What are sensory needs?
Sensory needs are differences in how a person receives, processes and responds to information from the world around them.
Every day, the brain takes in information from the senses — sounds, lights, smells, touch, movement, taste, body position and internal body signals. For some children and adults, this information can feel too strong, too weak, confusing, painful, distracting or overwhelming.
Sensory needs are not bad behaviour. They are not attention seeking. Sensory responses are often the nervous system trying to cope, protect itself or find balance.
A person with sensory differences may avoid certain sensations, seek certain sensations, or sometimes do both depending on the day, environment, tiredness, stress, anxiety or health.
Sensory processing in simple terms
Sensory processing is how the brain receives information from the senses and decides what to do with it.
- A sound might feel normal to one person but painful to another.
- A clothing label might feel slightly annoying to one child but unbearable to another.
- A busy classroom might feel lively to one child but overwhelming to another.
- A child may chew, spin or jump because their body is seeking more sensory input.
- A child may cover their ears, hide or cry because their brain is receiving too much input.
Sensory processing affects eating, sleeping, school, behaviour, communication, friendships, hygiene, clothing, family outings and emotional regulation.