Sensory integration in children: signs and activities that help at home

Sensory integration is the brain’s ability to take in what the senses pick up — touch, sound, movement, balance, body position — organise it and respond appropriately. When this organisation doesn’t work well, a child may over-react to some sensations or barely notice them.

Signs of over-sensitivity

• Covers their ears at ordinary sounds like the vacuum or blender.
• Refuses certain clothes or complains about labels.
• Gets upset by haircuts, nail cutting or face washing.
• Very picky eating because of textures.

Signs of under-sensitivity or sensation seeking

• Never stops jumping, spinning or crashing into things.
• Doesn’t notice minor pain or mess on their hands and face.
• Grips pencils and objects too hard or breaks toys unintentionally.
• Needs to touch everything around them constantly.

How occupational therapy helps

The occupational therapist assesses how the child responds to each type of sensation, then designs play-based sessions that help the nervous system regulate itself gradually, and gives parents a short daily "sensory diet" to use at home and school.

Simple activities at home

• Deep-pressure activities: firm gentle hugs, rolling in a blanket, pushing or pulling relatively heavy objects.
• Sensory bins: rice, lentils or sand with hidden toys.
• Jumping on a small trampoline or walking along a taped line for balance.
• Warning before loud noises, and a quiet corner the child can go to when overwhelmed.

These activities are general and safe for most children, but the right programme for your child comes from an assessment. Sensory integration difficulties often appear alongside autism, ADHD or developmental delay, so we look at the whole child, not just the symptom.