How Sensory Integration
Impacts on Behaviour and
Anxiety by Wendy Usher
www.theplaydoctors.co.uk
Sensory Integration Disorder (S.I.D.) is sometimes known as
Sensory Processing Disorder (S.P.D.)
Many children will never be diagnosed but will still have the signs
of a sensory disorder.
A. Jean Ayres, PhD (neuroscientist) suggests it is similar to a ‘brain
traffic jam’ where certain parts of the brain are confused when
interpreting sensory information.
If the process is disrupted, the brain does not receive messages, messages are received inconsistently
or the messages may not connect properly so the receiver only gets part of the picture.
Children may be hyper or hypo sensitive to stimuli
The prefix derives from the Greek word hyper, meaning simply over. Hypo-, on the other hand, means
under, defective or inadequate.
It means different things to different people.
For some it may mean being over or under sensitive to stimuli
known as hyper or hypo sensitive.
Others may not be able to distinguish between different senses
and they get muddled up, people ‘taste’ a ‘smell’ or ‘see’ a
‘sound’.
Some may have a compulsive need to seek out sensory experiences such as smelling everything.
Others may do anything to avoid particular sensations
The disorder impacts people’s lives in different ways. Some signs may include:
Hyper or hypo sensitivity to touch, movements, sights, smells, taste or sounds
Particularly high or low activity levels
Difficulty with transition – making the change from one situation to another
Difficulty in concentration, easily distracted, limited attention
Social/emotional difficulties
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Impulsiveness and may have difficulty in being still (even when still may like to rock)
Difficulty in reasoning (lack of self-control, inability to unwind or calm down)
Being clumsy or uncoordinated
And as the child grows the response may include anxiety and worry
Case Study
A young gentleman on the autism spectrum was brilliant at maths. He could add/subtract/divide
numbers at rapid speed and always find the correct answer. He was asked how he did it and explained
that he ‘saw’ numbers in the form of colours. The maths problems he was given would create a
rainbow in his head, he would sort the colours into a rainbow strip and ‘read’ back the colours he saw
in his head.
This amazing story is true and has been repeated by various people with savant autism – where the
individual has a highly specialised skill. This is linked to Sensory Integration as the brain replaces one
sensation ‘hearing numbers’ with ‘seeing colours’.
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So what does it
mean for you?
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We use these all the
time – think about
yourself right now –
what senses are you
aware of?
Do you ever turn the radio down when a song comes on that
grates on your nerves?
Do you choose to avoid places that you know you will feel
uncomfortable like being in close contact with other people on
the tube?
We each have our own sensitivities, likes and dislikes. Normally
we are able to control our reaction to our environment by taking a
logical approach and deciding on appropriate behaviour, that may
be avoidance, distraction (reading whilst on the tube) or walking
away from a situation
Simple things we take for granted may be difficult for children
with sensory impairments such as listening – what is more
important, someone’s voice, the clock ticking or the projector
making a humming sound? Can you override and prioritise sound
– not easy for some!
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How does it affect
people we know on
the spectrum?
Some examples….
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Case study
A teaching assistant was being ‘attacked’ by a child on the autism
spectrum and after observation it was noted it only happened on
the days she wore a bright red fleece. The child did not have the
skills to say ‘I’m terribly sorry, but your red fleece is annoying me’
so instead he tried to take it off her which was deemed as an
attack.
Often children cannot explain why they behave in the ways they do, it is up to us to observe carefully
and find out what the messages are behind the behaviour.
In this case study the child was seen to be ‘attacking’ his teaching assistant. This could have been
identified as dangerous behaviour. The response of the adults around him ‘reading’ the situation may
escalate his response if they have not understood the reasons behind the actions.
With the knowledge that the child has a hyper reaction to colour, the school can begin to think of the
learning and play environment and begin to observe and plot when and where meltdown’s occur. Do
they occur when the child is near to bright colours? Does the child also have a sensitivity to bright
lights?
Once you begin to look out of the box, it becomes more obvious and easier to recognise what is seen
as ‘poor behaviour’ is really a reaction to sensory stimuli.
Case study
A child once said in class ‘I like Michael Jackson’ . The comment
was completely random and had no relevance to what was going
on. When asked why he had made the comment he said – ‘well
he’s on the radio’. The radio in question was switched off, but still
plugged in. The child’s sensitivity to sound was so great that he
could hear the radio when it was on standby.
Imagine living a life where for 24 hours a day you can hear everything around you and never cut off.
Sounds become overwhelming when you are constantly being bombarded. It can result in the child
not wanting to step out of the door, irrational behaviour (when the child hears something we cannot,
such as plane flying over), fear of open space, anxiety and worry.
When trying to evaluate the messages behind the behaviour – consider the whole picture by taking a
helicopter view and considering the sensory environment. Sometimes we judge behaviour, without
realising that the reasons behind the behaviour are related to a wider picture.
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Love it?
Hate it?
Case Study
A child on the spectrum needed to have very strong flavours
before he would consider eating anything. Bread, potatoes,
vegetables and meat were a definite ‘no’. However, he loved
Marmite. Provided that food was coated in Marmite he was very
happy to eat things. He got the calories and vitamins he needed
through normal food with the addition of this spread!
