Sensory System Low Down

We are constantly taking in sensory information during our day. This allows us to understand the world around us and helps us respond appropriately. Our senses send information to our brain to interpret, which then sends our body signals about how to react. The senses we commonly are aware of include vision, hearing, taste (gustatory), smell (olfactory), and touch (tactile). The two “hidden senses are proprioception (body position and movement) and vestibular (movement and balance).

When one or more of our sensory systems are not working properly, the inability to use the information received occurs and we see a decrease in the ability to function smoothly in daily life. This is called sensory processing dysfunction. There are two main types of ways our bodies react to sensory processing dysfunction, hypo-responsive (under responsive to stimulus) and hyper-responsive (over-responsive to stimulus). We may see this present itself in the form of behaviors, decreased learning, and attention concerns.

Here at Therapy OPS, we understand that sensory integration is the base of a large pyramid that can affect a child’s participation in many different daily tasks. For example, if a child does not like the feeling of their socks, they may be so focused on that during the day that academic learning becomes a back-burner concern to them. This demonstrates the importance of strengthening the sensory systems in order to begin building other, more complex skills.

Interested in learning more? You are in luck! Join us on Monday, 2/25/19, from 6:30- 8:00 PM for our FREE “Understanding Our Sensory World” in-service. This is for families, caregivers, professionals or anyone who is interested in learning more about sensory processing. The in-service will provide further explanation into each system, how sensory processing may look for children, will provide activities for how to work on the different systems and so much more! Please call 651-455-0561 or email info@therapyops.com to RSVP today! Childcare will be available but must be requested to hold a spot beforehand, so please call ASAP if childcare is needed. We look forward to seeing everyone!