Understanding Sensitivity in Occupational Therapy: What It Means and Why It Matters

We frequently underestimate how easily our brains digest information when we consider our five senses: touch, sound, sight, taste, and smell. However, sensory input may seem overpowering or hardly perceptible to many people and children. In occupational therapy (OT), this is where the idea of sensitivity becomes particularly crucial.

🌟 What Is Sensitivity?

Sensitivity in occupational therapy refers to an individual's response to environmental sensory input. It falls within the larger category of sensory processing, which is the brain's capacity to take in, process, and react to sensory data.

An individual may encounter one of the following when sensory processing is out of balance:

1. Hypersensitivity, or excessive reactivity (Over-responsiveness):
Everyday feelings may be excessively powerful or upsetting for hypersensitive people.

For instance:

- covering one's ears in reaction to common noises, such as a school bell or a vacuum.

- Avoiding particular food or clothing textures

- Overwhelmed by bright or crowded surroundings

2. Hyposensitivity, or a lack of reactivity (Under-responsiveness):
To feel in control, these people may actively seek out powerful stimuli or appear oblivious to sensory input.

For instance:

- Desiring close embraces or continual motion

- High pain or temperature tolerance

- Being unable to identify when they are unclean or have food on their face

Sensitivity is a neurobiological reaction rather than a behavioral one. People who struggle with sensory processing can succeed in their communities, at school, and at home with the correct help. The skills and techniques required to transform overpowering feelings into controllable, even pleasurable, experiences are provided by occupational therapy.

A useful initial step in comprehending and meeting your child's particular requirements is speaking with an occupational therapist if you're a parent, educator, or other career and you're seeing symptoms of sensory sensitivity.

Occupational therapists work to:

• Understand the child’s sensory profile

• Identify triggers and sensitivities

• Support families with tools and strategies that make daily routines easier and more enjoyable

and address it either through sensory therapy, environmental modifications, and/or through sensory diet (not a diet of food! A customized program of sensory activities intended to keep a person focused and in control throughout the day is called a sensory diet).