachments through touch and skin-to-skin contact, are soothed to sleep by gentle rocking, and are engaged by the sounds of their caregivers warmly chatting with them. Soon they learn to lift their head towards the sound of mom's voice, reach out to grab dad's nose, and roll over towards a desired toy. These initial sensory experiences build connections in the brain that will become the basis for attention, focus, and learning as the child grows. As our babies become adventurous toddlers, they begin to establish their sense of self, by acting upon their environment. They learn that if they drop their spoon over and over, you will pick it up. They bravely explore their environment, gliding down the slide, playing in the sandbox, and crawling through the grass. Through play, they learn simple problem-solving skills and how to engage with peers preparing them for the future demands of pre-school and kindergarten.
Sensory Processing Challenges
Unfortunately, children with sensory processing challenges may learn to interact with the world in negative or maladaptive ways. Three common subsets of sensory processing challenges are Under-Responsive, Sensory Craving, and Hyper-sensitive. Most people will display elements of multiple categories.
Under-Responsive
Children that are under-responsive to sensory stimuli may not register or respond to sensory stimuli. Children with this subtype may appear passive, quiet, or self-absorbed. You may call their name loudly with little to no response. They may appear clumsy, and uncoordinated, yet hardly notice when they get bumped or scraped.
Sensory Craving
Sensory craving kids seek out sensory input to the point that it may interfere with daily life. They may appear to be constantly moving, running in circles, fidgeting, taking unsafe risks, picking at their skin or nails, bumping into their peers, making loud noises, and chewing on their clothing, hair, or nails. These children seek intense input, but process it in a disorganized manner so they're bodies are rarely satisfied with the input, thus seeking even more. Sensory cravers often get labeled as impulsive, out of control, or aggressive, when in fact they just have faulty sensory processing. Without intervention, these kids are at risk of developing a poor sense of self and may be drawn to increasingly dangerous activities. Of note, this subtype is most commonly associated with ADHD.
Hypersensitivity
Children that are hyper-sensitive often view distressing sensory experiences as a threat. In turn, they may enter a state of hypervigilance. To combat these threatening experiences, the child may become extremely controlling of their environment. They may insist on only wearing certain types of clothing, refuse to eat different foods, and throw intense tantrums when things don't go their way. While all of these behaviors can be typical of the "terrible twos" and "threenager" years, children who are hypersensitive engage in this behavior to such an extreme that it begins to cause significant stress for the family. Additionally, hypersensitive children don't "outgrow" these behaviors, and without direct help, will continue to exhibit challenges through adulthood.
>>>>>To learn more about sensory processing symptoms read our post Sensory Processing Simplified
Fight/Flight/Freeze
Our nervous system operates in two different states: the parasympathetic and the sympathetic. When the parasympathetic nervous system is engaged, we are in a calm, alert state. We can regulate our emotions, control our impulses, and learn new information. When the sympathetic nervous system is engaged, our body is ready to respond to danger and enters a state of fight, flight, or freeze. Research supports that individuals with sensory hypersensitivities spend more time in a sympathetic state than their peers. As such they often display higher levels of anxiety, behavioral disorders, emotional regulation challenges, and delayed social skills.
Safe and Sound Protocol
Participating in the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is a great first step towards treating sensory processing challenges. This listening therapy program assists in rewiring the brain to better process sensory information. SSP targets the vagus nerve, the nerve responsible to controlling heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate and digestion (initiates fight/flight/freeze response). By stimulating the vagus nerve, SSP retrains the body to properly interpret signals of safety and danger. Following SSP, a qualified occupational therapist can work with you and your child to build cognitive strategies to improve emotional regulation. For more information, visit: https://integratedlistening.com/polyvagal-theory/
If you are interested in SSP for you or a family member, click HERE to book a call.
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