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About this webinar
Sensory workshop – senses: This video explains our senses, the well-known ones and those relating to how we move. It will provide examples of how difficulties within certain sensory systems related to every day function difficulties and when an occupational therapist needs to become involved.
Transcript
In addition to the known senses such as touch, sight, taste, hearing and smell there is an additional sense that can help us know where our body is in space. This is known as proprioception. If this sense isn’t processing information that well it can impact on our coordination and effective movement. There is also a sense known as the vestibular sense. If you have ever had an inner ear infection you will know what it feels like to have impaired balance. If our balance sense isn’t processing information properly we can often have a feeling of falling or dizziness. It can also make children reluctant to use playground equipment such as swings.
Finally, you may already be aware of touch and this is a sense that some of us can be very sensitive to or need a lot of. If we are over responsive to touch we can find things too rough, too slimy and clothing may feel too tight or too loose. If we are under responsive we may enjoy messy play more than usual and we may find our clothes become twisted on us without us realising.
We will now look at how our sensory needs can impact on everyday life. If there are difficulties with auditory processing, a child may miss verbal instructions within the classroom, they may appear to ignore others or become distressed when it gets too noisy or if there are any sudden loud noises.
If there is difficulty with visual processing, a child may look away from tasks to watch others in the room. They may miss written instructions or leave items blank on a busy worksheet despite knowing the answers and generally have difficulty keeping their materials organized throughout the day. If there is difficulty with touch processing then a child may not notice when their hands or face is dirty, they might dislike the slightest bit of mess on them or become easily upset by minor bumps and scrapes or upset by the labels in their clothing.
If there is difficulty with movement processing, a child may appear to be on the go all the time, they may play or fiddle with objects, excessively bump into things or adopt a slumped posture in their seating.
An occupational therapist needs to become involved when the child’s sensory difficulties are impacting on their participation within everyday activities and is stopping them from doing what they want to or need to do. The therapist working with your child will aim to improve functional performance by incorporating sensory strategies into those tasks.