Sensory Seeking vs. Sensory Avoiding Behavior in Children

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Sensory processing issues occur when the brain has difficulty receiving and organizing information that comes through the senses. While this has been identified mostly in children, adults can also be affected. Many medical professionals believe that difficulty with sensory processing most often occurs with other conditions, rather than standing alone as its own disorder. For that reason, there are no official diagnostic criteria for it. It is often seen in children with ADHD and Autism and is identified through the observation of specific symptoms.

Kids with sensory processing issues often present with signs of either overstimulation or under-stimulation from sensory input.


Sensory inputs can include:

Sight: Patterns, lights, moving objects, or specific colors

Smell: Sensitivity to odors, awareness of scents others cannot detect

Hearing: Loud or surprising sounds

Taste: Spicy, sour, bitter, or textures, like crunchy or slimy

Touch: The touch of other people or the feel of various surfaces



Other types of sensory inputs include:

Interoception: Understanding and feeling what is going on inside the body (examples are hunger, racing heart, teeth clenching).

Proprioception: Awareness of the body's position and movement (performing simultaneous physical actions with multiple body parts, controlling posture).

Vestibular Sense: The sense of body rotation, gravity, and movement (balance, coordination).

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Sensory processing issues can affect one or many senses depending on the person. Reactions to sensory stimuli can occur on a continuum varying in severity. Triggers can differ among children as well. Depending on a child's specific challenges with input, sensory processing issues can provoke sensory seeking or sensory avoiding behavior.


What is a Sensory Seeker?

A sensory seeker may feel under-stimulated or need specific types of interaction to feel calm or grounded. To rectify feelings of discomfort, they may deliberately look for specific sensory experiences. These can include things like:

  • Rough play with physical impact

  • Wanting or giving tight hugs

  • Having a high tolerance for pain

  • Hurting themselves or others without meaning to

  • Lack of awareness of the personal space of others

  • Wanting to touch people or things without an awareness of boundaries

  • Not reacting to heat or cold as expected

  • Seeking a spicy or sour taste

  • Difficulty with sitting still

  • Holding objects with excessive pressure

  • Craving fast or intense movement

What can help sensory seekers?

  • Weighted blankets or weighted vests

  • Tight hugs

  • Fidget toys

  • Chewing gum

  • Exercise/play (especially activities with pushing and pulling)


What is a Sensory Avoider?

A sensory avoider may feel overwhelmed and upset by sensory input and seek to avoid specific disturbing stimulation. Examples of this behavior can include:

  • Inability to tolerate bright or buzzing lights or loud noises.

  • Feeling disturbed by sounds (loud, repetitive, or continuous).

  • Avoiding physical contact with others.

  • Difficulty trying new foods / limited diet.

  • Difficulty wearing certain clothing (clothes that feel scratchy, have stiff tags, are itchy, or otherwise perceived as uncomfortable).

What can help sensory avoiders?

  • Sensory breaks (removing the child from the environment of the stimulus).

  • Sitting away from sunlight, buzzing, or bright lights.

  • Noise-canceling headphones

  • Cutting out tags or tag-less shirts. Clothing with soft, non-binding fabric.

  • Providing advanced warning when going into an environment they may find disturbing.

  • Introducing sensory experiences slowly in a loving environment (play with sand, rice).

Depending on the environment or circumstances, a child can exhibit both avoiding and seeking behavior.

It is very common for kids who are sensory seeking or avoiding to struggle with tantrums or emotional outbursts. A transition from an environment they find calming or stabilizing to one that is overwhelming can often result in difficult emotions. Providing children access to sensory input that they crave or find soothing, can help them feel calmer and more secure. Having a predictable routine for accessing these comforting stimuli may help them cope more effectively when they encounter sensory input they find disturbing.

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