Supporting Children To Participate Successfully in Everyday Life Using Sensory Processing Knowledge
Supporting Children To Participate Successfully in Everyday Life Using Sensory Processing Knowledge
Supporting Children To Participate Successfully in Everyday Life Using Sensory Processing Knowledge
Supporting Children to
Participate Successfully in
Everyday Life by Using Sensory
Processing Knowledge
Winnie Dunn, PhD, OTR, FAOTA
There is an accumulating Utet^ature describing sensory processing in young children and suggest-
ing the importance of tliis knowledge for understanding the characteristics of vulnerable cliildrcn.
Professionals and families need a working knowledge about sensory processing because it enables
them to understand and inteqiret children s behaviors and to tailor everyday lite routines so that
children may have successful and satisfying experiences. Tliis article reviews Dunn s model of sen-
sory processing, and summarizes both typical and special population evidences that demonstrate
.support for the model, Tlic article also describes how the concepts in this model are reflected
ill cver>'day behaviors so that readers can link the concepts to their own knowledge about young
children. Since processing concepts are based on evidence across the Ufespan, this knowledge can
also enable caregivers to understand their own responses as well. The article then discusses the
application of seasory processing knowledge within natural contexts and routines, arguing that
using sensor>' processing knowledge to analyze, adapt, and .support the established routines is an
effective application of knowledge. Finally, the article provides .specific suggestions for adapting
everyday life situations to meet the needs of children with different patterns of sensory processing,
and illustrates how adults can manage their own sensory processing needs as they care for young
children. Key words: avoiding, daily life, early intervention, family ceiitered care, natural en-
vironments, routines, seeking, sensitivity, sensory integration, sensoty processing
Registration 1 Seeking
'•
Figure 1. Dunn's model of sensory processing. Reprinted with permission from Dunn (1997).
Before discussing each specific pattern, it though they have high sensory thresholds,
is important to note that no one has only which means that they do not notice stim-
one pattern of sensory- processing. When con- uli easily, their interest in creating sensory ex-
sidering the different sensory systems, a per- periences for themselves (ie, the active self-
son might have sensitivity for touch but have regulation strategy) enables them to meet
low registration for sounds. When one recog- their own high thresholds, and therefore re-
nizes the details of children spatterns, this de- spond to the world around them. It is easy
tail enables parents, teachers, and other care to determine which sensations are of inter-
providers to tailor experiences and environ- est by watching behavior; children interested
ments to meet children s precise sensory prt>- in tactile input will touch ever>ihing. as if
cessing needs. When meeting specific needs, they are mapping the world around them with
children have more opportunities for partici- their hands and skin. Children uiterested in
pating successftilly. auditory input will make sounds with their
In addition, remember that these patterns mouths, or other objects during the day. An
of sensory processing are characteristic of ev- adult who has a seeking pattern may want to
ery human being s experience in daily life. partieipate with the children in physical play
Therefore, adults who interact with children rather than direct children to play areas, or
need to understand their own sensory pro- may be very verbal in de.scribing objects and
cessing needs as well. If a parent has sensor)' activities to the children.
sensitivity for touch and has a child who seeks When persons have a sensation avoiding
touch, they will need to negotiate their inter- pattern, they tend to withdraw from situa-
actions st) that the parent does not get over- tions very quickly. Tliis person's thresholds
whelmed and the child get these needs met. are met very quickly with very little input,
When persons have a sensation-seeking and more input can be overwhelming, as
sensor) processing pattern, they derive plea- if the nervous system cannot handle more
sure from sensations in everyday life. Al- information. Sensation avoiding is an active
Supporting Children 87
self-regulation strategy for controlling input; vironments and may seem unresponsive or
but since these persons have low sensory flat in situations where others are exliibitiiig
thresholds (ie, notice sensory stimuli easily), emotions. Adults who have low registration
their withdrawal strategy serves to limit sen- may find themselves in a more chaotic play or
sory input rather than get more input like a meal situation because they are not aware of
persoti with sensatioti seeking would. Chil- all the things going on during these activities.
