Disclaimer: Sensory Processing Disorders is a VERY specialized field. Information and suggestions on this website are to be used as guidelines, not treatment. This website CANNOT and SHOULD NOT replace medical advice. Do NOT attempt sensory strategies without first discussing the issue with your child's health care provider.
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The Hyperresponsive Child
In comparison to the "typical" person, I seem to have a lower threshold for noise, or auditory input. Things that the average person doesn't notice, such as the ticking of a clock or the humming of a computer, I pick up on. Even though I sense these things, my threshold isn't SO low that I perceive these slight noises as obnoxious and painful. They just annoy me. However, there are some individuals, especially children, whose thresholds ARE that low, and so rather than dealing with the slightest noise, or coming up with a logical solution (i.e. moving to another room) - the auditory information that is received by the brain is that the noise is "LOUD, PAINFUL and DANGEROUS". So the brain tells them to react - RUN! CRY! SCREAM! FIGHT! This is considered having "sensory sensitivity".
Typically, the "sensitive" child can be described as "anxious, irritable, moody, aggressive, high-strung, unpredictable and emotional." Sensory sensivities are often mistaken for behavioral issues, because the child appears so "reactive". It is important to remember that while the situation might not appear dangeroud to you or I, the child's neurological system is registering it as dangerous. If you or I were faced with something we perceived as dangerous, we would act the same way.
Typically, the "sensitive" child can be described as "anxious, irritable, moody, aggressive, high-strung, unpredictable and emotional." Sensory sensivities are often mistaken for behavioral issues, because the child appears so "reactive". It is important to remember that while the situation might not appear dangeroud to you or I, the child's neurological system is registering it as dangerous. If you or I were faced with something we perceived as dangerous, we would act the same way.
The Child in Shutdown
As previously mentioned, our body typically reacts to "noxious" stimulation by a "fight or flight" response. In most circumstances, the hypersensitive child will be obvious - tantrums, outbursts, emotions.... However, in some cases, the child becomes SO overwhelmed with the noxious stimulation, that they go into neurological shutdown. They withdraw emotionally from their environment. You may observe them as being "distant, aloof, estranged, emotionally flat, lethargic, unmovitated, maybe even lazy."
To the average person, one might even think that this child is HYPOSENSITIVE - that they aren't getting ENOUGH stimulation, and therefore, they're neurological system is not reaching threshold. You may assume that their "distance" is actually an indicator that they need MORE input.
Therefore, let me make this as CLEAR AS POSSIBLE - ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS treat a perceived Registration Problem as if the child is HYPERSENSITIVE initially.
If you treat this "distant" child as hyposensitive, and apply MORE sensory stimulation, you are only causing more harm. However, if you use Hypersensitive Techniques, one of two things will happen:
1. Nothing - this may in fact indicate that you are dealing with a HYPOSENSITIVE child. Because you haven't provided any more stimulation, you aren't going to see them responding. Therefore, their behavior won't change. Nothing lost, nothing gained. You NOW can try HYPOSENSITIVE Techniques, and go from there.
2. You will see the child "coming back". When you apply HYPERSENSITIVE Techniques that CALM the neurological system, impact the "checkpoints" and reduce the perceive noxious stimulation, the child will slowly, but surely, come out of that shut down state.
To the average person, one might even think that this child is HYPOSENSITIVE - that they aren't getting ENOUGH stimulation, and therefore, they're neurological system is not reaching threshold. You may assume that their "distance" is actually an indicator that they need MORE input.
Therefore, let me make this as CLEAR AS POSSIBLE - ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS treat a perceived Registration Problem as if the child is HYPERSENSITIVE initially.
If you treat this "distant" child as hyposensitive, and apply MORE sensory stimulation, you are only causing more harm. However, if you use Hypersensitive Techniques, one of two things will happen:
1. Nothing - this may in fact indicate that you are dealing with a HYPOSENSITIVE child. Because you haven't provided any more stimulation, you aren't going to see them responding. Therefore, their behavior won't change. Nothing lost, nothing gained. You NOW can try HYPOSENSITIVE Techniques, and go from there.
2. You will see the child "coming back". When you apply HYPERSENSITIVE Techniques that CALM the neurological system, impact the "checkpoints" and reduce the perceive noxious stimulation, the child will slowly, but surely, come out of that shut down state.
If you remember nothing else from this information, remember this, unless the child is demonstrating clear, consistent, recognizable Hyposensitivity Behaviors, ALWAYS TREAT A PERCEIVED REGISTRATION PROBLEM AS A HYPERSENSITIVITY. When in doubt, ASK YOUR OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST.
Touch Sensitivities and Tactile Defensiveness
Tactile Defensiveness is probably one of the most common types of sensory sensitivity in pediatrics. "Tactile" defensiveness is defined as a hyperresponsive (and usually aversive) reaction to touch.
At a neurological level, touch travels to the brain along the Dorsal Column Medial Lemniscus Tract (or the DCML). This tidbit of information is important because the DCML also carries proprioceptive input (information about the position of muscles and joints) to the brain. Because these two senses travel "together", it is thought that one can impact the other. This is an extremely important concept when constructing a Sensory Diet for a child who exhibits Tactile Defensiveness. Your Occupational Therapist may recommend "heavy work" or propioceptive activities to inhibit noxious touch input on a neurological level.
