#14 - Sensory 101 for Parents

Hello friends, welcome to Sensory 101 for Parents - a parent's quick guide to sensory issues.

So, You’re here because you’ve wondered or been told that your child has “sensory issues.” Maybe you’ve read some books, gone to the pediatrician, or gone to therapy services like OT and come to the conclusion that your child may struggle with sensory challenges.

My guess is you might not know what in the world that really means, or what to start to do about it. 

The majority of the time I speak with a parent they tell me - "Yeah, I was told my child has sensory issues, but no one ever explained to me what that is."

But here’s the thing, it is almost impossible to help your SENSesational child thrive in life or at the table if you don’t understand what is going on in their brain and body when it comes to sensory processing.

So, today I am going to give you a quick intro to what sensory processing is, and what does it mean for you and your child going forward.

Sensory processing is the way our body takes in, interprets, and responds to sensory information - like what we see, hear, or smell.

Every single person processes sensory information differently - in accordance with their own personal sensory system.

Our sensory system is comprised of the 8, yup you heard me right I said 8, senses:

The visual system (or our sense of vision). Auditory system (our sense of hearing), tactile system (our sense of touch), olfactory system (our sense of smell), gustatory system (our sense of taste), vestibular system (sense of movement), proprioceptive system (our sense of body awareness), and interoceptive system (which is our sense of our internal organs and feelings).

I like to think of the sensory system like a thermometer. We need to be at that just right temperature in order complete certain activities - like eating, learning, or following directions.

 

Sometimes our body ISN’T at that just right temperature and is un-regulated. It could be because we had too much input, too little input, we’re just feeling off that day, or one or more of our senses isn’t functioning optimally.

 

You might have heard this referred to as over and under-regulated or over and under-stimulated.

When our sensory thermometer is too “hot” we are over-stimulated - like when we’re mad, agitated, or even too excited and amped up. This can make it challenging to complete the task at hand. For example, if we have TOO much energy or too much coffee, sometimes it can be hard to sit down and focus on a work task.
 

When our sensory thermometer is too “cold” we are under-stimulated - like when we are sleepy, sad, or zoned-out. When our body is over or understimulated it can make it challenging to focus or complete a task.

That bring us to self-regulation. Self-regulation is our brain and body’s ability to become more calm or alert - aka bring our body and mind back to that just right temperature - to participate fully in the task at hand. 

We can use self-regulation strategies to do this. These strategies help our body either warm up or cool down to get to that just right temperature.

For example, if I’m feeling drowsy or tired, I can stand up to wake up my body. Or if i’m feeling upset or angry, I might take a deep breath to calm me down.

Most of us do this naturally, because we feel that our body is out of sync. But children with sensory challenges often need help figuring out what their body needs, and getting access to it.

However, these strategies are not one size fits all. Every child’s and every person’s sensory system is different and needs unique strategies to support it. It make take some trial and error to find the perfect regulation strategies for your child.

As an extra special bonus for listening to this podcast episode I’ve prepared a little freebie for you. I have created an absolutely FREE guide with some of my absolute favorite strategies for to help when your child is over- and under stimulated. 

If you liked episode and are looking for more ways to support your SENSATIONAL CHILD, then you’re going to want to check out Making Sense of Eating: Helping SENSEational Kids enjoy mealtime. This is my online educational program for parents. In this program we dive deep into all 8 sensory systems, how they are affecting your child’s day-to-day, especially their eating, and how you can make mealtimes SENSEsational.

We also talk in depth-about the different types of sensory processing, and help you identify which types your child might identify with.

AND If you join in the month of march 2023 you are going to get an extra special bonus. You are going to get $100 off with the code SENSORY and an exclusive invite to 2 LIVE Q&A sessions face-to-face with me.

This a huge bonus. While you can always ask questions through our online platform, when we have these live Q&As, you can really talk through what’s going on, what you’ve tried, and we can brainstorm some ideas together going forward. By the end of this program my goal is that you feel like you have a master’s degree in your child’s sensory system so you can really understand what is going on inside their brain and body, and finally help your child start to enjoy mealtime.

Head to drsamgoldman.com/makingsenseofeating or click the link in my bio @DrSamGoldman you can get started right now. It’s waiting for you! 

Bye for now!

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