dren might withdraw by moving away from These adults may also appear to be more easy
noisy spaces, getting out of crowded rooms in going with children, btit may also miss early
which they are being touched a lot, or may be signs of distress or danger, and may need sup-
very picky eaters. Remember that withdraw- port from other adults to monitor more risky
ing is an adaptive strategy the child uses to situations.
handle too much input. Adults who have a Most cliildren and adults have more mod-
sensation avoiding pattern may create inde- erate responses to sensory events in every-
pendent play options with toys that interact day life, and therefore sensor)' processing
with the child, or may design more contained patterns support their participation. When
areas for play to restrict sound and visible responses are more extreme, then sensory
clutter. processing is more likely to interfere with
When persons have a sensoiy sensitivity daily life.
pattern, they tend to be reactive in situations.
They have high detection skills (due to low EVTOENCF. SUPPORTING DUNN'S MODEL
thresholds), and so they notice many things in OF SENSORY PROCESSING
the environment. Rather than withdraw from
all these stimuli (as a person who avoids sen- Over the last decade, re.searchers have
sation would), persons with sensitivity take tested the validity and reliabilit)' of Dunn's
the more passive self-regulation approach t)f model of sensory processing by conducting
staying in situations and reacting to what is studies of children and adults with and with-
happening. Children with sensitivity may be out disabilities across the lifespan using 3
irritable, short-tempered, or demanding. Chil- age-appropriate questionnaires (ie, the Infant/
dren with sensitivity to sounds may cover Toddler Sensory Profile, the Sensory Profile,
their ears or tell others to be quiet; children and the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile)
with sensitivity to movement may be hard to (Brown & Dunn. 2002; Dunn, 1999, 2002).
carry because they react to every bump in the Each of the questionnaires contains state-
road. They may als<j be hard to hold because ments about how a person might respond to a
of their constant fidgeting. Adults with sen- sensory event in everyday life, and the respon-
sitivity may ask other parents or a teacher s dent records how frequently that behavior
aide to set up the materials for activities that occurs using a 5-point Likert-type scale (ie.
are messy (eg, finger painting, cooking, snack never, seldom, occasionally, frequently, and al-
time). This adult tiiay lead these activities but ways). For the children, caregivers complete
keep a damp cloth handy to keep hands from the questionnaire, whereas the adolescents
accumulating the paints or foods. and adults complete their own question-
Wiien persons have a lotr registration pat- naire. Examples of items across the litespan
tern of sensory processing, they fail to notice address similar behaviors that are age
what other people notice readily because of relevant. The infant/toddler version includes
their high thresholds. Because they also use "My child is distracted and/or has difficult)-
passive self-regulation strategies, they miss eating in noisy environments." the children s
things, and do nothing to capture additional version includes "can t work with back-
input. Parents and teachers ma\' have to speak ground noise (eg, fan, refrigerator)," and the
and touch this child to get the child's atten- adolescent and adult version includes "I find
tion. Children may seem oblivious to their en- it difficitlt to work with background noise (eg.
88 INFANTS & YOUNG CHiLDREN/APRa-JUNE 2007
fan, radio)," Examiners using these measures tance responses (Mclntosh, Miller, Shyu, &
can obtain summary scores reflecting the 4 Dunn, 1999; Mclntosh, Miller, Shyu,
patterns of sensory processing from Dunn's & Hagerman, 1999; Schaaf, Miller, SeweU, &
model, and indications about how specific O'Keefe, 2003). Young adults with distinct
sensory systems might he responding as well. patterns of sensory processing (ie, seeking,
To evaluate the validity of the concepts avoiding, sensitivity, and registration) also
from Dunn's model of sensory processing, re- had distinct reaction patterns on skin conduc-
searchers tested national samples of infants tance measures (Brown et al., 2002). Studies
and toddlers (n = 589) (Dunn. 2002; Dunn such as these demonstrate that the Sensory
& Daniels, 2001), children (w = 1115) (Dunn, Profile measures may reflect nervous system
1999; Dunn & Westman, 1997), and adoles- responses. If studies can verify that these
cents and adults (H = 950) (Brown & Dunn, relationships exist, then questionnaires such
2002; Brown et al., 2001), and in every age as the Sensory Profile measures can serve as
group, researchers verified the existence of a proxy for inferring nervous system activity.
