This is an important topic because once you understand how sensory processing works, you will know how to handle certain sensory symptoms or problems better, and then there won’t be such a mismatch when you communicate with your child, have to teach a child, or live with someone who has sensory processing difficulties.

Here are some key points to understand:

  • Sensory processing happens in the BRAIN STEM.
  • The BRAIN STEM is the “RELAY STATION” or “FILTER” for sensory information to come in and out of the body.
  • The cortex of the brain is the highest part of the brain that interprets information, makes sense of the information and tells our body how to respond. This is the intelligent part of our brain, for example, where our IQ comes from.
  • The BRAIN STEM is only a filter for this information, which is an AUTOMATIC FUNCTION OF THE BRAIN.
  • There is no intelligence associated with sensory processing. Therefore, it does not matter how smart a person is; the question is whether or not the brain stem gets the information to the right part of the brain without any problems along the way.

When the brain stem does not receive and send off sensory information correctly, it is often due to the nerve impulses from each of our senses being either “under-responsive” or “over-responsive” in nature.

When the nervous system is “under-responsive”, it results in slow and sluggish responses, much like watching dud fireworks, so the messages do not make it to the correct part of the brain. These messages get lost in transit, as they were not strong enough to get very far. Under-responsive can also be called “hypo-responsive” or “hypo-sensitive”. Kids with under-responsive systems may have anxiety or frustration, they can be withdrawn or self-conscious, they may lack safety awareness as they may not register pain or the feeling of hot water quickly enough to respond, or they may appear hyperactive as they try hard to stimulate their senses in a stronger way in order to feel satisfied internally.

When the nervous system is “over-responsive”, it results in too many sensory messages being sent to a particular part of the brain, resulting in an overwhelming or exaggerated response. These responses are often called “traffic jams”, as they can back up or flood the nervous system, much like too many cars can back up a highway around rush hour. These traffic jams cause resistance, frustration, defiance and all sorts of behavioral outbursts in people, as their bodies are so overwhelmed internally at the moment that they cannot take any more stimulation, like: rules; being disciplined; and not being allowed to control their environment or make their own decisions.

When sensory information from each of our senses comes into our body, it enters the brain stem through our neurological or nervous system pathways and then the brain stem decides what to do with it:

-it filters it out if it is not important (like fluorescent lighting, the sound of an air conditioning unit in a building, or the feeling of your clothes on your skin long after you have dressed yourself in the morning).

-or, it sends it to the cortex of the brain so our body can attend to it, make sense of it and do something in response (like the attention we give to a bug landing on our arm, a fire alarm, or  someone telling us we just won a prize).

Good sensory processing is suppose to happen automatically and it is needed in order for all of us to pay attention, have good behaviors or self-control, learn easily, follow directions, and be a well-adjusted person in society. Tune into this episode to hear more on how sensory processing works and examples of what it’s like to be under or over-responsive to all types of sensory stimulation!

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