6VESTIBULAR Your vestibular sense is located in your inner ear and is responsible for keeping your body balanced in space. Think of this in a 3D way – it’s not just for standing upright, but influences how your entire body is able to move through space in a coordinated manner. Children with sensory issues are often clumsy, might bump into things (QUICK! Someone grab that menorah before my son knocks it over!), or choose to run everywhere they go – because when you have poor motor planning, FAST is always better than slow! These children need and crave movement. They have challenges sitting still, not because they are hyperactive, but because their brain can’t process all of that sensory information without the regulation that movement brings. You can help them by creating opportunities for movement, like having them set the table or pass out napkins, or by providing them with an area where they can swing, jump, roll, or hop around. These accommodations will keep them from hitting the proverbial wall. Or should I say keep them from running into the wall at full speed?
7PROPRIOCEPTION
Your proprioceptive sense is located in your joints and
muscles. This sense is responsible for regulating pressure in and out of your body. It tells you how hard to hug, or be hugged, how tightly to grip a pencil, or how gentle to pet a dog. For kids with sensory challenges, this can be a constant battle between needing more input, and avoiding input. Sensory kids need to be using their muscles by pushing or pulling things in order to stay regulated. We call this ‘heavy work’. Moving chairs, carrying a backpack full of books, setting food on the table (if it’s not too stinky…), stacking firewood, or pulling boxes of decorations out of the closet will help to provide the necessary proprioceptive input they need to stay regulated. Also, often times kids with sensory issues have therapeutic tools to help them, such as a compression vest (over clothing) or suit (under clothing) or a weighted blanket. These items are great options for holiday gatherings, especially combined with a nice quiet space and a little Angry Birds.
8INTEROCEPTION Your sense of interoception is located inside your body. It is responsible for telling you what your body is feeling, such as whether you are hungry or full, whether you have to go to the bathroom, or if your stomach is feeling sick. Kids that have difficulty with sensory processing often have a hard time explaining what is going on inside their bodies and may constantly claim to be hungry or have a toileting accident (regardless of age, remember that the ‘traffic jam’ of sensory input makes it difficult for them to determine which sensory stimuli to prioritize). These ‘mistakes’ or ‘misinterpretations’ can be confusing – and I don’t mean for the adults. Keeping your child regulated by addressing the other 7 senses, and making accommodations to minimize the sensory impact on your child will help to clarify their interoceptive signals.
Providing small accommodations and true understanding will give the sensory kids in your life the ability to fully embrace the fun and laughter that creates great holiday memories. For everyone.
Wishing you and your loved ones a safe, happy, and meltdown-free holiday season.
Hartley Steiner lives in the Seattle area with her three sons. Hartley is the award winning author of the SPD Children’s book "This is Gabriel Making Sense of School" and "Sensational Journeys," both available through Sensory World as well as the founder of the SPD Blogger Network. She is the contributing writer for the SPD Foundation’s blog, SI Focus Magazine and Autism Spectrum Quarterly, among dozens of other online websites and blogs. You can find her chronicling the never ending chaos that is her life on the blog Hartley’s Life With 3 Boys and Hartley’s New Life as well as on Twitter as @ParentingSPD. When she isn’t writing, or dealing with a meltdown, she enjoys spending time in the company of other adults preferably with good food and even better wine.
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And the other 3 senses you’ve probably never heard of….