Sensory Integration Dysfunction
Sensory Integration Dysfunction is the inability of the brain to correctly process information brought in by the senses – sound, images, smells, touch and taste. Some experts think that children who have been prenatally exposed to alcohol or drugs may be more like to have Sensory Integration problems.
Some children with sensory issues are “hyposensitive” to outside stimuli. This means that they don’t really notice the sensory information. A child who is hyposensitive to touch will constantly be crashing into things to get stimulation at a level he or she will notice. Other children are “hypersensitive.” These children act as if they have extra nerve endings. Little things bother them that other people don’t notice.
Hyposensitive, or sensory-seeking children
When children are hyposensitive, their nervous systems do not always recognize the sensory information coming into the brain. As a result, they have an almost insatiable desire for sensory stimulation. So they look for constant stimulation or move around all the time.
Hyposensitive children may be:
- Hyperactive as they seek sensation
- Unaware of touch or pain, or touch others too often or too hard
- Participate in unsafe activities, such as climbing too high
- Enjoy sounds that are too loud
Children who are hyposensitive often run into problems at home and with their peers. If you are a caregiver for a child like this, chances are you’ve found yourself at the end of your rope from time to time. The child runs through the house and crashes into the couch. You ask him to stop, and he does it again. And again. You can’t understand why he needs to keep bumping into things.
At school, this same child may be having problems with both teachers and classmates. Other children complain he is always bumping into them, or touching them. The touches might be so hard that other kids think they are violent or aggressive. The teacher brings you in for extra conferences to talk about why he always has to be touching things and moving around, and suggests hyperactivity.
Hypersensitive, or sensory avoidant children
Hypersensitive kids are just the opposite. Instead of their nervous system failing to process sensory information, hypersensitive kids are overloaded. It’s as if they have double the number of nerve endings as everyone else. As a result, they are very high maintenance.
The temperature is never quite right. Tags on clothes are too itchy. They even complain about the seams in their socks. They can’t seem to get comfortable and complain when lights are too bright or noise too loud. Hypersensitive children can be sensitive to only one type of sensation or many.
These children often have developed a “flight or fight” response to sensation to avoid feeling uncomfortable, and may:
- Respond to being touched with aggression or withdrawal
- Fear movement and heights, or get motion sick easily
- Be very cautious and unwilling to take risks or try new things
- Feel uncomfortable in loud or busy environments
- Be very picky eaters or overly sensitive to food smells
Helping for Children with Sensory Integration Problems
Some caregivers and parents have opted to work with an Occupational Therapist trained in Sensory Integration issues to help the child learn to adapt and process sensory information better. If you go this route, the child will work with the therapist in a sensory rich environment, and you will have exercises and strategies to practice at home.
But you know your child best, and may be able to make adaptations at home to help the child cope without professional intervention. If this is your preference, you can:
For sensory seeking children:
- Provide safe opportunities to experience sensation, such as swings, bouncing on an exercise ball, or hanging upside down from a tree branch or monkey bars
- Explain sensory integration issues to the child’s teacher to prevent the child from being labeled a trouble maker
- Get the child a special cushion to sit on at home that provides sensory information to help her sit still (like a bean bag cushion)
- Provide the child with sensory rich foods, like popcorn, granola bars, or other crunchy alternatives
For sensory avoidant children:
- Try to get to family events or large gatherings first rather than last, to allow the child chance to adjust to increasing volumes and crowds
- Introduce the child to sensory intense experiences slowly – avoid the “let’s go eat some chili and hear a loud Tex-Mex band tonight” over-stimulation
- Make key transition times predictable – use a daily schedule to help children visualize what comes next
- Give the child alternatives. So what if she doesn’t want to wear the button-down shirt. There are plenty of other choices.