the 4 patterns of sensory processing hypoth-
esized in Dunn's model of sensory process-
ing (Dunn, 1997). The data from the nati<jnal SENSORY PROCESSING AS PART OF
samples of children and adults without dis- EVERYDAY LIFE
abilities are distributed on the bell curve,
suggesting that although most people have Research summarized above suggests that
moderate responses to sensory events in ev- there are patterns of sensory processing that
eryday life, some people without disabilities can be identified in systematic ways. For those
have intense responses just like cohorts with who serve vulnerable children (such as those
disabilities. tested in research studies reported above) and
their families, it is important to link patterns
Studies have reported that persons with var-
of sensory processing to everyday life behav-
ious disabilities, including autism, Asperger
iors as part of assessment; the relationship be-
syndrome, developmental disability, attention
tween sensory processing and everyday life
deficit hyperactivity disorder, learning disabil-
informs intervention possibilities.
ities. Fragile X syndrome, and schizophrenia,
have significantly different patterns of sensory
processing when compared with peers with- Everyone has an individualized pattern
out disabilities (Baranek, Foster. & Berkson, of sensory processing
199"; Brown et al., 2002; Cermak & Everyone, including children, their parents,
Daunhaur. 1997; Dove, 2003; Dunn. 2002; and teachers, have particular ways of respond-
Dunn & Bennett. 2002; Dunn et al., 2002; ing to sensory events in everyday life. Sen-
Ermer & Dunn, 1998; Kientz & Dunn, 1997; sory input from the environment and from
Mclntosh, Miller. Shyu, & Dunn, 1999; Myles the body itself provide information the brain
et al,, 2004; Pohl, Dunn, & Brown, 2001; uses to understand experiences and orga-
Rogers, Hepburn, & Wehner, 2003; Watling, nize responses. People's responses to sensory
Dietz, & White, 2001). Specifically, children experiences in everyday life are distributed
and adults in these disability groups have along a bell curve continuum, with most peo-
more intense responses than do most of ple responding moderately to sensor)- experi-
their cohorts without disabilities. In addition, ences, and a few people responding intensely
persons in various disability groups have (Brown & Dunn, 2002; Dunn, 1999, 2001).
distinct patterns of sensory processing when The bell curve distribution is based on the
compared with each other. mean and standard deviation of a population,
Other researchers have reported significant and places about 2% to 4% of people more
differences in Sensory Pn)file scores for chil- than 2 standard deviations from the mean.
dren with n{)rmal and abnormal skin conduc- This means that of 100 people, about 2 to
Supporting Children 89
4 of them will significantly respond more making therapy .services effective within the
intensely to sensory experiences than do their children s daily life.
peers (Portney & Watkins, 2000). Therefbre. a Recent studies focus on applying sensory
small number of children and adults in the typ- processing knowledge to improve children's
ical population are responding more intensely focused behavior in the daily life setting of
to sensory experiences in everyday life. Al- school. Touch pressure (ie, firm touch on
though it is more common for people in the the surface of the skin) and proprioception
disability groups tested to respond inten.sely, (ie. sense of where joints and muscles are in
intense responses are not reserved for those space) are sensations that provide organized,
who have disabilities. Therefore, it is not these calming input to the nervous system (Kandel
intense sensory processing patterns that mat- et al., 2000), Using weighted vests as an appli-
ter; what matters is how that pattern affects cation of touch pressure and proprioception.
the person's ability to participate in everyday researchers hypothesized that providing an in-
life. tense amount of this input would help chil-
For example, a person may have intense re- dren focus and organize themselves for work
actions to sounds that make it difficult to con- at school.
centrate on a conversation when other activ- In one study of preschoolers with perva-
ities are going on in the home. This person sive developmental disabilities and another
may create a quiet home space for conversa- study of school-aged children with ADHD, re-
tion, so the person can get away from the bus- searchers reported on the use of weighted
tle of the kitchen or play areas. Family mem- vests to improve children's attention, de-
bers will learn that chis quiet space is where crease their negative behaviors, and increase
they need to go to have this family mem- their work productivity (Fertel Daly, Bedell.