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How might the child react to a hyper or hypo response to taste?
Perhaps the child throws food on the floor, refuses to come to the
table, only decides to eat certain foods that have particularly
strong or weak flavours. We tend to see the behaviour first,
before we look at what is behind it.
We need to observe children carefully and begin to ‘read’ what
messages are being voiced behind their behaviour.
Are you seeing children:
•Fight and get angry or emotional in certain situations
•Flight - Run away from things they find hard
•Refusal – even refusing to move or having a ‘sit in’ protest
•Use avoidance tactics
•worry and anxiety, fearing the world because of their sensory integration difficulties.
Using a person centred approach and seeing the world through a child’s eyes helps us to identify the
best way to support children who have sensory difficulties. It is not always easy to identify exactly
what the child is sensitive to and will take time to observe times the child finds hard.
Consider the 7 senses and take an observational look at what is happening at the time relating to
these senses.
These include:
• Sight
• Sound
• Taste
• Touch
• Smell
• Balance
• Body Awareness
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We cannot assume that we know or understand how another is
receiving sensory information from the world. All we have to
guide us is often their reaction to various stimuli. Be aware of
individual children and consider who else knows them well and
holds information that may be useful to you.
Case study
An early years setting reported that a child would not go
anywhere near messy play and it was thought the child had a sensitivity to touching messy things. On
observation it was noted that the child would pick up his choice toys and activities and move them to a
particularly dark area within the setting to play. The messy play table was based beneath a window in
a particularly bright spot. On moving the messy play table over to the darker area within the setting
the child participated well and was enjoying messy play. It was not the feel, smell or look of the messy
play he did not like. In fact he had a sensitivity to bright light.
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Emotional impacts of Sensory Processing Disorder
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Emotional
impact of
S.I.D.
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Often people with Sensory Integration or Processing Disorders
(diagnosed or undiagnosed) often react emotionally to stimuli
they find difficult. The response may seem unnecessary and far
beyond a typical reaction.
Children with Sensory Processing Disorder often have problems in
other areas of their lives.
As a result, they often become socially isolated and suffer from
low self-esteem and other social/emotional issues.
•Recognise the sensory integration issue through observation and
record keeping. Speak to others to see what they have observed
and compare notes
•Think about the world from a child centred perspective – what
seems to be bothering them. Consider how you could simply
adapt the activity/environment
•Prepare for sensory experiences – help the child to know what
they will be facing, use a visual aid to help the child expression
how they are feeling and give you warning if the experience is becoming too much
•Provide Distractions for someone facing a difficult situation
•Provide helpful options – case studies:
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Case study
Ben hates going shopping. His world is driven by a hyper sensitivity to smell. He needs to smell
everything to make sense of it. During a trip to the supermarket his sensory receptors are overloaded
with information and he finds it very hard to stay still, to listen and see. Before going, his Mum puts
some of her perfume onto a scarf and takes it with them. Ben is used to his Mum’s scent and it is
calming. At the supermarket Ben wears the scarf and the scent overwhelmes other smells. This allows
him to focus on one smell and helps to keep him calm.
Case Study
Carrie has a sensitivity to sound and will hold her hands over her ears, spin in a circle and scream at
the top of her voice when she is overwhelmed or finding things hard. This can happen at any time and
it is necessary to take out a pair of ear defenders to help diminish the sound. In addition to this she
carries 3 pieces of short fine rope. When she is getting stressed she plaits, undoes and re plaits her
rope. This helps her to cope.
At home her parents have insulated her room using sound proofing. Having done this they found that
she sleeps much better and can take herself away from noisy play activities if her children are being a
bit boisterous.
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Where do I
find out
more?
Useful websites
Please note we cannot guarantee these links or the content of the
websites
http://www.spdfoundation.net/index.html
http://www.sensoryintegration.org.uk/
www.theplaydoctors.co.uk
http://www.webmd.boots.com/children/guide/sensoryprocessing-disorder
http://www.autism.org.uk/sensory
http://www.royalfree.nhs.uk/paed_OT.aspx?top_nav_id=1&tab_i
d=1033
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Thank you
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Inclusion Matters in
Education and Childcare
Accredited Distance Learning Programme
TPD Education has teamed up with the
Open College Network to create a unique
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All participants undertake a Core Element
– Inclusion Matters
and make a choice of 3 from
the following options
Including children with ASC/D
Communicating Effectively with
children and young people
Level 2 has 4 Credit Value
Points 40 hours min
Early Bird Booking Offer
£300 (inc VAT)
Level 3 has 80 Credit
Value Points 80 hours min
Early Bird Booking Offer
£420.00 (inc VAT)
a wide range of learning materials are
used to respond to different learning
styles, includes interactive
electronic workbooks.
Encouraging Positive Behaviour
8-12 years
Encouraging Positive Behaviour
under 8’s
Understanding and Supporting Sensory
Integration Disorders
Supporting children with undiagnosed
social communication disorders
This is a brand new training
programme and will be on-line from
September 2015
To find out more or register your interest
and get the early bird discount please visit
www.theplaydoctors.co.uk
or call us on 01234 391436
TPD Education is a trading arm of
The Play Doctors Ltd
Co. No. 773578
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