Processing With Our Senses

Mike:
Hi, this is Mike, one of CHC’s content editors on our Voices of Compassion podcast. We hope your day is going well. One of my favorite parts of my job is being able to bring mental health and educational content to our listeners. And we just want you to know that CHC is here for you if you need us. Before we begin today’s episode, we want to let you know of a special live stream podcast episode coming up on April 26th: The Problem with Overcoming Learning to Value Your Differences: Presented by CHC’s Voices of Compassion podcast, in partnership with NCLD and sponsored by the Schwab Learning Center at CHC. As people with learning differences and mental health challenges, we are often implicitly or explicitly taught to overcome our disabilities, try harder, push through, fix and succeed despite our challenges. These messages of normalization can cause us to develop shame, feel like we want to hide our identities and even decrease likelihood of success and increase mental health challenges.

Join us in this special live virtual event as we speak with alumni of the National Center for Learning Disabilities Young Adult Leadership Council about how they have learned to embrace their learning differences as a proud part of their identity instead of a deficiency to overcome.

Make sure to sign up to join our live stream event on April 26th: The Problem with Overcoming: Learning to Value Your Differences from 5 to 6:30 PM, PST. You can sign up now at chconline.org/podcast. We hope to see you there.

Cindy Lopez:
Welcome. My name is Cindy Lopez, the host of this CHC podcast, Voices of Compassion. We hope you find a little courage, feel connected and experience compassion every time you listen.

Say you hear a sound, how do you respond? You might choose to ignore the sound or to go investigate the noise. This process of using our senses to respond in a purposeful way is called sensory integration. Processing with our senses, like this is natural. It’s the way our brains are designed, but sometimes all those systems are not able to work together well, and when that happens, it’s called sensory processing disorder. Actually studies have found that one in every six children has sensory processing issues that make it hard to learn and function in school. So listen to this conversation with CHC expert, Pamela Olson, occupational therapist, to understand more about how you can best support your child as they develop these critical sensory processing skills. Welcome Pam.

Cindy Lopez:
Hey Cindy, thanks so much for having me. I am looking forward to getting a chance to talk about sensory integration with you. It is a near and dear topic to me.

Cindy Lopez:
I am excited about it too because many of our occupational therapists at CHC have said, and others have said, you know, you should really be talking about sensory integration. It’s a really interesting topic that impacts kids along a wide range, but before we get into like talking about the nitty gritty of sensory integration, what is it?

Cindy Lopez:
Yeah, I mean I have been working as an occupational therapist for many years now and focused a lot of my time on sensory integration. So the term sensory integration actually comes from Dr. Jean Ayers, and she kind of coined this term a while ago. And it essentially does cover also sensory processing. So it’s really just the brain’s way of taking in sensory input that we receive from our environment. And, you know, that comes in through the sensory systems and then giving it meaning, making sense of it and then having a response to that and a purposeful response is what we would call an adaptive response, and that’s what we want to see from this whole process. So yeah, sensory integration, it’s a theory that OTs stick close to when we’re working with certain children, and so it’s kind of the overarching name.

Cindy Lopez:
I wonder, could you give an example or a couple examples, like what that looks like?

Cindy Lopez:
Yeah. It’s like you hear a sound and that sound comes in and you process that sound and then you form a response to it. So say you hear a car honk its horn and you have to quickly make sense, do I need to do anything because this car honked the horn, or can I just listen to the honk and move on? And that’s kind of just our daily process. For kids what this could look like is, you know, some of the examples that come to mind would be if you’re swinging your toddler on a swing and they’re engaging with you and smiling, they’re having a response to that movement that they’re receiving, or you might have a child who really loves that soft blanket, and so they use that to cuddle up next to you on the couch or maybe like a child that gets really excited and comes in for a big hug. These are just like daily things that happen where we have this response to something in our environment and that shows up in you know, the interaction with the child.

Cindy Lopez:
Yeah, I think it’s so interesting how our senses take in our environment and help us process it. And speaking of that, is sensory integration the same as sensory processing?

Cindy Lopez:
Yeah. I would say you could interchangeably use those terms. Sensory processing is the way that I would actually speak it out to maybe a parent or to a team member. It just kind of seems like a more user friendly term, but essentially it’s saying the same thing. There’s an input, there’s a process and then there’s an output. So sensory processing is a system just like any other system that we have in our body, and it follows that same input process, output mechanism.

Cindy Lopez:
So, traditionally, we were always taught about the five senses, right, you know, seeing, feeling, touching, hearing, tasting, but it sounds like we actually have more. Can you talk about that?

