Sensory Processing
Sensory Processing refers to the way a person’s nervous system receives sensory messages and processes them into responses. These senses include sight (vision), sound (auditory), touch (tactile), taste (gustatory), body position (proprioception) and movement (vestibular) and more recently, interoception. Most people receive and organize these messages differently and elicit an adaptive physiological and behavioral response.
Hypersensitivities (Over sensitive) to sensory input may include:
Hypersensitivities (Over sensitive) to sensory input may include:
- Extreme response to or fear of sudden, high-pitched, loud noises like flushing toilets, clanking silverware, going into a auditorium or other noises that seem unoffensive to others
- They may be distracted by background noises that others don’t seem to hear, they are unable to filter it out
- Fearful of surprise touch, avoids hugs and cuddling even with familiar adults, adversive to touch
- Seems fearful of crowds or avoids standing in close proximity to others
- Doesn’t enjoy a game of tag and/or is overly fearful of swings and playground equipment, maybe gravitational insecure
- Extremely fearful of climbing or falling, even when there is no real danger i.e. doesn't like his or her feet to be off the ground
- Has poor balance, appears clumsy, falls often
- A constant need to touch people or textures, even when it’s inappropriate to do so
- Doesn’t understand personal space even when same-age peers are old enough to understand it
- Clumsy and uncoordinated movements
- An extremely high tolerance for or indifference to pain
- Often harms other children and/or pets when playing, i.e. doesn't understand his or her own strength
- May be very fidgety and unable to sit still, enjoys movement-based play like spinning, jumping, etc.
- Seems to be a "thrill seeker" and can be dangerous at times
