Sensory Issues In Children With Developmental Concerns

Our body has the following sense organs

Eyes (seeing)
Ears (hearing)
Tongue (taste)
Nose (smell)
Skin (touch)

And most often not noticed , include

Movement, coordination, balance (vestibular)
Body awareness, relation of body parts with each other (proprioception).

These senses give information to our brain and provide a full picture of what’s happening around us. Brain and nervous system in turn helps us to react accordingly in the environment without conscious effort. Example- going up and down the stairs, eating.

But for some people this doesn’t happen effectively. There is a nervous system and brain (neurological) traffic jam as Occupational therapist Jayne Ayres called it. This is called sensory problems (sensory processing and integrative disorders).

So children within sensory problems might not know how to behave appropriately and have learning difficulties. Either they may not respond, avoid or seek more of these sensations. It may occur in combination and vary across the day.

What happens?

The following are types of issues that may occur-

Touch-

They either can’t feel.
Have to touch and feel everything.
Uncomfortable with touch.

Taste

Upset with taste/smell.
Try things that are not edible.
Have food with lot of flavour.

Movement And Balance

They avoid movement like running. jumping, spinning, climbing etc.
Seek lot of movement.
Afraid of falling.

Body Awareness

Avoids play activities.
Difficulty in dressing.
Bite themselves.
Crash and bump into things.

Hearing

Does not respond when called.
Wants more noise by running to the source of noise
Covers ears for daily life noises.

Seeing

Not understanding what they are seeing.
Keeps looking at things for a long period.
Looks away from things that are shown.

This Leads To

Difficulty in moving from one activity to another.
Can’t sit in one place, not paying attention.
Mainly running type of play, puts inedible objects in mouth.
Lack of safety awareness, pain sensation.
Upset if face/hands messy, gag or keeps food in mouth.
Difficulty in sleeping.
Chews t-shirt, afraid of flush, dislike brushing.

Occurs in

Children with autism, developmental delays.

Managed by

Regulating the neurological jam with activities, based on the combination of the above mentioned concerns.
Occupation or physiotherapist will give a sensory diet. Follow ups are necessary to tailor to the needs of the child (which can vary across time). Has to be individualised to tailor made to the child’s sensory needs.
Sensory integration therapy in addition the the other modalities (behaviour management, language sessions) would be very beneficial.

Resources

Website with suggested activities (discuss with your developmental team)

Sensory integration global network.

Books To Read

The Out-of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Disorder, Revised Edition. Lucy Jane Miller & Carol Stock Kranowitz, 2006. Perigee Trade.
The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun: Activities for Kids with Sensory Integration Dysfunction. Carol Stock Kranowitz, 2006. Perigee Trade.