ber's attention. When people understand & Hinojosa, 2001; VandenBerg, 2001). They
their own and their children's sensory pro- used a reversal design to show that children
cessing patterns, then they can create life rou- did better when using the weighted vests. Ap-
tines that are consistent with sensory process- plying similar concepts. Schilling, Washing-
ing patterns, and thereby support successful ton, Billingsley, and Deitz (2003) asked chil-
participation. dren to sit on a ball chair as they completed
seatwork in the classroom. The ball chair pro-
Sensory processing occurs vides continuous feedback for children's pos-
everyday life tural control systems because the ball adjusts
Tliere has been a lot of discussion in ihe with the children as they make even small ad-
early intervention literature about providing justments in their bodies while working. A tra-
intervention in natural contexts (eg, Dunst ditional chair does not provide this feedback,
& Brudcr, 2002; Dunst et al., 2001; Dunst, so children can have a tendency to move their
Hambay, Trivette, Raab, & Bruder, 2000; bodies more to activate themselves. Although
Dunst & Raab. 2004). Tliere is additional they were targeting children with ADHD, all
evidence to suggest that applying sensory the children in the classroom alternately (for
processing concepts in natural environments 3 weeks each) sat on regular chairs and hall
is effective (Baranek. 2002; Schneck, 2001). chairs (12 weeks total). The children with
Baranek (2002) reviewed the literature re- ADHD improved in their seatitig behavior and
garding sensory integrative interventions for work productivity, and the other children and
children with autism, and reported that in the teacher indicated they felt more produc-
order to support generalization of skills, in- tive when using the ball chairs (Schilling et al,,
terventions needed to be part of the natural 2003).
context. Hanft and Pilkington Oviand (2000) Generalizing from this work, in the ex-
discuss the benefits of providing services in amples below, sensory experiences are
natural environments and offer strategies for imbedded within daily life routines. In this
90 INFANTS & YOLING CHILDREN/APRIL-JIINE 2007
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apist determined that Rondina was missing a
lot of cties in her environment (ic, was expe-
riencing low registration).
£^ Using Table 1 as a guide, the therapist pre-
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opened Rondina s shades and turned on the
DC radio. This improved the situation some, so
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strategies mother could try, including rubbing
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More intense responses in seeking
2 When children have a more intense re-
sponse in sensation seeking, this means that
they enjoy sensory experiences and need
t more sensory input. Because these children
enjoy sensory input, one might notice that
Supporting Children 93
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and father make a schedule tor the bath-tinic
activities, and place a laminated copy of the
schedule on the bath wall. Father will mark off
s p i: the activities as they complete them during
bath time (eg, "have Frank reach for 4 toys,"
"wash Frank's legs." "sing a song with Frank").
Using Tables 1 and 2 as a guide, the thera-
c pist brings some scented bath products, soap
crayons, and several different textured fabric
squares so father and Frank can see what they
like best. With additional items to increase
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Supporting Children 99
provider arc concemed about Millie's play be- These strategies are respectftil of Millie's need
haviors. She has the tiiost trouble during open to limit input and yet know what is going on.
play time at day care; she is hesitant to de-
eide what she wants to do. and does not re- More intense responses in sensitivity
spond to other children s invitations to play. Wiien children have a more intense sensi-
At home, Millie seems content to play in her tivity response, this means that they deteet
room; she has certain toys she plays with re- sensory events more than others. Because
peatedly. Her parents want to make sure that these children detect more, one miglit ol>
this is OK for a child her age. The therapist vis- serve that they are more easily distraeted than
its the day care program during the open play- other children, and are upset by things that
time, and notices that Millie is quite attentive others in the family might not even notice.
