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The intricacies of the human body are truly astounding. Considering the multitude of systems and processes that must work seamlessly together for a human to function properly, it’s a wonder that every person is born in perfect working order. Before we even begin to delve into the complexities of biodynamic principles and childhood development, we must ensure that the brain can properly receive sensory input and send commands to activate different areas of the body for actions like crawling, walking, and clapping.

We have receptors all over our bodies that pick up sensory information, or ‘stimuli’. Our hands and feet contain the most receptors. If you are born with fully functional senses then the central nervous system(brain) will process, prioritise, and understand that information and act on it.

If a child is born blind it becomes obvious pretty quickly and the same is true for someone born deaf. However, if your senses are not effectively wired to the brain you will have a sensory input deficiency.  The central nervous system (brain) processes all the sensory information.

People with sensory input deficiency may be over-sensitive (hypersensitive) or under-sensitive (hyposensitive) in some or all senses.

 Hypersensitive people feel as if they’re being constantly bombarded with sensory information. Noise, crowded places and being near others may cause extreme anxiety. Certain smells and textures can also be overwhelming.

Conversely, people who are hyposensitive may seek out sensory stimulation by seeking extreme sensations. They may not notice pain or objects that are too hot or cold and may need high-intensity input to get involved in activities.

This type of sensory problem can lead to symptoms like stimming when a child repeats movements like rocking or waving their hands around to try and stimulate their “underactive” senses. But stimming is not the only behaviour or symptom linked to hyposensitivity, this type of sensory problem can affect children in many ways: –

Others have trouble distinguishing between different types of sensory stimulation.

Flo Longhorn is renowned worldwide as being one of the leading experts on educating people through the senses and she suggests that  the 7 sensory systems should be in order of their importance to the brain –these are :

• Vision
• Touch
• Sound
• Proprioceptive (movement and body maps)
• Vestibular (balance and position of body part)
• Smell
• Taste

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There is currently no known cure for sensory disorders but through education, understanding and in some cases medication, the effects of the disorders can be minimized.

 Lets have a look at the different types in more detail.

Vision

Our vision is activated by light and located in the retina of the eye. It helps us to define objects, people, colours, contrast, and spatial boundaries. People with a visual SID may experience the following difficulties.

Hypo (under-sensitive)

• Objects appear quite dark or lose some of their features.
• Central vision is blurred but peripheral vision is quite sharp.
• A central object is magnified but things on the periphery are blurred.
• Poor depth perception – problems with throwing and catching; clumsiness.

Hyper (over-sensitive)

• Distorted vision: objects and bright lights can appear to jump around.
• Images may fragment.
• Easier and more pleasurable to focus on a detail than the whole.

Often just small adjustments to the environment can help people with Sensory input deficiency but I will include some extra guidance for each sensory area.

Ways to help with Visual Input deficiency:

Hypo (under-sensitive)

• Increase the use of visual supports- eg. Photograph of a toothbrush, objects of reference eg. actual toothbrush, Wigit symbol, Schedule as to what is going to happen, Now and next cards, Social story.
• Use the darkroom to stimulate the senses.
• Use larger images.

Hyper (over-sensitive)

• Reduce fluorescent lighting – use deep-coloured light bulbs instead.
• Wear sunglasses.
• Create a workstation in the classroom: a space or desk with high walls or divides on both sides to block out visual distractions.
• Use blackout curtains.
• Use the darkroom but do not use the ultraviolet lights.
• Use black paper.
• Increase the use of visual supports- eg. Photograph of a toothbrush, objects of reference eg. actual toothbrush, Wigit symbol, Schedule as to what is going to happen, Now and next cards, Social story.

Touch

Touch helps us to assess the environment we are in (is an object hot or cold?) and react accordingly. It also allows us to feel pain. People with SID may experience the following difficulties.

Hyposensitive (under-sensitive) also known as hypotactile  

• Holds others tightly, playing roughly with other children or toys, – needs to do so before they feel a sensation of having applied any pressure.
• Has a high pain threshold, may break a bone without feeling it.
• May self-harm to ‘feel alive’” eg by banging their head against the wall, biting themselves,
• Enjoys heavy objects (eg, weighted blankets) on top of them, wear tight clothes.

