Sensory 

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SENSORY

Our children’s brains are constantly taking in information to make sense of the world. Most of us know the FIVE senses that we learned back in primary school-: sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch. However, there are actually EIGHT senses. We also have three internal senses: proprioception (allows you to know where your body parts are and what they are doing), vestibular (helps to tell you whether you are sitting, standing, lying down, spinning etc; and interoception (which tells you whether you are hungry, thirsty, hot, cold etc).

Some children have difficulty processing the sensory information from all of these senses and can become over sensitive (e.g. cover their ears with the sound of a vacuum cleaner or fears movements like swings) or under sensitive (e.g. constantly bump into things or hardly notice pain)  .

Some children who experience these difficulties may exhibit unusual behaviour, or behave in ways that are not age appropriate, whilst others may avoid activities and situations. It is not unusual for children to occasionally struggle with sensory information, however when these responses are happening regularly or for extended periods of time, they can affect a child’s social interactions, behaviour, ability to learn and overall development.


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Disclaimer: This publication by Miracle Babies Foundation is intended solely for general education and assistance and it is it is not medical advice or a healthcare recommendation. It should not be used for the purpose of medical diagnosis or treatment for any individual condition. This publication has been developed by our Parent Advisory Team (all who are parents of premature and sick babies) and has been reviewed and approved by a Clinical Advisory Team. This publication is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Miracle Babies Foundation recommends that professional medical advice and services be sought out from a qualified healthcare provider familiar with your personal circumstances.To the extent permitted by law, Miracle Babies Foundation excludes and disclaims any liability of any kind (directly or indirectly arising) to any reader of this publication who acts or does not act in reliance wholly or partly on the content of this general publication. If you would like to provide any feedback on the information please email [email protected].