Your Child’s Sensory Portrait & Sensory Processing Disorder
Understanding your child’s sensory portrait helps deepen your understanding of their sensitivities, triggers, and patterns that might be linked to dysregulated behaviors.
We use our sensory systems to assess our environment for safety or threat. Each child responds differently to sensory input. Children may experience overstimulation or understimulation, both of which can contribute to emotional dysregulation. Because each child’s sensory needs are different, some children may perform better than others when overstimulated or understimulated.
While sensory sensitivities can vary from day to day, most parents/caregivers can identify specific activities that are usually challenging in one way or another. Which activities does your child typically avoid? Which do they actively seek out? Do they have mixed reactions, liking certain things sometimes then disliking them at other times? Or are they neutral, reacting neither more nor less dramatically than any other child his age?
This guide is to help you understand the seven (not five!) sensory systems, how to engage your child's sensory systems for regulation, and the therapeutic value of engaging and integrating your sensory experiences. If you or your child is differently abled, it does not mean you have an incomplete or lesser-than sensory experience. If you have sensory concerns for your child or would like to be referred to an occupational therapist, please reach out to us for support and resources.
The 7 Sensory Systems
1. The Visual System
The Visual System is how you experience sight. Have you noticed your child complaining about intense lights or bright colors? Are they easily overwhelmed by too many decorations? Or do they need more visual input to keep them engaged in challenging tasks? If you answered yes to any of these questions, your child may struggle with visual under- and/or overstimulation:
Ways to use the Visual System to Regulate:
Decrease wall decorations
Adjust lighting in your home or classroom
Use a table easel to bring working surface in a more upright position or a trifold divider to obstruct view of things around them
Focus on eye-hand coordination activities such as playing catch
Look through photos of favorite memories
Spend time painting or drawing
Play ”I Spy” or hidden pictures
Puzzles, mazes, activities that require discriminating between colors, shapes and sizes
Visualize a place that makes you feel calm, centered, energetic, or happy
Cloud gazing
2. The Auditory System
The Auditory System is how you experience sound. This includes hearing, listening, interpreting, detecting the location of sounds, and deciding which sounds to pay attention to. Do you ever notice your child complaining about the volume of music or the clicking of a fan? Are they easily overwhelmed by too many noises? Or do they need reminders to focus when listening to instructions? If you answered yes to any of these questions, your child may struggle with auditory under- and/or overstimulation:
Ways to use the Auditory System to Regulate:
Lower the volume on music or the television
Explore sounds that calm or engage your child
Play music or an instrument, such as a bell, sound bowl, or maraca, for transitions to new activities or tasks
Play white noise during times for winding-down or focusing to reduce outside noise
Take nature walks and notice what sounds you hear together, like leaves crunching or birds chirping
Write and sing a song together
Utilize noise-canceling headphones in louder places
Create playlists (through YouTube or Spotify) of songs that your child enjoys during different feelings - for example, “songs for when I feel angry”
3. The Tactile System
The Tactile System is how you experience touch, helping us identify healthy touch from painful or uncomfortable touch. Do you notice your child complaining about the texture of their shirt or the seam of their sock? Do they complain about the spikiness of grass or become irritable when they have sand in their shoes? Do they fidget and play when they are listening to instructions? If you answered yes to any of these questions, your child may struggle with tactile under- and/or overstimulation:
Ways to use the Tactile System to Regulate:
Feeling the texture of a soft leaf
Wearing a comfortable favorite article of clothing
Running hands through sensory bins with various textures
Squeezing a stress ball
Running warm or cold water over hands
Using a fidget tool to help focus at home or school
Walking barefoot on soft grass or sand
Building a structure with legos, blocks, or sticks
Wrapping yourself in a soft blanket
Wearing comfy fuzzy socks
4. The Olfactory System
The Olfactory System is how you experience smell and work with the gustatory system (up next!). This sensory system helps us identify if something smells pleasant, neutral, or aversive. Does your child refuse to eat certain foods because they don’t like the smell? Do they complain about headaches when presented with harsh smells? Do they focus better when they have their favorite candle burning or essential oil diffusing? If you answered yes to any of these questions, your child may struggle with olfactory under- and/or overstimulation:
Ways to use the Olfactory System to Regulate:
Smelling essential oils
Noticing smells on a nature walk
Lighting a candle with a favorite scent
Smelling a favorite food or sweet before tasting it
Coloring with scented markers
Applying a scented lotion to hands
Smelling a hot drink, like tea or hot chocolate
5. The Gustatory System
