Personal Hygiene and Grooming

Grooming and Hygiene means doing important things for your body like washing hands, brushing teeth, washing and combing hair, clipping nails, shaving, putting on makeup, and using moisturizer and deodorant. These things help us stay healthy, look nice, and feel great!

Below you will see groups of behaviors that describe specific patterns of sensory processing. As you read through these lists, make note of any that stick out to you or seem to be descriptive of your child. Click on any group for more information about that particular pattern of sensory processing. Children can display different patterns at different times, so make sure to click on all that apply.

Over-Responsive

My child appears...

overwhelmed by lighting, colors, visual "busyness" of the room during personal hygiene and grooming
overwhelmed or unable to complete tasks in noisy environments or near specific noises which trigger a maladaptive response (clipping nails, combing hair, using a hair dryer, using an electric razor, etc)
unable to tolerate having hair cut, combed, brushed, washed, or dried; to find hair care or nail care painful; averse to shaving or plucking
averse to specific shaving creams, lotions, cosmetics, cleansers, perfumes, or hair products
to have difficulty with oral hygiene or to complain about the taste of mouthwash, toothpaste, or floss
to need to close eyes during hygiene tasks or resist completion altogether
to experience nausea, dizziness, or headache with sudden or prolonged movement of the head or vibration of hygiene implements

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Under-Responsive

My child appears...

inattentive to details or to require additional light or time to complete hygiene tasks
to require visual aids, increased time, or chunking of the task in order to follow verbal instructions
not to notice if hair is unkempt or if cut while shaving or clipping nails
to use too much of scented products, such as perfume, aftershave, or lotion
to apply too much pressure to implements

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Seeking/Craving

My child appears...

to be distracted from the task by visual stimuli
to enjoy the noise of the hair dryer, electric razor, or bathroom fan
to seek out and use products with strong odors
to prefer strong mouthwash or toothpaste
to scrub face with excessive force, to apply trim nails too short, or to excessively swish mouthwash or brush teeth
to apply too much pressure to implements

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Discrimination Disorder

My child appears...

to use the wrong device for a task (i.e. begin combing hair with toothbrush, pick up tweezers to clip nails)
to struggle to distinguish between hot and cold water, light or deep pressure, or location of the body to groom
to have difficulty determining body position or relationship of body parts, especially when eyes are closed
to have difficulty determining head position or determining speed

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Postural Disorder

My child appears...

lazy or lethargic
to struggle to maintain position while completing hygiene tasks
to be easily fatigued by everyday tasks

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Dyspraxia

My child appears...

unaware of how to plan grooming and hygiene tasks
uncertain of how to correctly sequence steps (i.e. squeeze sunscreen bottle and then open the cap)
to struggle to complete steps in order even if he or she demonstrates understanding of the correct order

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NEXT: Rest and Sleep

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