A recap of the posts in this series so far:

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The last behavioral function that we’re going to talk about is the one that can be the most difficult to address. Luckily, it’s also probably the one that the fewest people deal with on a regular basis – these behaviors typically only become a problem with children who might have sensory-processing issues or children with disabilities. That doesn’t mean, however, that it doesn’t apply to anyone else. Typically-developing kids have issues with sensory behaviors all the time as well; you just probably won’t see these behaviors as much as you will some of the others.

What might a sensory-seeking behavior look like? Here are a few typical examples that wouldn’t pose a problem in your day-to-day life:

  • Twirling your hair
  • Tapping a pen on the table
  • Shaking your leg or foot
  • Chewing gum/a pen/your fingernails
  • Cracking your knuckles

These are all things that just about everyone does – they’re usually things you do without even thinking about it or realizing that you’re doing it. And you do it because it feels good to your system. It’s just something that you unconsciously feel like you need to do. Typically speaking, these behaviors are fine and don’t majorly disrupt your day in any way.

When sensory-seeking behaviors become a problem, however, they can be significant. Here are some examples of problematic sensory-seeking behavior that you might be seeing:

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  • Hyperactivity – jumping off furniture, running around the house, etc.
  • Frequently chewing on items that shouldn’t be chewed on
  • Making loud, repetitive noises
  • Annoyance with clothing, sensitivity to tags, seams, etc.

Sensory-seeking behaviors are behaviors that your child might exhibit because there is some sort of deficit in their sensory system, and they’re looking for ways to address it and make themselves feel better. It’s not something they do consciously, and is usually not even something they can control. Because these behaviors are internally-motivated, it can be extremely difficult to extinguish them – why would I stop doing it when the behavior is naturally reinforcing all by itself?

There could be (and there are!) entire books written on this topic, so I will only touch on the basics and then provide some resources for those of you who need more information. So, here are the top five things you need to know about sensory-seeking behaviors:

  1. Did you know there are actually six senses, not five? The last sense that many people don’t know about is the proprioceptive sense. This is the sense of where your body is in space. For most of us, your body naturally regulates its own movements and you can easily tell what’s going on at any given time. But for some kiddos, this sense is either over or under-responsive, and they need extra input to be able to tell where their body is. These are the kids that you may see running their hand along the wall as they walk, bouncing off the walls (literally), and jumping up and down all over the house. Their body is seeking input!
  2. Watch your child’s behaviors to find out what sensory need they’re trying to fulfill – lots of chewing and mouthing things? Oral stimulation. Constantly touching everyone and everything? Tactile input. It’s easy to tell what they’re trying to accomplish if you just pay close attention to the behaviors…then it’s time to get creative and figure out a way to replace it! Which brings me to…
  3. The absolute only way to get rid of a sensory-seeking behavior that you don’t like is to find a replacement behavior that achieves the same purpose. If your child needs proprioceptive input and is jumping off your furniture all the time, provide them with a safe space where they can jump and bounce. If he’s constantly chewing on everything around the house, find a few things that are safe to chew on and provide that as an alternative. If she’s yelling and screaming and making crazy noises and you think you’re going to lose your mind, find a place in the house (or outside) where it’s okay for her to yell and start to put some time guidelines on it (you can make noises when you’re outside, but you only have one minute, then you need to stop and come back inside). The most important thing to remember here is that you won’t ever extinguish the behavior if you don’t come up with a replacement for it, because your child needs that sensory input and they likely won’t give up until they get it!
  4. Once you’ve found your replacement behavior, it’s time to teach appropriate vs. inappropriate. It’s not appropriate to jump on the sofa, but it is appropriate to jump on a mini trampoline. It’s not appropriate to make silly noises in a restaurant, but it is appropriate to make them when you get home and are in your room. Your child needs to know you aren’t trying to take these behaviors away from him or her – just that there’s a time and a place to take care of those needs! This can be a tricky concept to teach, so this is where guidelines and rules can be your friend. Designate a safe space for certain behaviors, safe objects to chew on, etc. and then be consistent with allowing the behaviors to happen under those conditions!
  5. Typically speaking, kids with sensory issues are either the seeking type or the avoiding type. A kid who seeks tactile input may constantly be touching you, the furniture, the walls, etc. while a kid who avoids it may dislike hugs or have a hard time with tags or seams in clothing. A kid who has an oral-seeking tendency may put everything in their mouth, while a kid who avoids oral stimulation may have a hard time with weird textures and struggle through dinner every night. Pay close attention to which one your child leans towards, because your approach will be different depending on whether they are seeking sensory input or avoiding it!

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That’s a very brief overview of sensory processing issues, and our last function of behavior! I still have one more post planned that will hopefully help tie everything together a bit and provide a few last tips and tricks. There is so much more information out there on sensory processing, and I barely made a dent in all there is to know. If you have more questions or need more information, here are some great resources that might help you out:

The Out-of-Sync Child by Carol Kranowitz

Sensational Kids by Lucy Jane Miller

Lemon Lime Adventures is a blog that has a fantastic series with a ton of information on sensory processing.

The Chaos and the Clutter also has some great posts on sensory-seeking behaviors and sensory processing disorders.