Sensory Processing Exercises
A non-medical intervention for regulating attention
© Michael Reist
Sensory Processing
Many kids today, especially those who spend a lot of time in front of screens and sitting at
desks in school, do not get enough sensory stimulation (sensory processing) and therefore do
not get a chance to practice sensory processing – the smooth co-ordination of all sensory
inputs. They have a poor “sensory diet.”
The basic ingredients of a complete “sensory diet” include:
The 5 external senses we most commonly think of:
Taste
Touch
Smell
Hearing
Sight
As well as the 3 internal senses:
1. The vestibular sense: provides information about the position of the head in relation to
the surface of the earth, the movement of the body through space and balance.
Sensations come through the inner ear. Think of jumping on a trampoline or riding a
skateboard.
2. The proprioceptive sense: provides information about body position and movement of
our body parts. Information comes from stretching and contracting our muscles. Think
of climbing a tree, pulling a toboggan or pushing a wagon.
3. The interoceptive sense: provides information about sensations coming from our
internal organs. It regulates functions such as hunger, thirst, digestion, body
temperature, sleep, mood, heart rate, and state of arousal. It runs on autopilot until we
become conscious of the need to act – eat, drink, urinate, remove our sweater, and so
forth.
Sensory processing Disorder
“Dr. Ayres, the first person to describe sensory processing disorder, highlighted the particular
importance of the tactile, vestibular, and proprioceptive senses that provide the sense of
oneself in the world. Fundamental for functioning, these three senses lay the groundwork for a
child’s healthy development.”
52-55 The Out of Sync Child
“Sensory processing disorder (also called sensory integration disorder) is difficulty in the way
the brain takes in, organizes and uses sensory information, causing a person to have problems
interacting effectively in the everyday environment. Sensory stimulation may cause difficulty in
one’s movement, emotions, attention, or adaptive responses.”
68 The Out of Sync Child
The child exhibits behaviours and symptoms that stem from a “confusion” of sensory inputs.
One sense may over-ride all others. One sense may be under-developed and therefore easily
overwhelmed. Sensory inputs may clash and create “static interference.”
1. Inattentiveness (focusing on one sense to the exclusion of others, the underdevelopment of one sense, “static interference” between senses)
2. Hyperactivity (overstimulated by one sense, trying to stimulate one sense, trying to
avoid one sense)
3. Distractibility (auditory, visual, tactile)
4. Hypersensitivity (overstimulated by one sense, trying to avoid one sense)
5. Dysgraphia – problems with writing – (underdeveloped proprioceptive sense)
6. Confidence (sensory overload, sensory under-development eg. inability to “read” faces,
gestures, tone of voice, etc.)
Common issues associated with sensory processing
1.
Sensory over-responsivity – the sensory avoider
(also known as hyper-sensitivity, hyper-responsiveness, hyper-activity, over-sensitivity and sensory
defensiveness).
A child may exhibit:
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tactile defensiveness (not wanting to be touched, uncomfortable in certain clothing, insisting on
wearing particular clothing)
auditory defensiveness (sensitivity to loud noises, unfamiliar or unpredictable voices or sounds)
oral defensiveness (the picky eater, not wanting to brush teeth)
2. Sensory under-responsivity – the sensory disregarder
(also known as hypo-responsiveness, hypo-reactivity, hypo-sensitivity and under-sensitivity).
This child reacts less intensely to sensation than do typically developing children. This sensory
disregarder needs a lot of stimulation just to achieve ordinary arousal or alertness. This child may have
trouble reading non-verbal cues like body-language, facial expression and tone of voice.
The child may be one of two types of sensory disregarders.
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He may be withdrawn and difficult to engage.
He may be so gifted and creative that he does not notice sensory stimuli because he is selfabsorbed and preoccupied with intellectual/creative pursuits.
3. Sensory seeking – the sensory craver
The sensory-seeking child craves more stimulation than other children and never seems to get enough.
He may be a
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A “toucher and feeler”
A “bumper and crasher”
a risk taker
a daredevil
exhibit poor impulse control
His brain and body are telling him that he must act, but he often acts in a disorganized or disruptive way.
70-73 The Out of Sync Child
Where else would I see sensory processing at work in my child’s life?
Sensory processing is at work when a child chooses to listen to their iPod while doing school
work. The sense of hearing is over-stimulated and all other inputs recede into the background.
The child calms and is better able to focus.
In the same way, video games over-stimulate the visual sense causing other sensory inputs to
recede into the background. A child playing video games is able to hyper-focus because of this
over-stimulation of one sense.
We see the same phenomenon in thumb-sucking or when children caress certain parts of their
bodies. We call these behaviours self-comforting. They are part of the process of sensory
integration for a growing child.
Some children experience hyper(high)-sensitivity in one area or hypo(low)-sensitivity in
another area.
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A child who is hyper-sensitive to touch may be bothered by clothing tags or want to
wear the same clothes all the time.
A child who is hyper-sensitive to taste may be a picky eater or hate brushing teeth.
A child who is hyper-sensitive to sound may cover his or her ears or be very sensitive to
yelling (or what they perceive to be yelling).
The hyper-sensitive child tends to prefer low-risk activities.
A child who is hypo-sensitive needs more sensual stimulation to get the same feeling another
child would get with less.
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A child who is hypo-sensitive to touch may enjoy pushing, and banging into people or
may crave pressure on his body
A child who is hypo-sensitive to taste may prefer spicy foods
A child who is hypo-sensitive to sound may enjoy shouting or listening to loud music
Sensory Processing Exercises
Sensory processing is enhanced through the practice of sensory processing.
“The child’s motivation…tells the therapist what the child’s nervous system seeks. According to
Dr. Ayres, ‘Sensations that make a child happy tend to be integrating.’”