to the other children, although she does not Children who notice more will piek up more
approach them to play. The day care provider details in life, and may notice changes in set-
says that Millie has good skills with toys, but ting or mood ver)' quickly. However, noticing
does not do well in group play situations. The more ean also mean that children are dis-
Infant/Ibddler Sensor>- Profile indieates that tnictible, and therefore get Interrupted from
Millie tends to avoid sensations, particularly getting tasks completed in a timely manner. In
touch and sounds. general, these children can profit from more
The therapist explains that Millie seems to strtictured patterns of sensory experienees
be getting overwhelmed by the myriad of sen- during daily life. With more structure regard-
sations that occur during this open play time; ing the sensory input that is available, these
she is exhibiting behaviors that help her man- children cati continue to pay attention during
age the amount of sensory input she has to daily life activities, and therefore stick with
deal with at one time. For example, she can them for a longer time. Table 4 provides some
get bumped easily by other children and their ideas for managing the sensory experienees
toys, so hanging back and watching keeps during daily life activities. You will notice
her from having these unpredictable touch ex- that some of the ideas in this table are similar
periences. This is also likely the reason she to Table 3; this is because both "sensation
seems content to play in her room at home; avoiding" and sensor)' sensitivity" are low
it is quiet and predictable in this contained threshold patterns, which means that chil-
space so she can concentrate on her play- dren may respond to input quickly and can get
ing. These explanations help allay the parents' overwhelmed.
and providers' fears about why Millie is not Let us consider an example. Lester is an 8-
choosing group play options. With everyone month-<ild boy who is a very picky eater. His
understanding the meaning of Millie's behav- parents have had a difficult time transition-
iors, the therapist uses Table 3 to generate ing him to foods; he squirms, spits, pushes
some additional ideas. Tliey agree to identif\- food out with his tongue, and turns away,
a visually accessible but separated play space Tliese are common behaviors for a young
for Millie at day care. This way, she ean still child who has sensitivity to sensations, par-
keep track of what is going on, without en- ticularly related to the mouth and face. Refer-
eountering more sensory input than she can ring to Table A as a guide, there are several
handle. Parents identify some structured play strategies to make mealtime more successful
options that take advantage of her visual sys- as Lester transitions to foods. First, the ther-
tem strength and reduce the possibility of ad- apist identifies the characteristics of accept-
ditional auditory and touch input. For exam- able foods, including taste, texture, tempera-
ple, they create a corner of the dining room ture, wetness, color, and density. For a young
tor puzzle making; Millie sits with her back child like Lester, he is likely to have little ex-
to the wall and facing outward, with the ta- perience with solid foods, so the type of nip-
ble separating her from the rest of the room. ple on the bottle may also be a consideration.
KM) INFANTS & YOUNG CHiLDREN/APRa-JUNE 2007
Understanding the characteristics of current Althotigb there are many ways to interpret
meal choices provides a means to introduce children s behaviors, a sensory processing
a new food substance that has all the charac- perspective adds helpful information to a
teristics that Lester has accepted in the past, comprehensive picture. Since sen.sory pro-
adding one new characteristic. For example, cessing knowledge is emerging from re-
one could add just a little eereal to the milk to search, it also provides a means for desigtiing
change the texture, btit keep temperature etc evidence-based interventions as well.
the same. Another option would be to change
the color, or add a little sweetness. When a SUMMARY
child is sensitive, being systematic is very im-
portant. Once the list of preferred character- Sensory processing knowledge has devel-
istics is available, finding other foods (or nu- oped more specificity over the last several
tritional additives) that contain those charac- years. Evidence indicates that both children
teristics becomes the strategy for expanding and adults with and without disabilities ex-
Lester s food repertoire. As Table 4 also indi- hibit 4 basic patterns of sensory processing
cates, making the mealtime situation comfort- as de.scribed in Dunn s model (Dunn, 1997).
able can also make a difference; comJbrtable Understanding the 4 basic patterns of sensory
and predictable seating without other distrac- processing enables providers to interpret chil-
tions can keep Lester from becoming over- dren's behaviors, and therefore tailor activi-
whelmed and enable him to focus on eatitig, ties and interventions lo support children to
Having a pleasant calm meal time is just as im- participate in everyday life. Preliminary evi-
portant for Lester, even if he eats only a few. dence supports the concept of applying sen-
These examples of individualized interven- sory processing knowledge within everyday
tion planning in the child's daily routines life; more studies are needed to characterize
illustrate the impact that sensory process- exactly how this might be done in the most
ing knowledge can have on participation. effective manner.
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