Your Child Isn’t “Just Sensitive”: Understanding Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)
When a child’s nervous system struggles to filter the world, everyday moments — a school bell, a scratchy shirt tag, the chaos of recess — can feel genuinely overwhelming. Here’s what every parent, caregiver, and educator needs to know.
Have you ever watched your child fall apart over something that seemed minor — a fire drill, a scratchy sweater, the unexpected texture of a new food — and wondered, why does this hit them so hard? You’re not imagining it. And your child isn’t being dramatic.
For children with Sensory Processing Disorder, the nervous system doesn’t filter and interpret incoming sensory information the way most brains do. The result? Everyday environments can feel like sensory overload — or in some cases, not stimulating enough. Either way, it disrupts learning, relationships, and daily life in real and significant ways.
Let’s break it down.
What Exactly Is Sensory Processing Disorder?
"Sensory input, either from the environment or from the body, is poorly detected, modulated, or misinterpreted, resulting in an atypical response. While most of us have occasional difficulties processing sensory information, for children and adults with SPD, these difficulties are chronic, and they disrupt everyday life." — Lucy J. Miller, PhD, OTR — Sensational Kids
Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is a complex, neurophysiological condition that affects how the brain receives, organizes, and responds to sensory information — both from the surrounding environment and from within the body itself.
SPD exists on a broad spectrum. Some children are oversensitive: easily overwhelmed, quick to melt down, constantly on guard. Others are undersensitive: seeking intense sensory experiences, craving movement, seemingly oblivious to pain or discomfort. Many children experience both — depending on the system and the situation.
★ OT PRO TIP
SPD isn’t a behavioral problem — it’s a neurological one. When you understand that a child’s reaction is driven by how their brain is processing sensory input, the response shifts from “How do I stop this behavior?” to “What does this child’s nervous system need right now?” That’s a game-changer.
The Brain-Body Connection: Why It Matters
Here’s something important to understand: we are all sensory beings. Every single one of us has sensory receptors wired throughout our bodies — in our skin, muscles, joints, and inner ear — constantly sending signals to the brain about what’s happening in and around us.
Normally, the brain acts like an air traffic controller: sorting and filtering this incoming information, deciding what to pay attention to, what to ignore, and whether something poses a threat. This happens automatically, below the level of conscious thought.
For children with SPD, it’s as though the air traffic control system has a glitch. Signals get misread, amplified, or dropped entirely. The brain may interpret something harmless — like a fluorescent light’s hum or a gentle touch on the shoulder — as a threat worthy of a full-alarm response.
Real World Example
The school bell rings. Most children have habituated to the sound — their brains have learned it’s routine and file it away. But one student startles badly every single time. His heart races. He covers his ears. He may cry. This isn’t attention-seeking — his nervous system genuinely registered that bell as a threat. That reaction, repeated throughout the school day, makes focusing on learning nearly impossible.
The 8 Sensory Systems — Not Just 5
The 8 Sensory Systems — Not Just 5
Most people learned about five senses in school: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. But you actually have eight sensory systems — and in SPD, any or all of them can be involved. The three “hidden” senses (proprioception, vestibular, and interoception) are often the most impactful on a child’s daily functioning.
1. Visual System
Receptors in the eyes → optic nerve → brain
Beyond basic acuity (how clearly you see), visual processing includes eye teaming, tracking, and sensitivity to light and movement. A child may be overwhelmed by busy visual environments or struggle to track words across a page.
2. Auditory System
Inner ear → central nervous system → brain
Listening isn’t just hearing — it’s processing. The brain must filter background noise, locate sounds, and decide what deserves attention. Children with auditory sensitivities may overreact to ordinary sounds or struggle to focus in a noisy classroom.
3. Olfactory System (Smell)
Directly connected to the limbic system (emotional center)
Smell has a direct line to the emotional center of the brain. This is why certain scents trigger powerful memories or feelings. A child with olfactory sensitivity may gag at smells others don’t notice, making school lunchrooms or public restrooms genuinely distressing.
4. Gustatory System (Taste/Oral Motor)
Taste, touch, texture, and temperature receptors in the mouth
Oral processing goes beyond taste. Texture, temperature, and the feeling of food in the mouth all contribute to whether eating is pleasant or distressing. Oral motor activities like chewing or sucking can also have a powerful calming and self-regulating effect on the nervous system.
