What is sensory information processing?
Sensory information processing is the ability to perceive sensory information, filter it, and connect the different pieces of information together so that we can respond appropriately to what is happening around us. We receive sensory information from both inside and outside our body. Sensory information processing is not self-evident with all children, which can cause various problems such as difficulty with concentration, busy or very calm behaviour, getting angry quickly or not being able to play. We offer an assessment, treatment, and guidance program to understand what your child needs to achieve optimal development. If you recognize problems with sensory information processing in your child, make an appointment with one of our specialized therapists.
Welke zintuigen zijn er:
- Hearing (auditive)
- Seeing (visual)
- Taste/smell
- Touch (tactile)
- Balance (vestibular)
- Joints and muscles (proprioception)
- Internal organs (interoception)
How do you recognize problems in sensory information processing?
Problems occur in all kinds of degrees, from very light to severe and they are different for each child. These problems can also occur in addition to, for example, ADHD, autistic spectrum disorder or speech / language problems.
Touch:
- Gets upset during grooming e.g., showering, and brushing teeth
- Avoid walking barefoot, especially in sand or grass.
- Constantly touches certain objects or people
- Pulls away when touched
Movement and balance:
- Becomes fearful when their feet leave the ground
- Fears heights or to fall
- Child moves very fast or very slow
- Is clumsy, does not know their own strength
- Seeks movement, like constantly wanting to spin around, move or fall
Visual:
- Gets easily distracted by the things they see
- Hates bright lighting
Auditive:
- Hates unexpected or loud noises like mopeds, vacuum cleaner, or noises from other children
- Holds hands over their ears to protect against noise
- Gets easily distracted by noises in the environment
- Cannot work when there is background noise
- Does not seem to react to noise
- Enjoys strange or loud noises, or makes a lot of noise themselves
Taste and smell:
- Only eats foods with certain tastes and limits themselves to certain textures and/or temperatures
- Shows strong preference for certain smells and tastes
- Chews or licks non eatable objects
With problems in the processing of interoceptors we do not often think of problems within the sensory information processing. However our therapists can also help you with the following signals:
- Difficulty to feel when they need to urinate or deficate
- Does not seem to feel pain when they fall, therefore the child takes a lot of risks
The treatment process:
A trajectory consists of:
- Anamnesis/interview with parents/child/other parties involved to clarify the request for help.
- Assessment consisting of: questionnaires, observations (at the practice, at home or at school) to see how your child's sensory development is going
- Conversation to discuss the findings with those involved and consider solutions.
- Report with advice
- Possibly a treatment/coaching trajectory aimed at learning adequate strategies to deal with their challenges.
