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When there is a problem in stimulus processing, doesn’t that automatically mean that your child is hypersensitive to stimuli? You often read a lot of information on the internet about sensitive children or highly sensitive children. This refers to children who have difficulty filtering the multitude of incoming stimuli and ignoring the unimportant stimuli.
These children take in all impressions … Sounds, crowds around them, smells. You soon hear these children complain about a ‘full head’ and problems falling asleep. Because in addition to the external stimuli, these children also have difficulty ‘parking’ internal stimuli such as stress and worrying thoughts.
The group of children for whom unfortunately less attention is paid (and in my opinion too often not seen) are the children who are undersensitive to sensory stimuli. This is referred to as understimulation. And of course, understimulation is just as much of a problem for the child as overstimulation.
The brain of these children has a very strongly tuned filter, which only allows sensory information in small quantities. With the problem that the brains of these children are not activated enough. These are the so-called dreamers. The children who are thought to be in it, but they do not do their best enough.
Earlier I wrote a blog about stimulus processing with the focus on the difference between overstimulation and a tantrum. But what if your child often suffers from the multitude of stimuli or suffers from understimulation?
When there is regular over- or understimulation in your child. A “sensory diet” can introduce your child to sensory stimuli in a fun way. Or the diet can offer your child extra stimuli to improve his concentration.
I would like to zoom in on the terms understimulation and overstimulation.
Stimulus seekers
There may be understimulation in your child when your child actively seeks out certain stimuli to activate himself. In other words, by looking for certain sensory stimuli, your child will be better able to pay attention. These children are also called stimulus seekers. This stimulus-seeking behavior does not have to occur in all sensory areas, for example, it can only occur in the area of movement. These are the children who love to hang upside down on their chairs or on the climbing frame. [Read more about stimulus seekers here]
Stimulus avoiders
But there are also children who show understimulation for senses, but have no strategy to activate themselves. These children are sometimes the dreamers in a class, they are distracted by internal stimuli and do not actively seek out prickles to activate themselves during class.
Your child may have difficulty with the multitude and diversity of sensory stimuli that he or she is exposed to during the day. Your child can deal with this differently.
Active
It may be that your child actively looks for solutions to imminent overstimulation. For example, your child may shield his ears or your child may walk away from the situation when it is too busy. In this way, your child tries to reduce and shield himself in order to avoid overstimulation.
Passive
But maybe your child is sensitive to stimuli but your child does not take action. Your child suffers from stimuli, stays in the situation and does not actively look for a solution. Your child then becomes overstimulated, or shows delayed overstimulation at home.
How do you recognize your child?
Children who are hypersensitive to internal and external stimuli often have difficulty getting to work in a busy classroom. The multitude of stimuli ensures a full head and makes their bucket overflow. A so-called ‘meltdown’ is then the result.
Children who experience too few stimuli have difficulty activating their brain. These children wander off, start moving and therefore sometimes do not get enough of the teaching material offered. They find it very difficult to focus when their interests are not aligned.
Also read these tips for overstimulating your child
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