Jack’s hearing is so sensitive that he can’t always eat at the table with his family, because the sound and sight of them chewing might make him throw up. They’re just too noisy, too busy, too overstimulating. He endures, rather than enjoys, the arcade birthday parties popular among tween boys in suburban Atlanta where he lives. Request that he sing a Beatles tune and he’ll ask if you want it sung in the style of Lennon or McCartney.īut great powers, as any superhero narrative goes, come with great challenges. His sharp hearing makes him an excellent vocal mimic. His astonishing memory for faces enables him to pick out someone he’s seen only once or twice before from a sea of strangers in a crowded school gymnasium. When his mother, Lori, misplaces an item in the house, she asks the 12-year-old to “look in your head,” through the rich catalog of visual information he seems to assemble without effort. Introduce sensory items/activities or approaches that are calming or alerting to help the situation.Jack Craven has superpowers.Have a good understanding of the individual’s sensory preferences and sensitivities.These senses include touch, smell, taste and sound as well as hidden senses that enable us to detect movement and have an awareness of our bodies in space. Consider the possible effects of the seven seas.They may react with a ‘Fight’ response (responding with anger, irritability), or ‘Flight’ (responding with avoidance, fear or withdrawal) or ‘Freeze’ response (simply shutting down). The person may eliminate or minimise sensory overload by avoiding. Too much stimulation (Hypersensitivity): May feel overwhelmed, overstimulated or overloaded.Just enough: The person may present as happy, content and able to engage in activities without difficulty.When feeling underwhelmed, the person may end up seeking stimulation or attention. Too little stimulation (Hyposensitivity): May feel bored, under stimulated, under aroused.

To identify possible sensory impacts on behaviour, we need to carefully observe what is happening for that individual. Tops Tips when Sensory Processing becomes Challenging A person who is over-sensitive may respond to stimulation in one of two ways in an attempt to cope with the information. This is referred to as “over-sensitivity”. When an individual cannot block out unimportant or irrelevant sensory input, too much sensory information is processed. In other words, everyday life becomes overwhelming. For someone with sensory processing problems, such auditory or touch hypersensitivity might occur in a noisy supermarket or busy street when accidentally touched by a passer-by. This would be frightening, painful and overwhelming. Suddenly, a stereo blasts in your ears, and you are punched in the arm. ‘ Freeze’ response (simply shutting down).‘ Flight’ (responding with avoidance, fear, or withdrawal) or.‘ Fight’ response (responding with anger, irritability or oppositionality), or.When overwhelmed, individuals may respond with: What happens when we get too little or too much sensory input?Īlthough it is best when things are ‘just right’, there will naturally be times when people are getting ‘too little’ or ‘too much’ sensory input. In fact, there are numerous different symptoms of poor sensory integration, which can only be accurately determined by suitable assessments. Some individuals have continuing difficulties in processing sensory information, which show up in a variety of ways.Ī person may need more input than normal in order to respond, or may over-react to stimulation and be easily distracted by quite low-level sounds, or recoil at being touched, or need constant motion of the hands, legs or mouth in order to concentrate. Most individuals develop sensory integration through ordinary childhood activities, including play. It is crucial for an individual’s development and education. ‘Sensory integration’ is the term used for the brain processing information that comes through the senses. It enhances memory and learning because learning that occurs in a multisensory environment is more easily recalled due to stronger associations. It receives a combination of information about sound, visual images, movement, gravitational pull, touch sensations, odours and flavours. The multisensory processing system establishes a complex network of nerve pathways that enables successful sensory integration. Multisensory processing is the ability to receive, interpret and integrate information from more than one sensory system at a time.

Sensory processing disorder