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Sensory information processing problems occur when the brain has difficulty receiving and responding appropriately to the information it receives.
Children can experience problems with sensory stimuli such as touch, sounds and spatial awareness, among other things. Children with stimulus processing problems often also have autism or another disability, but problems in stimulus processing can also be isolated. Sometimes children with stimulus processing problems are mistakenly diagnosed with behavioral problems, while the problem comes from the brain and nervous system.
We speak of tactile hypersensitivity when the child is extremely sensitive to touch and to the way substances or other materials feel on the skin. You can recognize these children by refusing to wear certain clothes, such as nylon, knitted sweaters or stiff collars. These children can also experience dirty hands or walking in wet sand unpleasantly. This is because the brain misinterprets the sensation. In these children, the skin is more likely to experience touch as pain. This is one reason why these children shy away from a kiss or hug. [More on Tactile Sensitivity ]
To see well, both good eyes and a good visual system in the brain are required. If the processing of visual stimuli in the brain is reduced or disturbed, it is called a visual processing disorder. The brain interprets what it sees in a different way. The child may have difficulty distinguishing colors and/or letters in the same shape (such as b and d). These children may also have difficulty writing within the lines. These children may also have limited spatial awareness. You often see that they do not assess the space properly and therefore run into a wall or bump into people earlier than other children.
These children have an altered sensitivity to taste and texture of food. Sometimes they are children who, as babies, have gained too little experience in sucking and exploring materials with their mouths. Children affected by this may not be able to tolerate certain types of food well and become very picky eaters, but it can go beyond just being picky – it’s a medical issue. There can be a lack of sensation, which causes children to stuff food into their mouths because they can’t feel what they’re doing. Other children have a hypersensitive mouth and find the structure of the food uncomfortable. Some children, on the other hand, crave certain flavors or textures of food.
Hyperacusis is a medical term used for hypersensitivity to normal everyday sounds. This can be, for example, the crackling of a newspaper or the sound of the extractor hood. Someone with hyperacusis finds these sounds very unpleasant or even painful. [Read more about auditory stimulus processing here]
Treatment for sensory information processing problems is usually performed by occupational therapists specialized in SI (sensory information processing problems). An occupational therapist visits the child at home and/or school and helps the child deal with the child’s sensory challenges. Also called sensory diet .
For example, music therapy can be used for a sensitivity to sound. High-pitched music tracks are designed to retrain the brain to hear the sound correctly. It’s a slow process and can be difficult at first, but the benefits can change lives.
Toys that make soft sounds can also help. Think, for example, of the rainmaker.
Audiologists have a similar approach to treating hyperacusis in their hospitals, it involves a type of noise therapy (a device that resembles a hearing aid and emits different pitches into the child’s ear, ultimately “restarting” the brain’s auditory processing).
Children with tactile defenses can benefit from toys that allow the child to explore different textures in a playful way. Think of play materials such as clay, putty, finger paint, play sand, Mad Mattr or Happy Senso foam. But games and materials in combination with water can also help to create tolerance for different textures. It is important to build up carefully, starting with dry textures and expanding to more sticky substances, such as mucus.
Toys with bright, colorful, and contrasting patterns can stimulate children with visual processing disorders in their visual development.
If your child shows tactile defense problems and has difficulty wearing clothes, you can buy second-hand clothes because they are smoother after several washes. Also, washing clothes with an environmentally friendly fabric softener (hypoallergenic for sensitive skin) can ensure that the clothes are more pleasant. And choose, for example, jog jeans jeans.
Children who like to put things in their mouths can benefit from chewing jewelry. You can read more background information about chewing here: why use chewing jewelry.
When your child has hyperacusis, it’s important to make sure that medical care is provided, as this condition is painful and can worsen if not corrected. Early intervention with, for example, noise therapy is vital.
To support children with visual perception problems in improving coordination and balance, the use of physiotherapy may be recommended. In addition, we have many materials in our range to encourage balance, such as a balance board.
