Understanding Sensory Processing: A Guide for Parents
If your child melts down over a sock seam, gags at certain food textures, or seems to either crash into everything around them or recoil from the smallest touch, you’ve probably heard some version of “difficult” or “overly sensitive” used to describe them, either by teachers or well-meaning family members. But what looks like ‘bad behaviour’ is often something else entirely: a child whose brain is struggling to process the flood of information coming in from the world around them. The result of this challenge to process is a very stressed brain.
Sensory processing issues can be genuinely confusing to witness, because the reactions often seem out of proportion to what’s happening. A bath, a haircut, a vacuum cleaner, a birthday party, all ordinary moments can trigger real distress. That’s not your child being dramatic or defiant. It’s a stressed brain doing what stressed brains do: shutting down, which can look like anger, tears, or a sudden urge to run.
Signs of Sensory Processing Issues
- Discomfort with clothing tags, certain fabrics, or textures
- Fear of unexpected touch
- Feeling overwhelmed by loud noises (vacuums, flushing toilets) or bright lights
- Gagging on certain food textures
- Fear of playground equipment like swings or slides
- Poor balance
- Constantly moving, jumping, spinning, or crashing into things and people
It’s Not Just the Five Senses
Beyond sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell, we all rely on two internal senses that act like an inner radar. This internal radar helps us know where our body is in space and how it’s moving through the world. When these systems are working in balance, kids can roll with life’s small annoyances: the itchy socks, the noisy classroom, the chaos of a birthday party are filtered appropriately so as not to overwhelm the brain. When these systems are out of balance, a child may seem clumsy or uncoordinated, not because of a physical limitation, but because their brain is genuinely working hard just to locate itself in relation to everything around it.
Two Different Experiences of Sensory Input
Sensory processing issues don’t look the same in every child. There are two main types that appear almost opposites of each other:
Hyposensitive kids crave more input. They’re the ones who sit close to others, love wrestling or pushing up against furniture, and gravitate toward loud music or intense video games. Their nervous system is seeking out stimulation, not avoiding it.
Hypersensitive kids experience the opposite. These children are unable to filter out meaningless stimuli and instead intake all stimulation from every source in a constant flow. They’re easily overwhelmed, especially in chaotic settings like a noisy classroom or a crowded party, and their instinct is often to retreat rather than engage.
Neither pattern is “wrong”. These are just different ways a nervous system can be out of balance, and both respond well to the right support. Our therapists start with a full intake to gain a clear understanding of the nature of your child’s sensory issues. They will then develop a thorough plan to help your child’s nervous system to adjust and learn and grow able to be in the world with more ease.
When to Reach Out
If you’re recognizing your child in several of these signs, and it’s affecting their comfort, confidence, or ability to take part in everyday life, it’s worth having it looked into. Occupational therapy in particular is well-suited to helping kids build tolerance and strategies for navigating a world that, right now, feels like a lot. Our therapists start with a full intake to gain a clear understanding of the nature of your child’s sensory issues. They will then develop a thorough plan to help your child’s nervous system to adjust and learn and grow able to be in the world with more ease.
