How to Recognize a Child with Sensory Processing Disorder

Characteristics

Characteristics of the Hyper-responsive Child

• Defensive against activities anticipating tactile input (touch)
• Becomes upset by activities involving sound, touch, positional changes, and certain food textures
• Displays emotionally charged reactions
• Withdraws from interacting with others, fearful of being touched

Characteristics of the Hypo-responsive Child

• Low arousal levels
• Slow to attend to tasks
• Passive and withdrawn
• Clumsy; may hurt himself without taking notice

Characteristics of the Sensory Seeking Child

• Requires stronger sensory input to meet the needs of his or her nervous system.
• “In everyday settings these children appear to be restless, motorically driven, and thrill seeking.” Case-Smith (2001)
• These children also appear impulsive, have high energy, and frequently fidget. They tend to crash, jump, bump, and touch everything.

Activities

Sensory Garden Activities for the Hyper-responsive Child

• According to Murray-Slutsky & Paris, these children require a gradual introduction to sensory input because of high sensitivity (2005).
• Provide heavy work to organize; for example have the child carry heavy sand pails filled with soil, rocks, or water
• Gradually introduce sensory input and grade from minimally messy textured plants to messy activities like making a mud pie

Sensory Garden Activities for the Hypo-responsive Child

• These children require a great deal of sensory stimulation because their intake of sensory information is so limited, according to Murray-Slutsky & Paris
• Marie E. Anzalone recommends that we alert their senses by providing:
  • Messy tactile input: Pick leaves and lather them in finger paint
  • Play music with varying beats
  • Have lights to intensify visual array of plants
  • Use herbs like mint and the smell of grapefruit to invigorate

Sensory Garden Activities for the Sensory Seeking Child

• Initiate transition to new tasks with heavy work activities: i.e.. pulling, pushing, carrying items to and from the garden
• Use dividers of some kind to keep the child attending to the task at hand
• Incorporate messy tactile play and calming scents like lavender and honeysuckle
• Take caution if the child seeks oral stimulation (mouthing items should be discouraged).