We receive sensory information from our surroundings and our bodies, using it to understand the world and adjust our actions and responses. Everyone, both adults and children, may react differently to these sensations or sensory inputs. Information comes from:
- the senses; sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell
- a sense of self-movement, force and body position in space called proprioception
- balance and spatial orientation - vestibular sense
- internal sensations - interoception.
You can find further information to support sensory processing differences on the Children’s Therapies website.
Explore your child’s sensory preferences and identify which senses are over responsive and under responsive. There are many different things that you can do to support sensory processing at home, including strategies to support personal care routines. Create predictability by informing your child when something will happen, for how long, and when it will finish, to help with sensory overwhelm.
Make sure that everyone is aware of your child’s preferred communication methods, whether those are via signs, symbols or gestures for exiting overwhelming environments. Let your child know where quiet spaces are in different environments.
Proprioceptive input or heavy work to the muscles and joints helps to calm and organise the nervous system increasing the ability to sit still and remain focused on a task. Heavy work and deep pressure can support participation in everyday activities. It may be beneficial to have a proprioceptive sensory box available, or a back pack of heavy work activities that be accessible at all times and carried by your child/young person, the back pack will provide proprioceptive input in itself.
Auditory (hearing) processing differences can be supported through play at home, examples can be found on the Children’s Therapies website. An auditory sensory box may also help for younger children. Ear defenders or noise cancelling headphones can be beneficial for some children and teens. A movement (vestibular) box of activities could be useful for children and young people to support movement. Identify whether there is a preference for linear and/or rotary movement. Linear movement is movement in one direction e.g. backwards and forward and up and down. Linear movement is calming and organises the nervous system. Rotary movement involves spinning and often alerts the nervous system. Support vision (sight) with a vision sensory box.
Improving interoception awareness is beneficial as interoception can impact on toileting, and eating.
Older children may struggle with sensory differences as they move less and have additional stresses with exams and their peers. More information on supporting your older child can be found here.
Useful resources
Books
- ‘The Kids Guide to Staying Awesome and In Control: Simple Stuff to Help Children Regulate their Emotions and Senses’ (Lauren Brukner, 2014)
- ‘The abilities in me: Sensory Processing Differences’ (Gemma Keir and Yevhenia Lisovaya, 2022)
- ‘Raising a Sensory Smart Child: The Definitive Handbook for Helping Your Child with Sensory Processing Issues’ (Lindsey Biel, Nancy Peske et al., 2009)
Videos
- Differing Minds has a video on sensory processing.
- How to teach interoception
- Explaining sensory processing differences to younger children.
- ‘Listening to My Body’ is a good resource to support interoception awareness in younger children
- Agony Autie shares a useful video on stimming and what this is.