Sensory Processing Differences in Children: What Parents May Notice and How OT Can Help
Updated: 16 hours ago
By Georgina Ahrens, Occupational TherapistDirector, Kids World Paediatric Therapy DIR®/Floortime Trainer | Profectum Foundation Associate Faculty
Does your child cover their ears when places become noisy, avoid certain clothes, constantly seek movement or find everyday activities such as hair washing and toothbrushing particularly difficult?
Perhaps they manage through the school day but come home exhausted, irritable or overwhelmed. Or maybe you've been told that your child is “sensory seeking” or has “sensory sensitivities” and you're wondering what that actually means.
Sensory processing differences affect how a child notices, interprets and responds to sensory information from their body and the world around them. For some children, these differences can influence their comfort, regulation and participation in everyday activities such as dressing, eating, grooming, play, school and family outings.
Understanding a child's individual sensory processing can help us make sense of behaviours or everyday challenges that might otherwise seem confusing.
What is sensory processing?
Sensory processing is the way our nervous system receives, organises and responds to sensory information from our bodies and the environment.
This includes the senses we usually think about — sound, sight, touch, taste and smell — as well as sensory information about movement, balance, body position and what is happening inside our bodies.
Our brains are constantly processing all of this information while we go about everyday life.
And we don't all experience that sensory information in the same way.
A busy shopping centre might feel exciting to one child and completely overwhelming to another. One child may barely notice the seams in their socks, while another may find them extremely uncomfortable. Some children actively seek movement, touch or pressure because those experiences feel good or help their bodies feel more organised.
These differences aren't automatically a problem.
The important question is whether a child's sensory experiences are affecting their comfort, regulation or ability to participate in everyday life.
How do I know if my child has sensory processing differences?
Sensory processing differences can look very different from one child to another. Some children are particularly sensitive to certain sensory experiences, some seek more sensory input, and many children show a combination depending on the situation.
Parents might notice their child:
covers their ears or becomes distressed around particular sounds
avoids busy, noisy or crowded environments
dislikes certain clothing, seams, socks or shoes
finds hair brushing, haircuts, nail cutting or toothbrushing difficult
has strong preferences around food textures, smells or tastes
avoids messy play or particular textures
seeks lots of movement, jumping, crashing, spinning or climbing
enjoys firm pressure, tight spaces or being wrapped in blankets
touches objects or people frequently
appears constantly “on the go”
becomes overwhelmed when there is a lot happening around them
finds unexpected touch particularly uncomfortable
needs considerable downtime after school, preschool or busy activities.
But noticing one or more of these things doesn't necessarily mean that a child has a sensory processing problem.
The same behaviour can happen for many different reasons.
That's why at Kids World we are interested in understanding the individual child rather than simply matching behaviours to a checklist.
Why does my child seek so much movement?
A child who constantly seeks movement may be using movement to help their body feel alert, organised, comfortable or regulated.
They might run rather than walk, climb on furniture, jump repeatedly, spin, crash into cushions, wrestle, hang upside down or find sitting still particularly difficult.
It can be tempting to see this simply as being “hyperactive” or not listening.
But movement provides powerful sensory information to the body. For some children, particular types of movement may help their nervous system get the sensory information it is looking for.
This doesn't mean that every movement activity will be regulating for every child. Fast spinning, for example, may be enjoyable for one child but overwhelming or dysregulating for another.
The type, intensity, timing and context of sensory experiences matter.
Why does my child become overwhelmed by noise?
Children who are particularly sensitive to sound may notice noises that other people can more easily filter into the background.
A classroom, birthday party, shopping centre or school assembly can contain many layers of sound.
A child may hear chairs scraping, children talking, music playing, hand dryers operating and someone moving dishes in the next room — all while trying to listen to what an adult is saying.
You might see the child cover their ears, leave the area, become distressed, stop responding, become irritable or try very hard to control what is happening around them.
Rather than assuming the child is overreacting, it can be helpful to consider:
What might this environment feel like to their nervous system?
Understanding this can help adults consider whether changes to the environment, preparation, access to quieter spaces or other individual sensory supports may make participation easier.
Why are clothes, hair brushing or toothbrushing so difficult?
Dressing, grooming and personal-care activities can involve a surprising amount of sensory information.
Getting dressed can involve different fabrics, elastic, seams, waistbands, labels, socks, shoes and changes in temperature.
Hair brushing involves touch and pulling sensations around the scalp.
Toothbrushing can involve the feel of the toothbrush, the taste and smell of toothpaste, foam, water and sensations inside the mouth.
For a child who experiences some of these sensations very intensely, an everyday self-care activity can require considerable effort.
This doesn't mean we stop supporting children to develop independence in self-care.
It means understanding what is making the activity difficult so that we can work out how to make participation more manageable.
Why does my child fall apart after school?
Some children cope throughout the school day but become overwhelmed, emotional, irritable or exhausted once they get home.
Parents often tell us:
“School says they're fine, but they fall apart as soon as they get home.”
The school day places many demands on a child's nervous system.
There may be noise, movement, visual information, other people nearby, unpredictable touch, transitions, playground activity and different classroom environments — alongside the social, emotional, communication and learning demands of school.
Some children work extremely hard to manage all of this during the day.
By the time they reach home, their capacity may be depleted.
What looks like an overreaction to a small request after school may make more sense when we consider everything the child has already managed throughout their day.
For some children, the period immediately after school needs to involve fewer demands, familiar food, movement, quiet, connection with a trusted person or simply time to recover.
The right support will depend on the individual child.
You can read more about why children may present very differently across environments in our article, Why Can My Child Seem So Different at School and at Home?
