Sensory Processing...

Human beings are sensory creatures. We are constantly receiving information through our senses and responding to this information through our actions and behaviours. We are also able to ‘filter out’ or ignore sensory information that is not important or relevant to us at a particular time, in order to be able to focus on what is important.

There are the commonly known senses, such as sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. We also receive and respond to information gained through less well known sensory systems, such the vestibular proprioceptive and interoceptive systems.

The vestibular system enables us to process and respond to movement and gravity. It enables us to know how high we are, how fast we are going or whether we are upside down.

The proprioceptive system enable our brains to receive information from our joints and muscles informing of the brain of the positions of our body party in space. This enables the smooth co-ordination and grading of movement.

The interoceptive system provides our brain with information form inside our body. It enables us to know when er are hungry, thirsty, in pain or need the toilet.

Some children receive too little or too much information from their senses or are unable to filter out irrelevant information. They can be over or under responsive to sensory stimuli. These challenges can cause emotional distress, behavioural outbursts, social difficulties and difficulties learning and developing new skills.

Our in depth sensory assessments explore all the above sensory systems in order to understand how a child is receiving and responding to sensory information and how their responses are impacting on their ability to learn and carry out daily activities.

Once this information is gained and explained to the child, parents and school staff, interventions and strategies can be put in place to support the child.