Sensory Processing Issues Explained

Quick Read

Kids with sensory processing issues behave in ways that their parents often find confusing. They might react strongly to loud noises or bright lights or complain that their clothes are uncomfortable. They may be clumsy or have trouble with fine motor skills like fastening buttons. Some kids show extreme behaviors like screaming when their face gets wet. 

These behaviors happen because the child is having trouble processing the information they receive from their senses. In addition to the traditional five senses, there are also two internal senses that give us information about movement and where our body is in space. Hyposensitive kids need more sensory stimulation. They often love to move around and crash into things. Hypersensitive kids avoid strong sensory stimulation and get overwhelmed easily.

Many parents of children with sensory issues call their behaviors sensory processing disorder, or SPD. But SPD is not currently a recognized psychiatric disorder. Sensory issues are considered a symptom of autism because many people on the autism spectrum experience them. But not everyone with sensory issues is on the spectrum. Some have ADHD, OCD or developmental delays. Or they may not have a diagnosis at all.

If you think your child’s behavior might be caused by a sensory issue, there is a detailed sensory checklist that you can use to learn more, as it covers responses to all different types of input. A lot of these responses are often misunderstood. Identifying the cause can bring relief to both child and parent.