AN INTRODUCTION TO SENSORY PROCESSING

In our everyday lives, we all experience a multitude of sensory information. We have built sensory experiences into our daily routines to help us feel more grounded and regulated, without giving these much thought. Some examples are our morning coffee, weekly deep pressure massages or outdoor walks that help us feel calmer, the spicy or sour foods we find comforting or the high impact workouts that help us feel more alive. These coping strategies are an integral part of our wellbeing and deserve our full understanding and appreciation.

Sensory processing occurs when our bodies and brains work together to register, interpret and act upon sensory information, which shapes our experience of the world. Each of our eight senses work together and this brain-body process works around the clock to pay attention to information surrounding us, thus enabling us to move our bodies, complete tasks and have meaningful social interactions. Sensory processing can be looked at as the neurology of how we feel.

How Sensory Processing Develops

Children begin to develop their sensory systems in utero when they start to move their head against gravity for the birth process. As babies develop, their first experiences are deeply sensory and emotional. It is through touch and smell that infants recognise their mothers, through the movement of their head, rolling their bodies and moving a rattle that they start to develop sensory motor patterns. These sensory experiences teach children to form relationships, develop communication and build sensory motor pathways in the brain, forming the solid foundation for success later in life.

Sensory processing occurs when bodies receive sensory information, which our brain then uses to make decisions. If the brain is not able to process this information accurately, it becomes difficult for us to produce an appropriate response. The brain must register all the sensory information through the eight senses and then prioritise the most important sensory input for the body to react in a safe and typical way.

A SENSORY ‘TRAFFIC-JAM’

When the brain is not able to integrate all the sensory information, the responses or behaviours can be unexpected and often inappropriate. Dr Jean Ayres, a pioneering occupational therapist, psychologist and neuroscientist, likened sensory processing challenges to a ‘traffic-jam’ which prevents certain parts of the brain from receiving the sensory information needed to respond appropriately. Sensory processing challenges are a widely researched and understood area of child development and are treated holistically with the support of an occupational therapist trained in sensory integration.