Cindy Lopez:
Sure. Yeah. We do have more. It’s so fun to learn about them too, because I mean, I went through all the way to college without ever really knowing that I had more than five senses. So just as you said, yes, we have our taste, we have our smell, we’ve got our sight, our sound, and our touch, and then these other three that are not spoken about as much or not taught traditionally, one is our vestibular sense, and this is just our ability to sense movement. So how gravity is impacting us, so how we’re interacting with gravity. Another one is the proprioceptive sense, and this is our ability to know where we are in space. It’s the information that’s coming into our muscles, our joints, ligaments. And then the third one or the eighth, I guess is our interceptive. So this is our sense of what’s going on internally. It’s our sense of our organs.

Cindy Lopez:
So that’s so interesting to hear about these additional senses you just described, and I’m wondering what happens when those systems don’t all work together like they should?

Cindy Lopez:
Yeah, so maybe I can just speak to what happens when they do work together well and we would see kind of engagement. So, being able to complete tasks that are hard and move through at that task or being able to engage in the environment, hold conversations, you know, it just kind of like we see that appropriate skill development really is when our senses are kind of lined up and working well together. There’s a visual that comes to mind of a tree and the roots are our sensory processing and the leaves and the branches, those are all of our skills. So if our sensory systems are not kind of taking in that nutrients in a effective way, like through the roots of the tree, then what we might see is the branches start to lose their leaves. Like, you know, and this is just to give it some imagery, but it is that skill breakdown that we start to see when they’re not working well and not in sync with one another.

Cindy Lopez:
Working at CHC, we all get that our brains are wired differently. So why does this kind of disconnect or whatever we wanna call it, this sensory processing disorder happen?

Cindy Lopez:
Yeah. I mean, it is like you just mentioned, our brains are wired differently, right? Sometimes sensory processing disorder can be tagged onto another diagnosis and then sometimes another diagnosis could be a result of a sensory processing disorder. And it’s just that there’s some wiring that needs to kind of reconfigure and that is the good thing about sensory processing is that it is a developmental system and change is possible. I’ll use to explain to parents that, you know, itcan be kind of related to a UPS driver delivering a package. So if you think that package is that sensory input and you know it needs to get from point A to point B, and point A to point B is in your brain. And as it’s going there’s a traffic jam and so it has to stop and then maybe reroute. And so the idea of sensory processing that we want to work on is making that route from point A to point B as smooth as possible by rewiring and reshaping that pathway and that kind of helps with that forming better responses to the sensory input so these smaller things that might happen in a day don’t totally escalate or don’t shut down a child or something like that.

Cindy Lopez:
I’m always fascinated by how our brains work and how they’re all so different. So, thank you for that reminder. And also, you mentioned sometimes sensory processing disorder can happen in relation to other challenges. Can you talk about that a little bit more?

Cindy Lopez:
Yeah, I think sensory processing challenges can occur independent of a diagnosis. So, like I mentioned, there might be a skill deficit, and so maybe sometimes I’ve had families come to me and there is a skill deficit that they’re noticing or that teachers have noticed, and when we assess and figure out where that’s coming from, we see, oh, it could be related to the sensory processing systems and a challenge that’s there. So we can kind of treat it through using sensory integration practices, but other times also sensory integration and sensory processing challenges can be related to certain diagnoses, one of the most common one’s being autism. Oftentimes children who have a diagnosis on the autism spectrum do tend to present with some sensory processing challenges, either being over-responsive to that sensory input or under responsive to that sensory input. It also can sometimes come with children who have ADHD or anxiety, depression. Some of these diagnoses that we see as more mental health and that’s not all the time. I’ll say that just so there’s no confusion there. It’s very case by case. We’re all unique and so our challenges are all different, and it’s just something to consider though, that potentially there are some underlying sensory processing challenges that might be popping up.

Cindy Lopez:
As you’re talking, of course, I’m thinking about myself. I’m like, I wonder what’s, you know, my own little idiosyncrasies around sensory stuff. I always, when I was a child, I hated having my hands dirty. I still do to this day. I don’t like the feeling of when the mud dries, and it gets all chalky. I don’t like that. So there are definitely kind of some typical responses to sensory inputs, but what would be the types of behavior that parents or caregivers might observe in children at different ages if there were really issues with sensory processing?

