Sensory processing differences in children — a guide for parents in Newcastle
The tags that feel unbearable. The lunchbox that comes home untouched because the school hall was too loud. The child who covers their ears at birthday parties, or who crashes into furniture and barely notices. The one who refuses to walk on grass in bare feet — or who never stops seeking movement, hanging off everything, always in motion.
If any of these sound familiar, sensory processing differences may be part of the picture.
What is sensory processing?
Our nervous systems are constantly receiving information from the world around us — and from inside our own bodies. Sensory processing is the way the brain takes in, organises and responds to all of that information.
For most people, this happens largely automatically. For children with sensory processing differences — which are common in autistic children, children with ADHD, and many others — the system works differently. Input may be processed more intensely, less intensely, or in ways that lead to unexpected responses to ordinary experiences.
This is not a behaviour problem. It is a neurological difference in how the nervous system handles input.
The eight senses — including the ones you might not know
Most of us learned about five senses. In sensory processing, we work with eight:
• Sight and sound — often the most obvious, but intensity and sensitivity vary enormously
• Touch — texture, temperature, pain, the feel of clothing or certain foods
• Smell and taste — closely linked, and can be particularly intense for neurodivergent children
• Proprioception — the sense of where your body is in space. Children who seek heavy work, crashing and climbing are often seeking proprioceptive input
• Vestibular — movement and balance. Children who spin constantly, or who hate swings, may have vestibular differences
• Interoception — the internal sense of the body: hunger, thirst, needing the bathroom, temperature. Children with interoceptive differences may not notice they're hungry or tired until they're in crisis
Seeking versus avoiding
Sensory differences typically show up as seeking or avoiding — and many children do both, in different sensory systems.
Sensory seeking: the child needs more input than the environment provides — crashing, touching everything, making loud noises, seeking strong flavours.
Sensory avoiding: the child is overwhelmed by input others barely notice — certain sounds, textures, crowds, unexpected touch.
Neither pattern is a problem in itself. Both are a nervous system trying to manage its input level.
Signs to look for
Sensory processing differences can show up at home, school and in the community:
• meltdowns or shutdowns in busy, loud or unpredictable environments
• strong reactions to clothing, particularly tags, seams or tight waistbands
• extreme food preferences driven by texture, temperature or smell
• covering ears, seeking dark quiet spaces, or becoming overwhelmed in crowds
• constant movement-seeking — spinning, jumping, hanging upside down
• seeming not to notice bumps, bruises or temperature extremes
How OT can help
Being and Becoming OT provides sensory processing support for children across Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland and Port Stephens. We can assess how your child is processing sensory information across each sense, and work with your family to develop support that fits everyday life — at home, school, in the community, or at our clinic at the BCP Hub in Warners Bay.
Support might include a sensory profile, environmental adjustments, a personalised sensory diet, school consultation, and strategies that help your child stay regulated throughout the day.
