SENSE & SENSITIVITY?

Over- or under sensitivity in children can cause anxiety, trauma and lead to social problems - and if it's not dealt with it can prevent them reaching their full potential

- ROXANNE MOONEYS

SHE thought her son was just fussy. He'd been a fussy baby, and as a toddler, he complained so much about the labels in his T-shirts and the seams in his socks that she eventually put them on inside out.

“As I started giving him a wider variety of foods, he'd often just push things away;" says Claire*, a mom of two. “I eventually realized it was the texture he didn't like.”

It was only when her son went to preschool and a teacher mentioned he might have sensory sensitivity issues that Claire realised what his "fussiness” was about.

Our brains get bombarded with a nonstop stream of information via our senses and while most of us can tune a lot of it out, those with sensory processing issues are incredibly sensitive to what they hear, see, smell, taste, and touch.

For kids with sensory sensitivity, the world can seem overwhelming. Their brain has trouble organising and responding to the information coming from their senses and certain sounds, sights, smells, textures, and tastes can create a feeling of “sensory overload".

It's why a loud noise, bright light, scratchy clothing, or food with an unfamiliar texture can result in an outburst.

There are two types of sensory issues - one is oversensitivity, which leads kids to avoid sensory input because it's too overwhelming; and the other is under sensitivity, which causes kids to be sensory seeking because they're looking for more sensory stimulation.

Both can have a big impact on a child's learning and everyday life. So how do you identify and address it? We asked experts to weigh in.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?