Understanding Your Child's Sensory System — print each page individually on letter-size paper
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Parent Resource
For Parents & Caregivers

Understanding Your Child's Sensory System

A plain-language guide to all 8 sensory systems, what sensory seeking and avoiding look like, how to tell whether a strategy is calming or alerting — and a tracker to build a picture of your child's unique sensory needs.

👋 Tactile🌀 Vestibular💪 Proprioceptive👂 Auditory👁 Visual👅 Gustatory👃 Olfactory💚 Interoception
What's in this resource
1
Understanding the 8 sensory systems — what each one does
2
Sensory seeking vs avoiding — what it looks like at home
3
Calming & alerting strategies for each sensory system
4
Your child's sensory profile chart
5
Weekly sensory observation log
Inspire Pediatric Therapy · inspirepeds.org Understanding Your Child's Sensory System · Page 1 of 6
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Part 1 · The 8 Sensory Systems

The 8 Sensory Systems

Your child's brain receives information from 8 different sensory channels at once — all day, every day. Understanding each one is the first step to understanding your child.

👋
Tactile
Touch

The sense of touch — skin receptors that detect pressure, temperature, texture, and pain.

Inputs: Light touch (feathers, tags in clothing), Deep pressure (hugs, weighted blankets), Texture (food, surfaces, fabrics)

🌀
Vestibular
Movement & Balance

The sense of movement and gravity — detected in the inner ear. Tells the brain where the body is in space and whether it's moving.

Inputs: Swinging, spinning, rocking, Head position changes, Speed of movement

💪
Proprioceptive
Body Position & Pressure

The 'hidden sense' — receptors in muscles and joints that tell the brain where body parts are without looking. Often called the body's GPS.

Inputs: Heavy work (pushing, pulling, carrying), Joint compression (jumping, stomping), Deep pressure (tight hugs, weighted objects)

👂
Auditory
Sound

The sense of hearing — not just what sounds are present, but how the brain processes and filters them. Some children hear everything equally and can't filter background noise.

Inputs: Volume (loud vs quiet), Pitch (high vs low sounds), Background noise filtering

👁
Visual
Sight

The sense of sight — how the brain processes visual information. Includes sensitivity to light, movement, colour, and visual clutter.

Inputs: Light intensity (bright vs dim), Colour and contrast, Visual clutter (busy environments)

👅
Gustatory
Taste

The sense of taste — beyond sweet/salty/sour/bitter, this system also processes texture, temperature, and the oral experience of eating.

Inputs: Flavour intensity (strong vs mild), Texture of food (smooth, crunchy, mixed), Temperature of food or drinks

👃
Olfactory
Smell

The sense of smell — one of the most powerful sensory systems because it connects directly to the limbic system (emotions and memory). Smell can instantly calm or overwhelm.

Inputs: Intensity of scents (strong vs subtle), Pleasant vs unpleasant odour response, Smell memory and association

💚
Interoception
Internal Body Signals

The sense of what's happening inside the body — hunger, thirst, temperature, heart rate, bladder fullness, pain, and emotional feelings as physical sensations.

Inputs: Hunger and thirst signals, Fatigue and energy levels, Emotional feelings in the body

Every child's sensory system is different. Just like some people are sensitive to spicy food and others love it, children vary enormously in how they process each of these systems. There is no "right" sensory profile — only your child's profile, which is what the tracker in this guide helps you discover.
Inspire Pediatric Therapy · inspirepeds.org Understanding Your Child's Sensory System · Page 2 of 6
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Part 1 · Seeking, Avoiding & Regulation
Key concepts

Sensory Seeking vs Sensory Avoiding

Children who have difficulty processing sensory input typically respond in one of two ways — or sometimes both, in different systems. Neither is a behaviour problem. Both are the nervous system communicating what it needs.

🔍 Sensory Seeking

The nervous system is under-responsive — it needs more input than typical to register what's happening. The child seeks extra input to feel regulated.

