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!
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.
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
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
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
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
My child appears...
- lazy or lethargic
- to struggle to maintain position while completing hygiene tasks
- to be easily fatigued by everyday tasks