No one has a perfect sensory system. But there are some individuals that have more struggles with a less perfect sensory system. Difficulties are seen in a wide variety of ways.
1. One sense may be the culprit. It could be touch...certain fabrics just are excruciating. Other fabrics are so preferred, the child can't stop feeling them. Think of that soft blanket she can't stop rubbing on her face.
2. It may be the integration of 2 or more senses. It is so much easier to assess the social environment when the visual and auditory senses work together to integrate information that from both of those senses.
3. Some individuals receive sensory messages more or less intensely than they should. Sometimes one sense is stronger and another sense is weaker. It's hard to integrate across the senses with these mixed messages.
4. Another difficulty is in knowing where I am in space and body placement issues. If I want to put on a pair of gloves, I need good messages from my brain where my hands are in space and where the gloves are if I want to slide my hands into them.
So how do I help a child who struggles with the sensory system? Well, the first thing is to get an evaluation from an occupational therapist to determine the exact issues.while talking with the OT, ask if she would recommend a primitive reflex evaluation. If the answer is yes, pursue it also. Once, these evaluations are done, do any exercises, the therapist suggests. Seek to learn as much as you can about the sensory systems. Some great books are:
Sensational Kids by Lucy Jane Miller
Raising a Sensory Smart Child by Bielefeld and Penske
Any books by Carol Kranowitz
It takes time to develop a sensory life style but it can be done once the issues are defined. It is important to work with a trained professional (an occupational therapist with expertise in sensory integration therapy.). Then it is important to educate yourself as well as following through daily with strategies you learn.