What it looks like:

  • Can't sit still — always moving, rocking, spinning
  • Touches everything and everyone
  • Crashes into furniture, people, or the floor
  • Chews on clothing, pencils, or fingers
  • Loves loud music, bright lights, strong flavours
  • Seems to have an inexhaustible energy for movement
  • May seem "wild" or "out of control" — but is actually seeking input

🛡 Sensory Avoiding

The nervous system is over-responsive — it registers input more intensely than typical. The child avoids input that feels overwhelming or painful.

What it looks like:

  • Upset by clothing tags, seams, or certain fabrics
  • Covers ears in loud environments
  • Very limited foods — texture or smell is often the issue
  • Distressed by unexpected touch or light touch
  • Overwhelmed in busy, bright, or noisy places
  • Strong reactions to smells others don't notice
  • May seem "rigid" or "difficult" — but is actually overwhelmed
Understanding regulation

Calming, Alerting & Organising

Sensory strategies don't work the same way for every child. The same activity can calm one child and wind another one up. Here's how to think about the three effects:

😌

Calming

Brings an over-aroused or dysregulated nervous system down. Slows breathing, reduces movement, decreases intensity. Great for transitions, bedtime, or after a hard moment.

✨

Organising

Brings a disorganised nervous system into a ready-to-learn state. Not too calm, not too alert — the "just right" zone. Ideal before school, homework, or tasks that require focus.

⚡

Alerting

Brings an under-aroused or sleepy nervous system up. Increases energy, attention, and arousal. Great for mornings, after a long car trip, or when energy is low before a task.

Important: Calming strategies can become alerting if used for too long, and vice versa. A 5-minute swing might calm a child; 20 minutes might wind them up. Always watch your child's response and stop while things are still going well.
A key insight

Seeking children often need the same input they're seeking — given in a better way

Instead of stopping the behaviour

  • Child crashing into furniture → try a crash pad or jumping activity
  • Child chewing on clothing → offer a chew necklace
  • Child touching everything → build in a sensory bin activity
  • Child spinning → provide controlled spinning on a swing
  • Child making constant noise → try humming or singing together

Instead of forcing the input

  • Child avoiding tags → remove them or try seamless clothing
  • Child avoiding messy play → start with tools (spoon, brush)
  • Child covering ears → offer noise-cancelling headphones
  • Child refusing textures → serve foods separately, not mixed
  • Child avoiding crowds → preview new environments beforehand
Inspire Pediatric Therapy · inspirepeds.org Understanding Your Child's Sensory System · Page 3 of 6
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Part 2 · Strategies by Sensory System

Sensory Strategies at Home

One strategy is listed per sensory system with its typical effect. Every child is different — always watch your child's actual response, not just the label.

😌 Calming — brings arousal down ✨ Organising — brings to ready state ⚡ Alerting — brings arousal up
👋 Tactile Touch
Warm bath or shower 😌 Calming
Tight hug or weighted blanket 😌 Calming
Vibrating toys or massager ⚡ Alerting
Messy play (sand, slime, playdough) ✨ Organising
Brushing protocol (if trained) 😌 Calming
Light tickling or feather touch ⚡ Alerting
🌀 Vestibular Movement & Balance
Slow rhythmic swinging 😌 Calming
Rocking chair or rocking motion 😌 Calming
Fast spinning or rough-housing ⚡ Alerting
Yoga or slow movement 😌 Calming
Trampolining ✨ Organising
Somersaults or rolling ⚡ Alerting
💪 Proprioceptive Body Position & Pressure
Carrying a heavy backpack or groceries ✨ Organising
Wall push-ups or chair push-ups ✨ Organising
Jumping on a trampoline ✨ Organising
Weighted lap pad or vest 😌 Calming
Pulling resistance bands ✨ Organising
Bear hugs or sandwich squeeze 😌 Calming
👂 Auditory Sound
Soft classical or nature sounds 😌 Calming
Noise-cancelling headphones 😌 Calming
Upbeat rhythmic music ⚡ Alerting
Humming or singing together 😌 Calming
White noise machine 😌 Calming
Clapping or drum games ⚡ Alerting
👁 Visual Sight
Dim lighting or lamps instead of overhead 😌 Calming
Visual schedules and predictable environments ✨ Organising
Bright colourful environments ⚡ Alerting
Reducing visual clutter in workspace 😌 Calming
Glitter jars or lava lamps 😌 Calming
Natural outdoor light ✨ Organising
👅 Gustatory Taste
Warm milk or herbal tea 😌 Calming
Crunchy foods (carrots, crackers) ✨ Organising
Sour or spicy foods ⚡ Alerting
Chewing gum (age appropriate) ✨ Organising
Sucking through a straw 😌 Calming
Cold water or ice ⚡ Alerting
👃 Olfactory Smell
Lavender scent 😌 Calming
Vanilla or warm baked goods 😌 Calming
Peppermint or citrus scent ⚡ Alerting
Child's own comfort scent (favourite toy) 😌 Calming
Fresh outdoor air ✨ Organising
Coffee or strong spice scent ⚡ Alerting
💚 Interoception Internal Body Signals
Regular scheduled meals and snacks ✨ Organising
Body scan — 'how does your tummy feel?' ✨ Organising
Slow deep breathing with hand on belly 😌 Calming
Movement break before meals ✨ Organising
Temperature check — warm shower to notice body heat ✨ Organising
Feelings check-in before transitions ✨ Organising
Remember: These are starting points, not prescriptions. A strategy labelled "calming" may alert your child, and vice versa. The tracker on the next pages will help you figure out which strategies actually work for your child.
Inspire Pediatric Therapy · inspirepeds.org Understanding Your Child's Sensory System · Page 4 of 6
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Part 3 · Your Child's Sensory Profile

