What IS Sensory Processing?
The ability to process and organize sensations we receive internally and externally by our neural network (brain) where it is interpreted and used to formulate a response. It happens without conscious thought and operates in the background of most of our brains.
What is Sensory Dysfunction?
The outcome of neural system unable to sort all the sensations received at one time.
The top sensory systems (we have up to 21 sensory systems):
- Sight - light, dark, movement, reflections, oscillation of light bulbs, colors etc.
- Hearing - volume, voice differences, humming of electrical appliances, air-conditioners or fluorescent lights
- Smell – body odor, cooking, perfume, cleaning supplies, outdoor scents
- Taste – sweet, sour, spicy, salty, and metallic.
- Touch – textures, solid, water, air, moving air, floors, walls, tags on back of shirt, walking on smooth or textured floors barefoot
Try walking through your house or school focusing on ONE sense and ONLY one sense. Once you move into a state of sensory awareness, you cannot sort each out independently of all the others – keep trying – and then wonder what it might be like for someone who can NEVER sort out the sensory input.
Sensory Processing Links