Hypersensitive (over-sensitive)

• Touch can be painful and uncomfortable; people may not like to be touched and this can affect their relationships with others.
• Dislikes having anything on hands or feet.
• Difficulties brushing and washing hair /teeth because the head is sensitive.
• Only likes certain types of clothing or textures.

Ways to help: touch

Hypo (under-sensitive)

• Use weighted blankets or sleeping bags.
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Hyper (over-sensitive)

• Warn a person if you are about to touch him or her; always approach him or her from the front.
• Remember that a hug may be painful rather than comforting.
• Gradually introduce different textures – have a box of resources available.
• Allow a person to complete activities themselves (eg, tooth brushing and washing) so that they can do what is comfortable for them.
• Prepare a person with a Social story about tooth brushing/visit to the dentist etc
•  Increase the use of visual supports- eg. Photograph of a toothbrush, objects of reference eg. actual toothbrush, Wigit symbol, Schedule as to what is going to happen, Now and next cards.
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• Take small steps eg. Visit to meet the dentist and plan follow-up visits.
• Introduce the use of Tac Pac – a sensory game which introduces textures.
•  Turn clothes inside out so there is no seam, remove any tags or labels, and allow the person to wear clothes they’re comfortable in.

Sound

This is the most commonly recognised form of sensory impairment. goes without saying that hearing impairments can affect someone’s ability to communicate. People with SID may experience the following difficulties.

Hyposensitive (under-sensitive) A child suffering from hypohearing will seek out sounds.

• They are likely to love being surrounded by people chatting, they’ll love loud or continuous sounds like loud music, vacuum cleaners, drilling, or sirens, and will do things to make loud sounds e.g. bang objects or toys together.
•  not understanding what you’re saying to them and needing you to repeat your instruction louder.
• .May only hear sounds in one ear, the other ear having only partial hearing or none at all.
• May not acknowledge particular sounds..

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Hypersensitive (over-sensitive)

• Noise can be magnified, and sounds become distorted and muddled.
• Particularly sensitive to sound and can, for example, hear conversations in the distance.
• Inability to cut out sounds – notably background noise, which often leads to difficulties concentrating.

Ways to help: sound

Hypo (under-sensitive)

• Use visual support to back up verbal information eg. Photograph of a toothbrush, objects of reference eg. actual toothbrush,Wigit symbol, Schedule as to what is going to happen, Now and next cards, Social story
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Hyper (over-sensitive)

• Prepare a person before going to noisy or crowded places.
• Relaxing music often works.
• Use songs to act as cues.
• Allow person to move away from sound ,even out of the room if necessary.
• Shut doors and windows to reduce external sounds.
• Let them wear ear defenders.

• Create a workstation/confined area with no external distractions.

 Proprioceptive

Situated in the muscles and joints, our body awareness system tells us where our bodies are in space (spatial awareness), and how different body parts are moving. People with SID may experience the following difficulties.

Hypo (under-sensitive)

This is quite a serious hyposensitivity problem because it means that a child has no awareness of where their body is in time and space, and so

• can fall over,
• bump into people,
• drop things and be “floppy.” 
• not be able to support themselves or hold onto things.
•  need to stand too close to others, because they cannot measure their proximity to other people and judge personal space.
• Find it hard to navigate rooms and avoid obstructions.
• A child with this problem may also not register hunger.

Hyper (over-sensitive)

• Have difficulties with fine motor skills: manipulating small objects like buttons or shoe laces.
• Needs to move the whole body to look at something.
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Ways to help: body awareness

Hypo (under-sensitive)

• Get physical or occupational therapy for your child – These types of therapies can help to normalize a child’s response to stimuli, help them become aware of their own body and help them learn how to use their body in the right way. Therapy can involve gross motor play, deep pressure therapy, skin brushing, using clay and playing with toys that spin, vibrate or that can be squashed.

• Position furniture around the edge of a room to make navigation easier.
• Put coloured tape on the floor to indicate boundaries.
• Use the ‘arm’s-length rule’ to judge personal space. This means standing an arm’s length away from other people.