Cindy Lopez:
Yeah. You know one of the ones that stands out to me in one of the courses that I have taken to learn more about sensory processing, the instructor said, ask parents what their child did with their first birthday cake. And that kind of stands out cause maybe it’s a child that went like hands in cake to face made, you know, just a mess of everything and they’re okay with that, they’re excited, they’re smiling. And that might be that kind of sensory seeker child or there’s like the child that like very slowly maybe touches it and then maybe cries or just wants that off of their hands. And that’s our more sensory, defensive child. So we can look at those types of things that occur. Was there sensitivity to car rides? Maybe crying during a car ride that there could be an underlying hesitation with movement or you know, does your child run to the swings or do they not touch the swings? Do they enjoy being cuddled or do they kind of push away? There’s so many different things like reactions to sounds or really seeking out certain textures. For myself, I know when I go to a clothing store and I just like rub my hands on all the clothes, that’s a sign to me that I’m like seeking some, you know, tactile input. There’s resources out there. One that comes to mind is the Star Institute, and that’s a good resource where parents can log on and look at a checklist of kind of red flags that might be popping up to just see if there’s something going on that maybe it would be worth talking to your pediatrician about or seeking an occupational therapist, but yeah, some of the quick ones that come to mind is just noticing how your child engages with sensations like sand, anything that’s kind of new or different, and if there’s a strong reaction to it or like they need more of it, you know, it could lead towards maybe some intervention services that might be beneficial.

Mike:
CHC’s Voices of Compassion podcast is made possible by the generosity of people like you. To learn more about supporting CHC, go to chconline.org/donate. Also make sure to follow us on social media for more inspiring and educational content from CHC.

Cindy Lopez:
I have always associated sensory processing issues more with ASD, more with kids on the autism spectrum, but that’s not really the case. So, just wanna say to our listeners, like, I think we have some preconceived ideas about sensory processing and how we see that or view it in terms of what behaviors we observe, and I think it’s interesting to justhear what Pam is saying and process it in a way that makes sense to all of us. And for our listeners, we’ll make sure to include the link to Star Institute in our show notes and on our website so you can access that checklist that Pam was referring to. So Pam, you uh, mentioned this previously, that the good news is with sensory processing challenges, you can make changes so you can grow skills or improve skills. So what kinds of tools or exercises could parents or caregivers do with kids to alleviate some of those challenges?

Cindy Lopez:
First it is kind of doing some basic research and really understanding the sensory systems. If you do find that there are some challenges that are popping up and you’re wondering, you’re curious, then yes, definitely check the resources that will be linked with this podcast in order to just give yourself that foundational knowledge and then it does come down to knowing your child and observing their behaviors. If there’s things that are consistently triggering them or they’re super seekers and they’re always on the go, these are signs that maybe there’s a little bit more that needs to be provided for them throughout their day in order to help them meet that need that they have for regulation. So that kind of comes down to observing your child and knowing every child is different, every person is different. We’re all experiencing sensory input in a completely different way. There’s not a strategy that works for all, but some of the ways that I like to encourage parents with this is finding opportunities throughout the day to help the nervous system regulate. So if you know you’re going into a really stressful situation, as adults, we have our strategies. We might take deep breaths, or we might go to an exercise class before, or we might drink a glass of cold water. Our kids don’t have these strategies built in yet, so they do need those little bit of supports throughout the day.

So if they’re going to something where you know, it’s more stressful, it’s like, hmm, what’s like a comfort for them? Maybe a weighted blanket could be a really great idea, maybe doing some exercise to get some energy out. I always say, getting a child to be out of breath is a great idea that we just don’t do that much. You know, having that child have to take those deep belly breaths, that’s automatically gonna be grounding. So if there’s an opportunity to run and engage your child, if you know that they have a lot of energy and they’re needing to go to school or into something where they have to be focused. Just do those little things before they go there that’s gonna help them to be successful and stay regulated. If you have a child that’s just more hesitant, more of like a defensive child who is just a little, you know, more resistant to engaging in situations that are uncomfortable, that’s where you wanna really build up comfort. So it is the comfort blanket or different sensory tools, maybe it’s a child who really loves the smell of lavender and so you can use lavender to help calm the system or you know, maybe it’s a child that just needs like kind of a crunchy snack or something like that. So there’s ways, I know that’s kind of a little like bits and pieces here and there. And this might be where I can kind of say, if you do have these concerns, I would without a doubt, go to your pediatrician to talk about them and request a referral for an occupational therapist and take that time to maybe speak with an occupational therapist to see is this really a sensory processing challenge, or is it something else that needs a different way of being addressed?

Cindy Lopez:
Yeah. As Pam said, go to your pediatrician, talk to your pediatrician. Your pediatrician can refer you to an occupational therapist. You can also find occupational therapists here at CHC. You can find out more at chconline.org. You can call our care team and get set up with an appointment or an intake so you can find out more, even a free parent consultation so you can just bring your concerns to one of our clinicians and they can help you figure out next steps or give you some guidance. So occupational therapy, what is that, like we’ve talked about obviously the sensory processing, sensory integration kinds of challenges, and we’ve mentioned occupational therapy along the way, but what is occupational therapy and how can it help a child with sensory challenges?

