Loving my Sensory Seeking kid!

Sensory Processing Disorder is difficulty in the way the brain takes in, organizes and uses sensory information, causing a person to have problems interacting effectively in the everyday environment.

Individuals may be oversensitive to some sensations, wildly overreacting to touch or movement or loss of balance; undersensitive to some sensations, needing crashing or banging or sharp sounds and flavors to register anything; or a combination of both. Sensory integration problems can affect the five traditional senses -- particularly touch and hearing, but also taste, sight and smell -- as well as two additional senses: the vestibular sense, which tells us where our body is in space, and the proprioceptive sense, which tells us what position our body is in. Children with Dysfunction of Sensory Integration may appear hyperactive, oppositional, obsessive-compulsive, or attachment disordered, when in fact they are just reacting to and compensating for their unreliable and unpredictable view of the world.

1. Sensory Seeking Behaviors:


__ seeks out jumping, bumping, and crashing activities

__ stomps feet when walking

__ kicks his/her feet on floor or chair while sitting at desk/table

__ bites or sucks on fingers and/or frequently cracks his/her knuckles

__ loves to be tightly wrapped in many or weighted blankets, especially at bedtime

__ prefers clothes (and belts, hoods, shoelaces) to be as tight as possible

__ loves/seeks out "squishing" activities

__ enjoys bear hugs

__ excessive banging on/with toys and objects

__ loves "roughhousing" and tackling/wrestling games

__ frequently falls on floor intentionally

__ would jump on a trampoline for hours on end

__ grinds his/her teeth throughout the day

__ loves pushing/pulling/dragging objects

__ loves jumping off furniture or from high places

__ frequently hits, bumps or pushes other children

__ chews on pens, straws, shirt sleeves etc.


The sensory craver frequently gets into trouble for his insistent, persistent, tactile explorations. His constant wallowing in messy materials ruins his clothes, trashes the classroom, and repels the people around him. Of course, his motivation is not to infuriate them, but to get the sensory imput his nervous system needs. And of course, most people do not understand his behavior. And because the child is unable to explain his cravings, everyone around him gets upset and think he is being bad.
Caleb is the kid that doesn't cry when water gets in his eyes in the bath tub. In fact , he LOVES it when you pour water over his head. He enjoys throwing objects up into the ceiling fan, and uses my picture frames as targets. He loves to watch them fall and anything else that's on a shelf. He purposely will put his battery operated moving toys on the edge of the table so they will fall off the edge. It's no surprise that his favorite shows are America's Funniest Videos and WIPEOUT!

Sensory integration therapy, performed by occupational therapists, can in some cases eliminate sensory integration problems, and in other cases teach individuals how to cope with those problems in a less disruptive way.

Yep, that's my Caleb.....and I love him! I have been reading the Out of Sync Child by Carol Stock Kranowitz, M.A. I've also picked out some really neat activities from her book The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun, to better help Caleb get the sensory input that he needs. In addition, he receives Occupational Therapy at school and she does purposeful activities with him, designed to engage Caleb's senses.

Yes, life is never dull around this house!