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How Sensory Processing affects your child’s development
By Aneesa Kathrada
All the information in our environment comes to us through our sensory systems. We are all aware of the senses involved in taste, smell, touch and sound. However our nervous system also senses movement, force of gravity and the position of our body parts. All of these systems are critical in helping us function in everyday life.
In this issue, we will focus on the tactile system, and how it affects us in everyday life.
The tactile system provides us with our sense of touch. It is the first sensory system to operate in utero, and it is important that this sense works efficiently from birth. Every activity of daily life, including dressing, hair and teeth brushing, eating, toileting, household chores, schoolwork, and job tasks are dependant upon a functional tactile system. As with all sensory systems, the tactile system has both protective and discriminative abilities that complement each other throughout our lives.
Children with a dysfunctional tactile system may be hyper or hypo sensitive to touch or may have problems with tactile discrimination.
Some children may interpret and react to harmless light touch as being potentially dangerous, and may be described as “tactile defensive”, with their protective system working overtime. They regard touch sensations as threatening and something to be avoided. Behaviourally, these children may appear anxious, controlling, aggressive, unwilling to participate in home and school activities. They may be reluctant to be touched, especially by unfamiliar people, and be very picky about clothing, towels and food. They often resist hairdressing, tooth brushing or washing. They may be irritated by some types of clothing and find situations where they may be randomly touched (eg: in crowds) distressing.
Some children might be under-
Other children might experience poor tactile discrimination. They register touch but are unable to discriminate between textures, or might experience problems in using their sense of touch to search for objects in a drawer or bag. Our ability to manipulate objects is dependant on our knowledge of how things feel. Imagine how difficult it would be to manipulate objects if you are wearing thick woollen gloves?
Some children who are under-
Then there are those children who seek out excessive amounts of touch sensation. They tend to be “hungry” for touch. They may be touching someone or something constantly, even when touching is not appropriate. They may also have difficulties with judging the force of their touch and may appear rough or aggressive. These children may touch everything in sight.
Touch is extremely important in a child’s overall development. Having a dysfunctional tactile system can interfere with the child’s activities of daily living, such as self care, school tasks, eating, making friends, play, social and emotional development etc.
Some behaviour to look out for:
Does your child:
• Avoid touch or contact?
• Dislike and avoid messy play
• Appear irritated by certain clothing or food textures?
• Appear irritated when someone is in close proximity?
• Often appear very active or fidgety?
• Have difficulty manipulating small objects?
• Use his/her hands to explore objects?
• Mouth objects?
• Dislikes hair-
• Avoids expression of affection such as hugs or pats by teachers or peers?
• Has difficulty tolerating touch by others, poor ability to stand in line, sit in a small circle or work in a confined space with others?
• Dislikes holding writing or cutting utensils in the hand?
• Dislikes touch on hand by glue, paint, stickers, tape, or objects that are wet
and/or dirty?
• Tends to use the mouth not the hands to learn about toys and other objects?
•Touches objects or people excessively or reacts aggressively to touch by others?
• Tactile activities are an important part of a sensory programme or a fine motor skill programme. Hand and finger awareness, fine motor planning and attention can be developed with the use of tactile activities.
Daily access to dry sensory play materials (rice, sand, beans)
Tactile adventure bins – use large plastic bins and fill with a variety of textures.
Allow the child to play in the bin, pouring and sifting.
Toys hidden in play materials
“high fives” throughout the day
Drawing in sand, sugar, flour or salt
Kitchen time – mixing, tasting, smelling, washing up
Edible painting – using pudding, yogurt, custard
Hand massage
Wheelbarrow walking over various floor surfaces
“Feelie bags” collect small items and different textured objects
hide and find toys and objects hidden in sand, rice, pasta, shredded paper, styrofoam
Texture bag -
If you suspect that your child has tactile difficulties or other sensory processing difficulties, seek help from an Occupational Therapist. A sensory profile or sensory history is a good way of gaining information about your child’s sensory preferences, and an Occupational Therapist usually will be able to complete a profile with you, and guide you on appropriate strategies to implement. As a parent, the most important thing you can do is try to understand how the sensory systems influence your infant/child’s behaviour.
Aneesa Kathrada is an Occupational Therapist