221 The Out of Sync Child
Exercises for the tactile sense:
Water play
Sand play
Touching different textures
Massaging of the hands and feet
Rubbing the back
Wrestling/horseplay/rough-housing/play fighting
Bear hugs
Exercises for the vestibular sense:
Spinning
Rolling
Hopping
Somersaulting
Rocking
Jumping
Swinging
Balancing on a board or ball
Wrestling/horseplay/rough-housing/play fighting
Exercises for the proprioceptive sense:
Running
Stretching
Lifting
Pushing
Pulling
Bear hugs
Hanging by the arms
Massaging of the hands and feet
Extension and flexion of joints
Wrestling/horseplay/rough-housing/play fighting
Sensory Processing Exercises for Regulation of Attention
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Massaging of the hands and feet
Light manipulation of the fingers or toes
5 finger lines – tracing a line from the tip of each finger down the palm
5 toe lines – tracing a line from the tip of each toe down the length of the foot
Spider in your hand – “tickling” the palm of the hand
Sitting bicycle – pushing and pulling of the legs from in front
Sitting row boat – pushing and pulling of the arms from in front
Flapping Penguin - flapping of the arms from behind
Canon ball – full body hug from behind with legs pulled up
Rocking canon ball – same as above with rocking motion
Upside-down frog – child lying on back on adult’s lap facing outward with legs extended
in the air – adult holds ankles, moves legs outward and inward
Why do you use them?
These exercises are extremely helpful for kids who have difficulty in the following areas:
attention control, language production and stress.
These exercises are particularly helpful with kids who have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD.
In the context of a one-hour session, regulation of focus and attention can be a huge issue.
These exercises help to re-establish focus and attention.
They enhance cognitive functioning generally. As one boy said, “It wakes up my brain.”
I have found these exercises to have a huge influence on language. They stimulate the language
center and lead to much more free-flowing conversation, especially with introverted, stressed
or non-verbal children.
They have a calming effect on children who are over-stimulated or stressed.
How do these exercises help with attention control?
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Kids have trouble paying attention because of what they SEE, HEAR, FEEL, ETC.
Children have trouble verbalizing because they are pre-occupied with what they SEE,
HEAR, FEEL, ETC.
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Children are stressed because they are overwhelmed by what they SEE, HEAR, FEEL,
ETC.
By stimulating the tactile, proprioceptive and/or vestibular senses, sensory processing exercises
act to “over-ride” or “drown out” other sensory inputs. The child focuses on the tactile
pressure or movement, and the other inputs recede into the background. The child calms, is
better able to focus and better able to verbalize.
Why the hands and feet in particular?
The head, hands and feet have the most complex functions and thus produce the most
sensations.
Over millions of years of evolution, the hands and feet have been our main connectors to the
external world; therefore, the hands and feet contain the largest number of sensory receptors
in both the sensory cortex and the motor cortex of the brain.
The hands and feet are natural pathways to the brain.
Large portions of the motor cortex are devoted to sending messages to direct the functions of
the fingers, hands, feet, tongue and throat.
294-295 The Out of Sync Child
Manipulation of the hands and feet has been found to:
1.
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Enhance sensory integration – both the tactile and proprioceptive senses
Stimulate the frontal lobe – the attention control centre
Stimulate the frontal cortex – the executive functioning centre
Stimulate the pre-frontal cortex – the language centre
Reduce cortisol levels – the stress hormone
How are sensory processing exercises related to other techniques?
Massage
Like sensory processing exercises, massage has also been shown to lower stress levels. Massage
focuses on muscle tension and muscle pain. While sensory processing exercises may relieve
muscle tension, they are ultimately directed at the brain.
Educational kinesiology (Brain Gym™)
Educational kinesiology is also based on the mind-body connection. It involves independent
movements of the body which are intended to stimulate various parts of the brain. Sensory
processing exercises require some kind of counter-force acting on the sense receptors;
therefore, they require another person.
Reflexology
Reflexology is based on the theory that there are particular points on the body that are
connected to or “reflect” other parts of the body. In foot reflexology, the toes are connected to
brain function. In hand reflexology, the tips of the fingers are connected to brain function.
Chakra therapy
Chakra therapy is based on the theory that there are 7 key energy centers in the body. These
are found along the spine, but they are also found “reflected” along the inner side of the foot
and the thumb side of the hand. Each of these centers is related to an aspect of physical,
mental, emotional and spiritual functioning.
Why do sensory processing exercises require physical contact?
Sensory processing exercises require some kind of external counter-force acting on the sense
receptors. The senses that are being stimulated are the tactile and proprioceptive sense. The
use of a weighted blanket is a method for tactile/proprioceptive stimulation that does not
involve touch.
There are other sensory processing interventions that do not involve touch because they are
meant to stimulate other senses: recorded water or nature sounds for auditory stimulation and
slow-moving visual stimulation like lava lamps and aquariums.
Are they appropriate for all children?
No, they are not appropriate for
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Children who are hyper-sensitive to touch and therefore tactile defensive
Some children who are going through puberty (a sensitive period for sensory
processing)
Most teenagers (who have by this age achieved a great degree of sensory integration)
Children who are conflicted about touch due to cultural or family conditioning
Children who have no issues with attention control, stress or language production
What kind of professional training or qualifications are required to do such exercises?
There is currently no officially-recognized training program that would qualify a person to do
these exercises. They may be done by parents, occupational therapists or special educators.
My professional training and certification is in education with qualification in Special Education
where I feel these exercises are extremely effective and beneficial.
For further information read:
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The Out-of-Sync Child by Carol Kranowitz
The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun by Carol Stock Kranowitz
©Michael Reist adapted from The Out-Of-Sync Child by Carol Stock Kranowitz and other sources.