Every human being has a sensory system that responds and interprets sensory input differently. The sensory system must be stimulated on a regular basis throughout the day to help learn how to self-regulate the body within an environment (Davis, 2019c). In order to understand what sensory processing is, first we need to know about the sensory system. The sensory system is comprised of seven components: general, auditory, visual, somatosensory [touch], vestibular [movement], proprioceptive [body position], and oral sensory processing (Dunn, 2014).

• General processing refers to the person’s broad sensory processing. One example of this is having an unpredictable sleeping pattern.
• Auditory processing is the person’s responses to things heard, such as he/she is distracted when there is a lot of noise around.
• Visual processing refers to the person’s response to things that are seen like when he/she leaves items blank on a busy worksheet despite knowing the answers.
• Touch, or somatosensory processing, is the person’s response to stimuli that touches the skin, like a child pulls at clothing or resists getting clothes on due to how it feels.
• Movement or vestibular processing refers to the person’s response to movement. One example of this is a person loses balance unexpectedly when walking on an uneven surface.
• Body position, or proprioceptive processing, is the person’s responses to changes in joint and muscle positions, such as he/she becomes tired easily, especially when standing or holding the body in one position.
• Oral sensory processing refers to the person’s responses to touch and taste in the mouth such as a person enjoys making movements or sounds with the mouth.

These seven components of the sensory system each have their own role in a person’s life and how they respond to stimuli. This is also known as sensory processing as defined by Winnie Dunn: “sensory processing is the overall indication of a person’s responses to sensory interactions…” (2014). Each sense within our system is vital to helping the body perceive and understand the world around us (Wilton & Papania, 2019). The brain processes the information or sensory input and then tells our body how to respond to this stimulus. If there is a disruption of any kind in our sensory processing, the ability to complete everyday tasks becomes increasingly difficult. That is why it is so important to be active and experience new environments at a young age to help prime the sensory system so that these new stimuli are not viewed as something scary, but is welcomed and self-regulated within the brain’s sensory processing system easier (Davis, 2019).

When there is a disruption in how a person responds to stimuli this is known as sensory processing issues. The Child Mind Institute defines sensory processing issues as, “having trouble handling the information his/her sense takes in in two ways, oversensitive or under-sensitive, or both” (2019).

Oversensitive is when a person responds easily to sensory stimulation and can find the stimulus very overwhelming. Some characteristics of oversensitivity include the inability to tolerate bright lights or loud noises, refusal to wear clothing because of how it feels against the body, fearful of swings and playgrounds, and having trouble sensing how much force they are using.

Under-sensitive is when a person seeks out more sensory stimulation because it feels like they never get enough. Characteristics of a person who is under-sensitive are the constant needs to touch people or textures, having a high pain tolerance, no personal space barriers, enjoys deep pressure like tight bear hugs, and can be very fidgety or cannot sit still (The Child Mind Institute, 2019).

The populations who are most affected by being over- or under-sensitive are people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and Sensory Processing Disorder. The Center of Disease Control reports that in 2016 there are over 7 million children ages 2-17 with ADHD and every 1 in 59 children have ASD (2019). In children with ASD, 68% of these children have gross motor delays (Hedgecock, Dannemiller, Shui, Rapport, & Katz, 2018). Thirty percent of school aged children with ADHD have motor problems that impact daily life activities (Fliers, et al, 2009). According to the STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder, 1 in 20 people may be affected by Sensory Processing Disorder which affects both the sensory and motor development of the individual (“About SPD”, 2019).

Video: "A Child's View of Sensory Processing"

The reason it is important to understand the sensory system first in order to build a sensory hallway is that a sensory hallway teaches students with sensory processing issues how to self-regulate. Self-regulation is also known as self-control, self-management, anger control, or impulse control. It is the person’s ability to adjust their level of alertness and how they display their emotions through their behaviors to attain goals in socially adaptive ways (Kuyper & Winner, 2011). To successfully self-regulate, there are three critical neurological components that need to be integrated: sensory processing, executive functioning, and emotional regulation. Sensory processing is defined above. Executive functioning describes the cognitive processes involved in the conscious control of thoughts and actions (Kuyper & Winner, 2011). Emotional regulation is the processes that are responsible for controlling a person’s emotional reactions in order to meet his/her goals (Kuyper & Winner, 2011). Implementing a sensory hallway into a school works on all three aspects of self-regulation. As a child starts and ends the sensory hallway, he/she works on emotional regulation by identifying where he/she is based on the Zones of Regulation.

The Zones of Regulation includes four zones (blue, green, yellow, and red) that describes how students feel based on their state of alertness. The green zone means that a student is in a regulated state of alertness. A person may be described as calm, happy, focused, or content in this zone (Kuyper & Winner, 2011). This is the zone that is ideal for students to be the most productive. The yellow zone is when a student has a heightened state of alertness but is still somewhat in control. The student may seem stressed, frustrated, anxious, silly, nervous, or many other slight elevated emotions in this zone. This is when the student is starting to lose self-control. The red zone is an extremely heightened state of alertness with very intense feelings such as anger, rage, explosive behaviors, panic or terror (Kuyper & Winner, 2011). The student would not be in control of his/her own body at this point. The blue zone is on the other end of the spectrum. The student would have low states of alertness such as feeling sad, tired, sick, or bored. The brain is moving slowly or sluggishly. The goal is to have the student in the green zone by the end of the sensory hallway. Sensory processing and executive function, the two other areas of self-regulation, are both worked on throughout the motor movements that are within each sensory hallway such jumping or balancing movements.

There are three basic areas of fundamental motor skills: locomotor skills, manipulative skills, and non-locomotor (stability) skills (“Fundamental motor skills and sport specific skills”, n.d.). Locomotor skills include running, jumping, hopping, galloping, leaping, horizontal jump, and slide. Manipulative skills such as throwing and catching are not included when creating a sensory hallway. However, non-locomotor skills such as balance, twisting, turning, and bending are included. When creating a sensory hallway, Dr. Tim Davis reports that motor movements should be always included and connect with sensory-based elements such as proprioception, vestibular, tactile, and visual as discussed previously (Davis, 2019).

Sensory hallways are an important tool to use in a school environment. They teach kids how to properly self-regulate based on their sensory processing abilities within each unique sensory system. When planning a sensory hallway, it is important to consider activities that stimulate the senses to teach self-regulation and improve motor planning through mid-line crossing, weight bearing, and locomotor movements. Although sensory hallways are designed mainly for students with Autism, ADHD, or those with sensory processing issues, all children can benefit because we are all sensory beings (Davis, 2019c).