How do one in six children with Sensory Processing issues manage to learn?

Sensory Processing Systems

One in six children has Sensory Processing issues.

One 2009 study found that one in six children has sensory processing issues, which make it hard for them to learn and function in school. 

Sensory Processing or Sensory Integration means our nervous system receives, interprets, and responds to the world through our senses. Our brain, spinal cord, and senses are a complete system that manages the input of information we receive from our environment. There is a negative feedback process that filters out what is unnecessary.

Sensory Integration or Sensory Processing

In the 1970s, Dr. A Jean Ayres first developed the concept of sensory integration, referring to how the brain processes information sent from our senses. Later, in 2006, Dr. Millar published work on the Sensory Processing model based on Dr. Ayres's work. The terms seem interchangeable depending on where they are trained.

Meaning of Integration in the Cambridge Dictionary

Integration means the action or process of putting two or more things together.

Sensory Integration means

Our Senses are part of our sensory processing.

We have five primary senses, plus three secondary senses, that allow us to perceive and interact with the world around us.

Sight (Vision)

Vision is the sense of seeing and perceiving the world through light. Light enters the eye and is transmitted to the brain via the optic nerve. The brain processes this light and allows us to see.

Hearing (Audition)

Hearing is the sense of perceiving sound and vibrations in the environment. Sound waves enter the ear canal and reach the eardrum (tympanic membrane), causing it to vibrate.  Vibrations travel through three tiny bones in the middle ear (the ossicles) to the inner ear.  In the inner ear, the cochlea contains hair cells that detect the vibrations. The Auditory nerve carries the vibration to the brain and interprets this into sound.

Taste (Gustation)

Taste is the perception of different flavours with taste buds on the tongue and mouth.  Food and liquids stimulate taste buds.  Taste buds detect sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and savoury tastes.  The gustatory nerve signals the brain to highlight a specific taste.

Smell (Olfaction)

Our sense of smell perceives different odours. The olfactory receptors in the nasal cavity are responsible for smell.   As we breathe in through our noses, molecules in the air are captured by olfactory receptors.  Signals sent to the olfactory bulb in the brain allow us to identify and distinguish different odours.

Touch (Somatosensation)

Touch is the sense of perceiving pressure, temperature, pain, and other tactile sensations. The skin, the most significant organ, has sensory receptors throughout the body.   The skin detects sensory information and generates electrical signals transmitted to the brain.   The brain processes these signals and interprets them as touch, temperature, or pain sensations.

Secondary senses involved in sensory processing

The Vestibular System

The vestibular system is located in the inner ear and provides information about balance, spatial orientation, and the position of the head and body in space.  Maintaining equilibrium and coordinating movements is vital, especially when spinning or tilting the head.

Proprioception

Body awareness in time and place means thinking about your next step. Also known as 'Kinaesthesia,' your body senses movement, action, and location. We use this sense when we walk without looking where our feet are going; we know. If we close our eyes, we can put our index finger on our nose without looking.

Interoception

This sense system is within us; we are conscious and unconsciously aware of the workings of our body, such as our heartbeat or breathing. We understand when we are hungry or thirsty. Learning to recognise and respond to the needs of our body, such as going to the toilet when we sense our bladder is full. We become aware of our feelings and emotional states and how we react or manage them appropriately.

A sensory disorder occurs when our brain has difficulty understanding or regulating what is coming through our senses. This determines how we learn, or the issue we need help understanding. This is connected to our Learning Styles