5. Tactile System (Touch)
Touch receptors throughout the skin
The skin detects light touch, pressure, vibration, temperature, and pain. Tactile sensitivity is one of the most commonly recognized signs of SPD: refusing certain fabrics, reacting strongly to light or unexpected touch, or seeking heavy pressure input for comfort.
6. Proprioceptive System (Body Awareness)
Receptors in muscles and joints
Proprioception is your sense of where your body is in space and how much force to use. Children with poor proprioceptive processing may crash into things, grip pencils too hard, or constantly seek deep pressure input — jumping, squeezing, and climbing — because it provides organizing input to their nervous system.
7. Vestibular System (Balance & Movement)
Receptors in the inner ear, stimulated by head movement
The vestibular system governs balance, movement, and your sense of position in space. It directly influences arousal level, emotional regulation, and attention. A child may either crave constant movement and spinning, or become distressed by ordinary movement like swings, escalators, or riding in a car.
8. Interoceptive System (Internal Body Awareness)
Internal body signals → brain
Perhaps the least known — and increasingly recognized as one of the most important — interoception is the awareness of internal body states: hunger, thirst, heartbeat, breathing, temperature, and emotion. Poor interoceptive awareness can make it difficult for a child to identify and regulate their own emotional state.
★ OT PRO TIP
The proprioceptive and vestibular systems are powerful regulatory tools. “Heavy work” activities — carrying a backpack, pushing a cart, climbing, jumping on a trampoline — provide the nervous system with organizing input that can calm an overwhelmed child or alert an under-responsive one. These are tools OTs use every day in sensory diets and therapy programs.
How Do I Know If My Child Has SPD?
Ask yourself: Are there patterns? Specific environments, times of day, textures, sounds, or situations that consistently trigger a big reaction? Does the intensity of your child’s response seem disproportionate to what happened? Do these responses interfere with learning, friendships, self-care, or family life?
It’s also important to note that SPD often co-occurs with other diagnoses — ADHD, autism, anxiety, and developmental delays. But it can also appear on its own. The key distinction is whether sensory challenges are occasional (as they are for all of us) or chronic and disruptive.
"The solution and strategies you choose will depend upon the root of the problem — and the reasons why a particular response or behavior is occurring."
An occupational therapist trained in sensory processing can conduct a thorough evaluation to identify which sensory systems are involved, how they’re affecting your child’s function, and what strategies will actually help. Not all sensory-looking behavior is SPD — an OT can help you tell the difference.
★ OT PRO TIP
When observing your child at home or school, pay attention to triggers and patterns before theappointment. Note the time of day, the environment, and what preceded the
behavior. Was it sensory input? A transition? A combination? This information is gold for your evaluating therapist.
Key Takeaways
- SPD is a neurophysiological condition — the nervous system struggles to accurately detect, process, or respond to sensory input. It is not a behavioral choice.
- We all have 8 sensory systems — not 5. The “hidden” senses (proprioception, vestibular, and interoception) are often the most impactful in SPD.
- SPD exists on a wide spectrum. Children may be oversensitive, undersensitive, or both — and the experience varies by sensory system.
- Look for patterns: specific triggers, environments, times of day, or situations that consistently produce outsized reactions.
- A pediatric occupational therapist trained in sensory processing is your best resource for evaluation, diagnosis, and developing an effective treatment plan.
If you’re wondering whether your child might have sensory processing challenges, the next step is a comprehensive occupational therapy evaluation. At Play It Forward Therapy, we’re here to help families navigate exactly this — with compassion, clinical expertise, and practical strategies that work in real life.
Not sure where to start? Download our free Screening Checklists to help identify areas of concern before your evaluation.
REFERENCES
Biel, L. & Peske, N. (2005). Raising A Sensory Smart Child. Penguin Books.
Miller, L. J. (2014). Sensational Kids: Hope and Help for Kids with Sensory Processing Disorder. Perigee Books.
Ready to level up your EQ Skills?
You don’t have to figure all of this out on your own.
If you’re ready to move beyond simply managing challenging behaviors and learn practical strategies for building emotional intelligence and regulation skills into your work with children, The EQ Advantage Course was created for you.
Inside the course, you’ll learn concrete, evidence-based strategies you can begin using right away to support children’s emotional development, strengthen co-regulation, and bring an emotionally intelligent approach to your therapy sessions.
Because when we help children understand and manage their emotions, we aren’t taking time away from therapy. You can help to create the conditions that make therapy more successful.