Hyper (over-sensitive)

• Do ‘fine motor’ activities like lacing boards.
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Vestibular (balance)

Situated in the inner ear, our vestibular system helps us maintain our balance and posture and understand where and how fast our bodies are moving. People with SID may experience the following difficulties:

Hypo (under-sensitive)

• A need to rock, swing or spin to get some sensory input, to feel alive.

Hyper (over-sensitive)

• Difficulties with activities like sports, where we need to control our movements. 
• Difficulties stopping quickly or during an activity.
• Car sickness.
• Difficulties with activities where the head is not upright, or feet are off the ground.

Ways to help: balance

Hypo (under-sensitive)

• Encourage activities that help to develop the vestibular system. This could include using rocking horses, swings, roundabouts and seesaws. For adults, try games like catching a ball or practise walking smoothly up steps or curbs.

Hyper (over-sensitive)

• Break down activities into small, more easily manageable steps; use visual cues such as a finish line.
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Smell

Chemical receptors in the nose tell us about smells in our immediate vicinity. The smell is the first sense we rely upon. People with SID may experience the following difficulties.

Hypo (under-sensitive)

A child with this sensory problem

• will be drawn to smelly places, like the kitchen when you’re cooking or baking, and
• will constantly smell things – toys, grass, soil, plants, shoes, laundry…anything! They
•  will love the smell of freshly laundered clothes and
•  will love bathing with strong-smelling soaps or shower gels.
• Their need to smell something may make them distracted.
• Some people have no sense of smell and fail to notice extreme odours (this can include their own body odour). eg. smearing -may like the texture of faeces.
• Some people may lick things to get a better sense of what they are.

Hyper . (over-sensitive)

• Smells can be intense and overpowering. This can cause toileting issues.
• Dislikes people with distinctive perfumes, shampoos, etc

Ways to help: smell

Hypo (under-sensitive)

• Use strong-smelling products as rewards and to distract people from inappropriate strong-smelling stimuli (like faeces).
• Possible solutions: try and introduce things like jelly, or cornflour and water to handle instead; introduce alternative strong-smelling items.
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Hyper . (over-sensitive)

• Use unscented detergents or shampoos, avoid wearing perfume, and make the environment as fragrance-free as possible.
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Taste

Chemical receptors in the tongue tell us about different tastes – sweet, sour, spicy and so on. People with a SID may experience the following difficulties.

Hypo (under-sensitive) Hypotaste or hypo-oral

• can mean that a child is always on the look-out for new things to put in their mouths and taste. Everything, no matter what it is, will be put in their mouths.
•  may suffer excessive drooling and go round with their mouth open.
•  They may also regurgitate food and whatever else they have eaten.
• Likes very spicy foods.
• Eats everything – soil, grass, Play-dough. This is known as pica.

Hyper . (over-sensitive)

• Finds some flavours and foods too strong and overpowering because of very sensitive taste buds. Diet may be restricted.
• Certain textures cause discomfort; some children will only eat smooth foods like mashed potatoes or ice cream.
• Possible reasons: sensitive to taste or texture, or unable to feel food around the mouth.
• chews on everything that is given to them, including clothing and objects: may find this relaxing, or enjoy the sensation of chewing on the item.

Ways to help: taste

• Some people with a SID are hyper- or hyposensitive to taste, and may limit themselves to bland foods or crave very strong-tasting food.  As someone eats a bit of a varied diet, this isn’t necessarily a problem but guidance should be taken from the family doctor/paediatrician/dietician if one or all these professionals are involved.
• Possible solutions: change the texture of food, for example purée it. Slowly introduce different textures around the person’s mouth, such as a flannel, a toothbrush and some different foods. Encourage activities that involve the mouth, such as whistles or bubble wands
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• Possible solutions: offer latex-free tubes, straws or hard sweets (chill in the fridge).

How Sensory Input Deficiency affects behaviour

Sometimes, a person with a SID may behave in a way that you wouldn’t immediately link to sensory sensitivities – but they may be the underlying cause. Bear in mind that photographs, symbols, schedules, social stories and videos can help and support a person with SID.