The Tactile Defensive child is thought to have a low threshold to touch input. An amount of "touch input" that you or I wouldn't notice, say the seam of our jeans or another person brushing up against us at the grocery store, immediately activates neurological "checkpoints", giving the brain the idea that the body is uncomfortable, hurt or threatened.
At home, everyday routines can become a battle. What soap to use at bathtime, what clothes to wear to church, clipping nails, wearing shoes, brushing hair, etc. In an environment such as a classroom, touch is EVERYWHERE. Children in line, carpets at circle time, playdoh at centers..... everywhere. For a child who is Tactile Defensive, their body is always on high alert, and high guard. It's important to remember that they are NOT trying to be difficult, their body truly processes the "touch" sensation as painful.
It is equally as important not to generalize tactile defensiveness. EVERY child is going to have a touch (no pun intended) of tactile defensiveness. Don't we as adults? I know I can't wear wool for an extended period of time. A little girl's refusal to wear tights, or a little boy's preference to wear elastic band pants are not going to impair their overall function. Tactile Defensiveness becomes an issue when it is SIGNIFICANTLY impacting daily routine. One of my favorite rules when it comes to recognizing Tactile Defensiveness is, if you can bribe them to do or wear it, then their sensory system can get over it. Keep a journal of what your child finds noxious, and document how it specifically impacts their day. An Occupational Therapist can guide you from there. You can find some more information regarding Tactile Defensiveness here.
At a neurological level, touch travels to the brain along the Dorsal Column Medial Lemniscus Tract (or the DCML). This tidbit of information is important because the DCML also carries proprioceptive input (information about the position of muscles and joints) to the brain. Because these two senses travel "together", it is thought that one can impact the other. This is an extremely important concept when constructing a Sensory Diet for a child who exhibits Tactile Defensiveness. Your Occupational Therapist may recommend "heavy work" or propioceptive activities to inhibit noxious touch input on a neurological level.
The Tactile Defensive child is thought to have a low threshold to touch input. An amount of "touch input" that you or I wouldn't notice, say the seam of our jeans or another person brushing up against us at the grocery store, immediately activates neurological "checkpoints", giving the brain the idea that the body is uncomfortable, hurt or threatened.
At home, everyday routines can become a battle. What soap to use at bathtime, what clothes to wear to church, clipping nails, wearing shoes, brushing hair, etc. In an environment such as a classroom, touch is EVERYWHERE. Children in line, carpets at circle time, playdoh at centers..... everywhere. For a child who is Tactile Defensive, their body is always on high alert, and high guard. It's important to remember that they are NOT trying to be difficult, their body truly processes the "touch" sensation as painful.
It is equally as important not to generalize tactile defensiveness. EVERY child is going to have a touch (no pun intended) of tactile defensiveness. Don't we as adults? I know I can't wear wool for an extended period of time. A little girl's refusal to wear tights, or a little boy's preference to wear elastic band pants are not going to impair their overall function. Tactile Defensiveness becomes an issue when it is SIGNIFICANTLY impacting daily routine. One of my favorite rules when it comes to recognizing Tactile Defensiveness is, if you can bribe them to do or wear it, then their sensory system can get over it. Keep a journal of what your child finds noxious, and document how it specifically impacts their day. An Occupational Therapist can guide you from there. You can find some more information regarding Tactile Defensiveness here.
Noise Sensitivies and Auditory Defensiveness
This is me and my oldest. We can't handle noise. Put us in an auditorium or cafeteria, and almost instantly, we are overwhelmed, flustered and need a nap. Sensory overload!
My son and I have slighly hypersensitive auditory processing. Our brain isn't 100% efficient in inhibiting loud noises. It is even less efficient at filtering the noise that comes in, making it difficult for us to take out important information from the irrelevant information.
Many people are "sensitive to noise" - particularly if you are used to quiet surrounding. But typically, our brains are able to cope with noise, by tuning out slight noises and filtering what noise is important. Imagine if your brain registered even the slightest noise - the ticking of a clock, the whirlling of a fan, the humming of irrediscent lights - and treated it as if it was a full blown fire alarm. It was unable to desensitize the information, making the body feel like it is in constant fight or flight mode. How could you even begin to concentrate?
Now, let's complicate that - but adding the job of listening. While th clock is ticking, the lights are humming and the fan is whirling, your teacher is giving you directions on how to perform an activity that will determine your grade for the marking period. Only problem is, to you, the volume of your teachers voice is exactly the same as all those other noises in the room. It sounds like a bar at last call. Are you really going to be able to hear and understand those directions?
This is the child with auditory processing sensitivity. The appear frightened, anxious and stressed. The act out or flee from unstructured setting. They lash out in the cafeteria and in gym class because they perceive their peers as threatening. In the classroom, the can't follow verbal directions, despite repetition. The seem lost and overwhelm, even with simple directions.
