What is Sensory Processing?
Sensory processing refers to the process of the brain recognizing and accurately organizing sensory stimuli to generate an appropriate response. Every second that you're awake, your brain is registering sights, sounds, smells, temperature, and movement. In a fraction of a second it organizes this information to provide you an accurate picture of what's going on in your environment. Sensory processing shapes your experience in the world and impacts your feelings.
The Eight Senses
There are 8 primary senses that make up the sensory system and all must work together to provide you with an accurate picture of what's going on around you.
Gustatory (Taste): this includes the ability to interpret taste such as sweet, salty, sour and bitter. It also helps us determine if a taste is harmful.
Olfactory (Smell): this is our ability to detect smells and determine if they are safe or harmful.
Visual: is our ability to accurately interpret what we see. The visual sense uses the eyes to detect light, movement, and color.
Auditory: is our ability to hear sounds and understand language. This system uses the middle and outer ear to detect pitch, volume, and rhythm.
Tactile: is the ability to detect information coming in through the skin such as pain, temperature, vibration, and pressure.
Proprioceptive: is our ability to know where our body parts are in relation to each other without looking. We often call this body awareness. This system relies on receptors in our muscles and joints that are activated through stretching, bending, compressing, and contracting our muscles.
Vestibular (movement): is our ability to interpret information relating to movement and balance. This system is the first sensory system to fully develop. It is considered to have the most impact on other sensory systems and our ability to function in daily life.
Interoception: is our ability to detect internal sensations such as heart rate, respiratory rate, hunger, thirst, fatigue, illness, pain, and the need to void bowel and bladder. Autism is associated with poor interoceptive awareness leading to increased challenges interpreting pain, anxiety, and stress.
Sensory Processing and Neurodivergence
Challenges with sensory processing is highly associated autism, ADHD, and sensory processing disorder (SPD). Sensory processing challenges often affect our attention, emotional regulation, behavior, social skills, play skills and motor coordination. Below is a list of common sensory processing challenges. If you find yourself checking off multiple items on behalf of your child, if may be advantageous to seek an occupational therapy referral from your child's doctor.
Common Sensory Processing Challenges
Over-sensitive to loud noises such as vacuum, blender, toilet flushing, fireworks
Under-reactive to certain sensations (doesn't seem to hear you call their name, high pain tolerance)
Seeks our movement through jumping, pushing, pulling, or crashing more than other children. Movement may appear over-arousing or dysregulating.
Frequent car sickness
Never seems to get dizzy
Extremely picky eating or gagging when presented with non-preferred foods.
Distress with hygiene tasks such as hair cuts, nail trimmings, wiping face, washing hair, brushing hair or brushing teeth
Poor hand-eye coordination
Frequently trips and falls or seems uncoordinated
Appears floppy (frequently drapes themselves over furniture or people, often in a slumped posture)
Enjoys watching items spin
Is attracted to bright lights, flashing lights, or colorful environments.
Distress in crowded or busy environments
Difficulty with changes in routine or transitions
Expresses fear with swings, escalators, or elevators
A qualified occupational therapist will be able to provide your family with sensory tools, supports, and strategies to help your child thrive.
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