Sensory integration
Sensory integration refers to the processing, integration, and organisation of sensory information from the body and the environment. Simply put, this means how we experience, interpret and react to (or ignore) information coming from our senses. Sensory integration is important in all the things that we need to do on a daily basis, such as getting dressed, eating, moving around, socialising, learning and working.
8 senses of sensory integration:
- Sight (Vision);
- Hearing (Auditory);
- Smell (Olfactory);
- Taste (Gustatory);
- Touch (Tactile);
- Vestibular (Movement): the movement and balance sense, which gives us information about where our head and body are in space. Helps us stay upright when we sit, stand, and walk;
- Proprioception (Body Position): the body awareness sense, which tells us where our body parts are relative to each other. It also gives us information about how much force to use, allowing us to do something like crack an egg while not crushing the egg in our hands;
- Interoception (Internal): This sense helps us understand our body's internal sensations. This is the sense that helps us know if we're hungry, thirsty, hot, cold, or any other feeling that begins within our bodies.
Symptoms of sensory processing challenges:
- Sensory modulation challenges;
- Oversensitivity;
- Undersensitivity;
- Sensory-seeking;
- Sensory discrimination challenges;
- Sensory-based motor challenges.
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