Cindy Lopez:
Yeah. Occupational therapy is a holistic practice. It looks at an individual and tries to determine what are the barriers to this individual being able to live their potential, and then how can we overcome those barriers? So it’s a healthcare profession and that’s kind of really what it’s based on. So for a child or a teen, you know, we’re looking at what are the things that this child needs to be engaging in? What are the daily occupations? So that could be being a student or eating dinner with the family, brushing their teeth, handwriting, any of these skills that we have to do on a daily basis are what we would call occupations. And so then it’s, like, okay, what is that barrier that that child has to being able to perform that skill? And then what strategies can we put into place or where do skills need to be remediated in order for the child to successfully perform that task at hand?

Cindy Lopez:
So Pam, I also know, and I’ve observed in kids in my 35 ish years in education that sometimes sensory processing and emotional regulation can be related or tied together. Can you talk about that too?

Cindy Lopez:
Yeah. Right. So our sensory processing system is our way of regulating if we’re constantly being bombarded by sensations and not just, you know, just sensory input, right? That is hard for us to manage and we don’t have the tools to manage it, then our emotional regulation is gonna be impacted, and that’s where we might start to feel anxious or we might get really withdrawn, or we might even go into shutdown. So oftentimes when there are sensory processing challenges, we do also see this emotional regulation challenge, and it’s because we just don’t have the tools to first manage all of the sensory inputs that’s coming in, that is impacting us like I mentioned, that adaptive response. We want to form that adaptive response to this sensory input. So if we don’t have the tools to do that, then sure, we’ll have an emotional reaction to it and that’s oftentimes what we see with our kids, for sure.

Cindy Lopez:
I think that there are many parents and families out there who may not know enough about this to know how to pursue it or think about it. So I really appreciate you sharing that today. And I’m wondering, as we wrap this up, do you have any additional advice or final thoughts to share with our listeners?

Cindy Lopez:
Yeah, I am really passionate about sensory integration. I feel like it’s very valuable that we understand it, and it is something that is easily misunderstood because it’s hard to research the brain and how we’re experiencing sensory input. It’s a little more subjective. And so, with that, you know, it does require the parent to do a little more investigation on their own and really advocate for their child. It’s not as simple as saying, “like, my son’s not kicking a soccer ball like he should be.” It’s like we can visually observe that child kick the soccer ball and be like, “okay, maybe, you know, we need to fix that a little.” Sensory integration we can’t really necessarily observe the process that’s happening, but we can notice when things are not quite right and when we might have to reach out and get that support. So I would just say, you know, if you’re listening to this and you’re thinking, “hmm, maybe some of this is going on for my child,” starting that conversation, either with your pediatrician or certainly just calling you know CHC is of course a great place to call and get some advice or any, you know, local clinic that might have occupational therapists on staff that are specifically trained in sensory integration. I would just encourage listeners to take that initiative and just even to start a conversation and see, you know, if maybe there’s something there that’s going on. Knowing that if your child is being flagged for maybe behaviors at school or elsewhere and you’re not quite sure where they’re coming from, that could be a good reason to reach out to an OT and maybe get more information if there is a sensory processing challenge that is underlying that behavior, and knowing, like with hope that it is developmental and change is possible if we can just embed little tools into a child’s day, every day, until they learn what they need to regulate themselves. And that will come just as it has come for all of us adults. You know, it eventually just becomes lifestyle choices for our children as they get older and they learn. So in the meantime, you know, I always encourage parents to have fun with their kids. My little preach is that our children are sitting far too much these days. And movement is one of like our foundational needs. So getting your child out and moving, even just shifting little daily moments with them could really create the change that’s needed there. So oftentimes I’m just telling parents to go and play at the park or, you know, get on the playground, go to the swings, run around the track or get on a scooter you know, there’s these little things that we can do throughout the day just to kind of help boost our kids up a bit.

Cindy Lopez:
Okay Pam, thank you so much for that. One last question I was thinking about as you were talking do you see many clients across the lifespan or is it generally younger children that you’re seeing?

Cindy Lopez:
Yeah, great question. I mean, OT in general, occupational therapy, we say, “a womb to tomb profession.” So it’s from before birth, to end of life care, right? So it does span across all populations.

Cindy Lopez:
So to our listeners, reach out to CHC if you need some help or some resources again at chconline.org. You can reach our care team at careteam@chconline.org, or you can call them at (650) 688-3625, and please reach out if you’re noticing some of these things and you’re concerned. And you can always schedule a free consultation too if you’re not quite sure about what to do and how to invest your child’s time. So thank you Pam again for joining us and to our listeners, thank you as well.

Cindy Lopez:
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