Classroom and home modifications are KEY in dealing with auditory sensitivity.
My son and I have slighly hypersensitive auditory processing. Our brain isn't 100% efficient in inhibiting loud noises. It is even less efficient at filtering the noise that comes in, making it difficult for us to take out important information from the irrelevant information.
Many people are "sensitive to noise" - particularly if you are used to quiet surrounding. But typically, our brains are able to cope with noise, by tuning out slight noises and filtering what noise is important. Imagine if your brain registered even the slightest noise - the ticking of a clock, the whirlling of a fan, the humming of irrediscent lights - and treated it as if it was a full blown fire alarm. It was unable to desensitize the information, making the body feel like it is in constant fight or flight mode. How could you even begin to concentrate?
Now, let's complicate that - but adding the job of listening. While th clock is ticking, the lights are humming and the fan is whirling, your teacher is giving you directions on how to perform an activity that will determine your grade for the marking period. Only problem is, to you, the volume of your teachers voice is exactly the same as all those other noises in the room. It sounds like a bar at last call. Are you really going to be able to hear and understand those directions?
This is the child with auditory processing sensitivity. The appear frightened, anxious and stressed. The act out or flee from unstructured setting. They lash out in the cafeteria and in gym class because they perceive their peers as threatening. In the classroom, the can't follow verbal directions, despite repetition. The seem lost and overwhelm, even with simple directions.
Classroom and home modifications are KEY in dealing with auditory sensitivity.
- Be aware of "white noise" (ceiling fans, light bulbs, heaters, radiators, clocks) and try to reduce it if able
- Be aware of location (avoid putting student by "noisy areas" such as the door or the windows)
- Provide a means to muffle noise (earplugs or headphones)
- Speak to your Speech/Language Pathologist about the voice system for the classroom.
- Be aware of room acoustics (echoes or resonant sounds)
- Provide visual models/demonstrations in addition to verbal directions
- Have models available to reference throughout the activity
- Establish a "quiet area" of your home or classroom where the child can retreat when overwhelmed
- Provide other options (such as lunch with a teacher buddy)
- Teach other students and adults to be aware of their noise level (toonoisy.com is great resource!)
- Encouraged the child to self advocate (model asking for help)
Vestibular Sensitivities and Gravitional Insecurity
Before concluding if the child has a Vestibular Sensitivity issue, have the child's visual perceptual skills assessed. Visual perceptual processing how the brain uses vision to understand space and depth. If the child has Visual Perceptual deficits, they may not be understanding the actual depth of a given space. They may be overly cautious during, or completely avoid, activities that involve height.
Vestibular Sensitivities can be defined as a hyperresponsive reaction to the vestibular input.
At a neurological level, the brain uses the position of our head in order to determine where we are in space. Position of our head is determine by our inner ear. You may have experienced how the inner ear works first hand if you ever had vertigo, gone to the doctor, and found out that you had an ear infection. This is an example of a deficit of the actual receptor. The inner ear itself is experiencing problems, and so the it is sending faulty information to the brain regarding our position in space. There can also be a problem with the way the brain processes the information. Just like in auditory and tactile sensitivities, the vestibular areas of the brain can be hypersensitive to input. A good example of what is considered a relatively "normal" vestibular processing deficit is motion sickness. Now imagine you felt motion sickness anytime your head moved.....walking upstairs, leaning over to get a pencil off the floor, even climbing up a slide. Talk about being withdrawn!
Children with vestibular hypersensitivities avoid the playground or activities at recess and gym. They move slowly, cling onto the wall and may become emotionally reactive when faced with tasks that challenge their balance. Because of their avoidance, they tend to appear lethargic, awkward and clumsy. Vestibular processing treatment is extremely specialized. Because vestibular input can cause nausea, light headedness and in rare cases, seizures, you should always consult your child's pediatrician or Occupational Therapist before attempting any activities.
Vestibular Sensitivities can be defined as a hyperresponsive reaction to the vestibular input.
At a neurological level, the brain uses the position of our head in order to determine where we are in space. Position of our head is determine by our inner ear. You may have experienced how the inner ear works first hand if you ever had vertigo, gone to the doctor, and found out that you had an ear infection. This is an example of a deficit of the actual receptor. The inner ear itself is experiencing problems, and so the it is sending faulty information to the brain regarding our position in space. There can also be a problem with the way the brain processes the information. Just like in auditory and tactile sensitivities, the vestibular areas of the brain can be hypersensitive to input. A good example of what is considered a relatively "normal" vestibular processing deficit is motion sickness. Now imagine you felt motion sickness anytime your head moved.....walking upstairs, leaning over to get a pencil off the floor, even climbing up a slide. Talk about being withdrawn!
Children with vestibular hypersensitivities avoid the playground or activities at recess and gym. They move slowly, cling onto the wall and may become emotionally reactive when faced with tasks that challenge their balance. Because of their avoidance, they tend to appear lethargic, awkward and clumsy. Vestibular processing treatment is extremely specialized. Because vestibular input can cause nausea, light headedness and in rare cases, seizures, you should always consult your child's pediatrician or Occupational Therapist before attempting any activities.