Sensory Processing and Regulation

Many children with a disability or additional needs will have some sort of sensory processing difficulty. Sensory processing is where the nervous system receives messages and turns them into a response. People who have sensory processing difficulties have trouble processing these messages, causing the brain to get mixed up and provide an inappropriate response to the message received.

There are eight different sensory systems. These are visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, vestibular, proprioception, interoception, and gustatory:

• Visual is what you see

• Auditory is what you hear

• Tactile is what you touch

• Olfactory is what you smell

• Vestibular is your sense of head movement in a space

• Proprioception is your sensations from the muscles and joints in your body

• Interoception is a sense of how our internal organs are feeling, for example, feeling hungry or thirsty

• Gustatory is what you taste

Children may be oversensitive to sensory input, undersensitive, or both. Sensory processing issues can have a big impact on learning and everyday life. If a child is oversensitive to sensory input, they may find noise or lights overwhelming and will do what they can to avoid this sensory stimulus. If they are unable to avoid it, they may experience distress, which then causes them to have a meltdown, and their sensory system needs to be regulated before they feel like they are back to normal.

Meltdowns can often be confused with tantrums as there are some similarities, but they are, in fact, very different. A meltdown is a complete loss of behavior control. The child’s brain is unable to cope with a situation and goes into overload, therefore they go into meltdown. It is not a choice they are able to make, and they cannot prevent this from happening. It can often be quite distressing to see a child have a meltdown, and it can be very difficult to stop it once it has started.

A tantrum is a chosen behavior in response to something that a child may want but cannot have, and they can choose when to stop the tantrum. A tantrum often occurs when the child is looking for a reaction. With a meltdown, the child does not care who is reacting or watching. During a tantrum, the child is also aware of their environment and personal safety. When a child melts down, they have lost all control and awareness. Children who go into meltdown cannot stop it from occurring, but it will eventually pass.

For more in-depth information, help, and guidance regarding meltdowns visit this link.

Children who are undersensitive to sensory input will seek out experiences to provide themselves with more sensory stimulation. For example, they may chew or bite on different objects or may want to touch things or feel pressure.

Often, children who are undersensitive may have a high tolerance for pain. They may prefer to engage in rough play and not understand that this might cause others pain, as the action they are using may not cause them pain. Children who are undersensitive to sensory input are often called sensory seekers, as they will actively seek out sensory experiences in order to regulate themselves. They often do this with little awareness of danger and may gravitate towards water or climb on furniture as they enjoy the sensations these activities produce rather than consider the dangers of doing the activity.

Some shops and leisure venues have recently started to introduce quiet hours for people who are oversensitive to sound, lights, and other sensory stimuli. They tend to choose hours of the day that are already quiet and will ensure that music is not played, lights are dimmed, and that there are no tannoy announcements. Some places, such as the intu group who manage shopping centers such as the Metrocentre and Eldon Square, have a sensory backpack that you can hire out. These backpacks include items such as ear defenders and fidget toys and are designed to make the shopping experience more enjoyable for those with sensory issues. It is always worth checking out a venue’s website to see what they can do to make visiting more accessible. Some facilities offer personal shoppers, Makaton signboards, wheelchairs, and Changing Place toilets.