Does sensory seeking mean my child needs more sensory input?
Not necessarily.
“Sensory seeking” generally describes behaviours where a child appears to seek particular sensory experiences, such as movement, touch, pressure or sound. It can be a useful description, but it doesn't tell us everything about why the behaviour is happening or what the child needs.
A child who is moving constantly might be seeking sensory information. They might also be tired, excited, anxious, trying to stay alert, finding the environment overwhelming or responding to several things at once.
This is why simply giving every child who seeks movement the same set of sensory activities isn't necessarily helpful.
At Kids World, we don't see sensory support as a generic recipe such as “10 trampoline jumps, five wall pushes and some deep pressure”.
We want to understand this child, in this environment, doing this activity, at this particular moment.
Should I stop my child from avoiding sensory experiences?
Not necessarily. Avoiding or moving away from a sensory experience can sometimes be an appropriate response to discomfort or overwhelm.
Our goal isn't to make children tolerate sensory experiences simply because other people can tolerate them.
A child who moves away from a very loud sound, removes an uncomfortable jumper or asks not to be touched may be recognising and responding appropriately to what their body needs.
At the same time, sensory differences can sometimes make important everyday activities difficult — such as getting dressed, eating, participating at school, caring for their body or joining family and community activities.
Occupational therapy can help explore ways to support participation without ignoring the child's sensory experience.
That might involve adapting the environment, changing how an activity is approached, developing skills gradually, supporting regulation or helping the child communicate what they need.
How can occupational therapy help with sensory processing?
Occupational therapy can help when sensory processing differences are affecting a child's comfort, regulation, independence or participation in everyday activities.
Occupational therapists look at sensory processing in the context of the child's whole day and the activities they need and want to participate in.
We aren't only interested in whether a child likes or dislikes particular sensations.
We want to understand questions such as:
Is this making it difficult for the child to get dressed or care for themselves?
Is it affecting eating or mealtimes?
Is the child able to participate comfortably at preschool or school?
Are busy environments becoming overwhelming?
Is the child able to engage in play and relationships?
What happens to their regulation across the day?
What sensory experiences seem to help?
What environments or activities make participation harder?
Can the child recognise and communicate what their body needs?
An occupational therapy assessment may include discussion with parents and carers, observation of the child during activities and play, consideration of their developmental and motor abilities, and sensory questionnaires or other assessment tools where appropriate.
Sometimes it is also useful to observe the child at preschool or school because sensory processing can't be separated from the environment in which the child is participating.
What might sensory support look like?
Depending on the child's individual profile, support might include:
changing aspects of the environment
providing access to movement at useful times
reducing unnecessary sensory demands
finding clothing or self-care approaches that are more comfortable
preparing for particularly demanding environments
building sensory and body awareness
identifying early signs of overwhelm
exploring sensory experiences that support regulation
developing ways for the child to communicate their needs
working with parents and educators to understand the child's individual responses.
For younger children, adults will often play an important role in noticing these patterns and providing co-regulation.
As children grow, we increasingly want them to understand their own bodies.
A child might begin to recognise:
“It's getting too noisy for me.”
“I need to move.”
“I don't like that touching my skin.”
“I need some time by myself after school.”
And eventually they may be able to advocate for themselves:
“Can I wear my headphones?”
“Can I have a movement break?”
“Please ask before you touch me.”
This growing self-awareness and self-advocacy can be just as important as any particular sensory strategy.
Is sensory processing always the reason for my child's behaviour?
No. Sensory processing is one possible influence on a child's behaviour, regulation and participation, but it should be considered as part of the bigger picture.
A child's participation may also be influenced by their developmental capacities, communication, motor planning, executive functioning, emotional experiences, relationships, health, sleep, environment and the demands being placed on them.
At Kids World, our occupational therapists use the DIR® model — Developmental, Individual-differences and Relationship-based — to help us consider these different parts of the child together. You can read more about this in Sensory Processing and the DIR® Model.
Rather than asking only:
“How do we stop this behaviour?”
we are more interested in asking:
“Why might this be happening, and what does this child need in order to participate?”
This idea of looking beyond the behaviour we can see is explored further in Understanding the “Why” Behind a Child's Behaviour.
Sometimes sensory processing is an important part of the answer.
Sometimes it isn't.
Often, it interacts with several other factors.
When should I consider seeing an occupational therapist?
It may be helpful to talk with an occupational therapist when a child's sensory experiences are regularly affecting their comfort, regulation, independence or ability to participate in everyday life.
For example, sensory differences might be significantly affecting:
dressing or grooming
eating and mealtimes
sleep and daily routines
preschool or school participation
play and relationships
family outings or community activities
emotional regulation
independence in everyday activities.
You don't need to work out beforehand whether something is “definitely sensory”.
Part of the occupational therapist's role is to help explore why an activity may be difficult, what factors may be contributing and what supports might make participation easier.
Sensory processing and occupational therapy at Kids World
Kids World Paediatric Therapy provides occupational therapy for children and young people from our clinics in Lane Cove, Sydney.
Our occupational therapists are DIR®/Floortime certified and take a strengths-based, neuro-affirming and relationship-focused approach to understanding children's sensory processing, regulation and participation.
Our aim isn't to make a child appear less sensory or teach them to hide discomfort.
We want to help children and the adults around them better understand their individual sensory experiences, identify practical supports and develop the child's ability to participate in everyday life in ways that work for them.
Related articles
Please note: This article provides general information and is not intended to replace individual assessment or advice from a qualified health professional. Every child is different, and recommendations should be considered in the context of their individual needs and circumstances.
The clinical content and ideas are the author’s own, with AI used to help make the writing clear and easy to read.
Comments