It’s been a busy spring so far, hence my hiatus from writing on the blog lately. Work-Life Balance has been a struggle, but as the school year begins to wind down, so is the busy work and family life schedule. Now that I am back to writing, I wanted to cover a topic that is not always discussed in relation to sensory processing. I want to explore sensory processing differences in relation to personality.
As we know sensory processing is the foundation of all of our interaction with the world around us, it’s how we interact with each other and how we learn. When sensory processing does not happen the way it’s supposed to it can make it difficult to participate in the world around us, let alone even tolerate it. So without sensory processing we are not functional beings, we cannot do anything with purpose because our bodies are stuck in that flight or fight response.
The primary focus of all occupational therapy treatments is to improve functional performance; therefore sensory based treatment is aimed to improve sensory processing thereby improving participation and function within the environment. I am constantly working with children, families, and professionals at identifying children’s sensory needs and abilities in order to identify ways to improve their tolerance, participation, and performance both at home and within the classroom environment.
As a clinician I often hear parent and professional concerns regarding behavior that may be considered “different” or “atypical.” Personally I find that every single person has sensory differences; things they like and don’t like. For example, I like background noise when I am doing work, and when I get upset or overwhelmed I like to retreat to a quiet space and be left alone. I know these things about myself and am able to successfully cope with my sensory differences in my adult life to function. Other adults have different sensory differences and needs/abilities, but the fact is that most adults have figured out ways to cope with them and be functional within their adult life.
For children, especially young children, they all need time and help to figure out their sensory needs and how best to cope with them. Children with sensory processing challenges may need more support and assistance with meeting their sensory needs, however, like all children they can grow and adapt to their sensory needs to be completely functional. As both a mother and occupational therapist, I believe that it is impossible to expect a child to have a 100% regulated sensory system all the time; they are growing, developing, and learning how to manage and adapt to their sensory system and this takes time and practice just like everything else in child development.
So as occupational therapists it’s our role to give children time to figure out how to cope with sensory differences, and give them coping strategies to improve participation and performance. The thing I struggle with as a clinician, is at what point do we accept that this child’s behavior patterns may be more personality versus sensory differences/challenges. Personally I believe that our sensory differences are what make us who we are, so at what point in treating sensory processing challenges are we taking away part of what makes that child who he/she is; what makes them uniquely them.
Now as a therapist and mother I know there are certain sensory patterns and behaviors that greatly impact a child’s tolerance and participation in a variety of early learning tasks. This can impact their social engagement, their play skills, their academic abilities, and sometimes even their safety. I agree when sensory processing challenges are impacting performance in these areas it absolutely should be addressed through skilled intervention.
However, I am constantly asked by concerned parents, caregivers, and para-professionals about a child’s sensory needs because he may prefer a rigid schedule/routine, maybe he doesn’t like loud noises and will cover his ears at the sound of the fire alarm or hand dryer in the bathroom, maybe he perseverates on certain topics or play schemes.
The thing I always ask myself and look for when assessing and working with young children is are these impacting their performance and function. Some children may prefer a rigid routine and schedule, it may take them a minute to regroup when the schedule is derailed, however, if they are able to calm themselves and relatively quickly get back to what they need to do this is not a sensory difference that needs to be addressed clinically. Instead this may be a sensory difference that contributes to who this child is as a person and what they’re personal preferences are. The same goes for disliking loud noises, if all the child does is cover their ears but they are able to walk with their peers to evacuate the building during a fire drill this is not a sensory difference that needs treatment, this child has developed coping mechanisms that are functional and appropriate, even if they may look different than their peers.
I worry both as a mother and occupational therapist, are we looking at each child’s behavior with a magnifying glass identifying each behavior that may look unique or different thinking it needs to change. At what point are we expecting all children to fit into a square box? At what point are we taking away parts of this child’s developing personality, what makes them uniquely them?
As a therapist I think it is important for all of us to take a step back during practice and look at each child’s individual differences as areas of strengths. If a child is motivated by a particular toy or topic we should embrace it instead of avoiding it and punishing them for finding joy in something even if it’s the only thing they want to focus their attention on at the moment. As clinicians, caregivers, and educators, I personally think our role is to build off of what each child gives us. I never want to be a therapist or parent that inhibits a child from being who they are meant to be, instead I want to help them live their best and most fulfilling life; and sometimes the way to get there is to accept the child for who they are regardless of whether their personality or behaviors fit the mold.