Let's dig into this thing called sensory processing.
Hi all!
Today we want to help you learn more about sensory processing. Sensory processing - or 'sensory' as most say, is becoming a term used more and more by teachers, parents, daycare providers, and other professionals to understand kids and their needs/wants.
Dr. A. Jean Ayres (pioneer in sensory integration theory) describes it as: "... the organization of sensations for use. Our senses give us information about the physical conditions of our body and the environment around us." She adds, ”The brain must organize all of these sensations if a person is to move and learn and behave in a productive matter.”
Woah, well that was loaded. What Dr. Ayres has taught us is that sensory processing is a neurological process. It's the invisible phenomenon that takes information from the outside world and our own bodies to our brains to produce some sort of response (motor, emotional, or behavior). Everything we do throughout the day is a sensory experience, which allows our brains and bodies to move, learn, and grow.
Let's look at a few real life examples.
These sensations can be anything from hearing your alarm clock go off in the morning to recognizing a dangerous situation. It can be that response to “ouch, I feel a rock in my shoe, I need to stop to take it out." Seeing a red traffic light and thinking "I need to put my foot on the brake." Mmmmm it smells like my grandma’s chocolate chip cookies, I think I should call and check up on her”. That unconscious sense you have about how your body is currently positioned. For me it is laying on the couch, head propped up with a pillow and my computer on my lap writing this blog. The sense you have when your bladder is full, and you need to use the restroom. Or maybe you accidentally trip up the steps, feel yourself falling, and reach your arms out to catch yourself so you don't get injured. All of these “responses” are reactions to some sort of sensory input that is sent to the brain. Then your brain turns that message into an action!
So, why do we really care? Efficient sensory processing and integration is necessary for function. We all need to efficiently process and make “sense” of different sensory inputs to safely and confidently navigate the world around us and to build motor skills, perceptual skills, critical thinking, and fine tune our behavior.
"When sensations flow in a well-organized or integrated manner, the brain can use those sensations to form perceptions, behaviors and learning."- Dr. A. Jean Ayres. When there is dysfunction or disruption in sensory processing we can see poor modulation and/or discrimination. First, what is the difference between modulation and discrimination?
Modulation: think of modulation of sensory inputs as determining the value of information to know if it is needed or not. The"what was it" response, do I need to pay attention to it? Three things happen after that. We either: detect/respond to; detect/habituate (ignore); fail to detect. Modulation difficulties have direct correlations with arousal regulation. Why?-because if we can't habituate to inputs that are not needed, we become very distracted and/or emotionally overloaded leading to "behaviors" attempting to get away from the input.
So with modulation dysfunction: we can be sensory over or under responsive or sensory craving.
Discrimination: focuses on the quality of the input to figure out how to use the information for skill (motor, behavior, etc). Adequate discrimination is needed for timing, spatial and praxis components for movement, skilled activity and learning. Meaning we have recognized what information to attend to, now how do I use it efficiently to move, behave and learn. Poor discrimination leads to difficulty with completion/execution of daily life tasks or skills; which can also contribute to poor arousal regulation. When a task is too hard/challenging a child may avoid and/or emotionally over respond to difficulty.
Now that we have a better idea of what sensory processing is and why it is important, a follow up blog post will go into what is sensory integration and how sensory processing is put to use.
Finally, let's dive into each sensory system. Buckle up kids, this is going to be a ride- so hang on tight! Most of you know the five senses as we learned about them from a young age in school. These include: hearing, sight, touch, taste and smell right? Did you know there is 3 other senses that are hidden... WHAT! These 3 sensory systems are vestibular, proprioception and interoception. Let's learn more!
Lets touch (pun intended) on each system briefly:
Auditory: our sense of hearing; important or orientating to danger and for social engagement/language and communication.
Visual: vision/sight sense; also important for alerting us to potential dangers/threats to react and respond appropriately. Crucial in controlling of eye movements for reading/writing and other hand-eye skills; spatial perception. Our visual sense typically becomes the dominant one!
Tactile: your sense of touch; it also helps create a map of your body which is essential for body awareness.
Gustatory: sense of taste; salty, sweet, sour, bitter and savory.
Olfactory: sense of smell; closely related to emotions and memories.
Vestibular: is essential for balance and protective reactions. Sends the brain information about position in space and which direction we or other objects are moving (forwards, backwards, sideways, upside down).
Proprioception: the sense of where our bodies are in space, the pull of gravity on our muscles and joints and ability to move with/or against gravity.
Interoception: our internal senses/state. This information helps us maintain appropriate homeostasis for survival. Feeling hungry, urge to use the bathroom, etc.
The next few blog posts with dive deeper into each sensory system and what typical vs atypical processing looks like.
Be well,
Cassie & Amy
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