My Child's Sensory Profile

Fill this in over 2–4 weeks of observation. Circle or colour in the boxes to show your child's typical pattern for each sensory system.

How to use this chart

Rating each system

🔍 Mostly Seeking

Craves input from this system — always wants more. Colour in the teal boxes.

✓ Typical / Mixed

No strong pattern — some seeking, some avoiding, or varies by situation. Colour in the green boxes.

🛡 Mostly Avoiding

Overwhelmed by input from this system — tries to escape or avoid it. Colour in the terracotta boxes.

Use 1, 2, or 3 boxes to show how strong the pattern is (1 = mild, 3 = very strong). Some systems may be left blank if no clear pattern has emerged yet.

Profile chart

Rate each sensory system

Sensory System
🔍 Seeking
✓ Typical
🛡 Avoiding
👋 Tactile
🌀 Vestibular
💪 Proprioceptive
👂 Auditory
👁 Visual
👅 Gustatory
👃 Olfactory
💚 Interoception
What I notice

My child's strongest patterns

🔍 My child seeks most from:
🛡 My child avoids most:
✨ Strategies that seem to calm:
⚡ Things that seem to alert/wind up:
Share this with your OT. A completed profile chart is extremely valuable clinical information — it helps your therapist target the right systems, choose the right strategies, and explain your child's behaviour patterns to school or other providers.
Inspire Pediatric Therapy · inspirepeds.org Understanding Your Child's Sensory System · Page 5 of 6
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Part 3 · Weekly Observation Log

Weekly Sensory Observation Log

Use this log to notice patterns over time. You don't need to fill in every row every day — even 2–3 observations per week builds a useful picture.

How to fill this in

What to record

📅
Day & Time

When did this happen?

👀
What I Observed

What was my child doing or responding to?

🎯
Strategy Tried

What did I try to help?

📊
Effect

Did it calm, alert, or organise? Did it help?

Week of: _______________

Observation Log

Day & Time System(s) What I observed Strategy tried Effect (calming / alerting / organising / no change)
End of week reflection

What I noticed this week

🌟 What worked well:
❌ What didn't help:
❓ Questions for my OT:
Print multiple copies. This log is designed to be printed weekly. After 4–6 weeks, patterns will start to emerge — bring your completed logs to your next OT session. The more data you collect, the clearer your child's sensory profile becomes.
Inspire Pediatric Therapy
Lincoln & Omaha, Nebraska · inspirepeds.org · 402-413-7999
These resources are for informational purposes only
and are not a substitute for individualized OT evaluation.
Inspire Pediatric Therapy · inspirepeds.org Understanding Your Child's Sensory System · Page 6 of 6