The Gustatory System is how you experience taste and works with the Olfactory System (previously mentioned). This sensory system helps us identify if something tastes pleasant, neutral, or aversive. Do you notice your child complaining about the taste or texture of certain foods? Are they easily overwhelmed by too many food choices? Or do they snack to better focus throughout the day? If you answered yes to any of these questions, your child may struggle with gustatory under- and/or overstimulation:
Ways to use the Gustatory System to Regulate:
Savoring favorite foods
Preparing meals together
Chewing flavored gum
Smelling a favorite food or sweet before tasting it
Enjoying a hot or cold drink
Taking snack breaks throughout the day
Smelling a favorite food or drink
6. The Vestibular System
The Vestibular System is based in your inner ear and detects your body’s relationship to gravity. It communicates to your body whether you are sitting, standing, spinning, falling, resting, or moving. Does your child complain about the difficulty of physical education or team sports? Are they easily startled by sudden movements? Do they learn better when sitting still? Or do they need breaks to move to better focus throughout the day? If you answered yes to any of these questions, your child may struggle with vestibular under- and/or overstimulation:
Ways to use the Vestibular System to Regulate:
Pulling & pushing heavy items
Carrying heavy things
Weighted materials
Leaning against a wall or person
Hanging (from monkey bars)
Rocking chairs
Joint compressions (push bones together at joints)
Progressive muscle relaxation
Taking a walk outside
Yoga
Dancing
Balancing on your tip-toes
Swinging on a swing set
Running
Throwing a ball
Jumping rope
7. The Proprioceptive System
The Proprioceptive System is how you experience your body’s movement and impact on the environment. This system is responsible for sensing where your body parts are and what they are doing. Does your child learn better in hands-on activities? Do they complain that things are “boring” if they have to sit still? Are they uncomfortable in activities that require building and movement? If you answered yes to any of these questions, your child may struggle with proprioceptive under- and/or overstimulation:
Ways to use the Proprioceptive System to Regulate:
Squeezing a stress ball
Pulling & pushing heavy items
Carrying heavy things
Molding clay or play dough
Joint compressions (push bones together at joints)
Walking barefoot in grass or sand
Having their feet on the ground when sitting in a chair
Standing in a doorway and pushing outward with their arms (Superman strength!)
Leaning against a wall or person
Laying under a weighted blanket
Hugs or deep pressure
Chewing gum
Lotion/Coconut oil hand massage
Yoga
Dancing, Swimming, Running
Throwing a ball
Jumping rope
Playing catch
Bouncing on an exercise ball
What is Sensory Processing Disorder?
Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is a neurological disorder that involves our sensory systems. Individuals with SPD might experience difficulties with motor control, spatial awareness, and responding to various sensory input. External stimuli can cause significant distress for individuals with SPD, which can lead to a sense of feeling physically and emotionally overwhelmed.
What is NOT Sensory Processing Disorder?
People with sensory sensitivity or who identify as a Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs) may not have SPD. Highly Sensitive Persons are usually highly aware of their surroundings and their sensory experiences. They are quick to perceive and react to the emotional states of others, high levels of sensory stimulation, and abrupt changes. They seem to feel emotions and sensations more deeply than their peers and are more sensitive to their physical and emotional environment. SPD is a psychological diagnosis and not a label for people who are more sensitive and perceptive of sensory input. None of these identifiers are negative in and of themselves, each one comes with different strengths and setbacks.
Ways to Respond to Sensory Processing Disorder
Learn which stimuli overwhelm you or your child
Pay attention to and explore senses that are calming or pleasing
Incorporate pleasing or calming sensing into your daily routine
Practice grounding and focusing on your senses when you begin to feel overwhelmed
Recall a memory in which you felt safe and calm in your body and place yourself there when you feel escalated or overwhelmed
Reach out to an Occupational Therapist or Play Therapist for assessment and support
Engaging your senses in the present moment, whether in therapy or in your day-to-day life, strengthens the mind-body connection and helps you listen to the various messages your body is sending you. Mindful engagement of your senses can also serve as a tool for self-regulation when you feel escalated. That's why we use tools in counseling that help engage your child's senses as a medium for regulation and de-escalation. Check out our custom-design Cool Down Kits that keep your child’s sensory portrait in mind.
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WRITTEN BY JACLYN SEPP, MA, LPC-S, RPT-S™, NCC, RYT® 200 (SHE/HER/HERS)
Jaclyn believes that all human beings, no matter how small, deserve a place to be accepted for who they are, which drove her to establish Ensemble Therapy in 2015 with the mission to bring high quality therapeutic services to children, teens, and their families in Central Austin. Jaclyn is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (LPC-S), Registered Play Therapist Supervisor™ (RPT-S™), National Certified Counselor (NCC) and Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT® 200). She received her Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling from Texas State University (CACREP Accredited Program) and her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with a Minor in Applied Learning & Development from The University of Texas at Austin.
