Occupational Therapists work with children and adults to help them better understand their sensory systems and learn how various sensory inputs can positively or negatively affect the person.
Sensory inputs come from the world and can affect each person very differently. For some people, sensory information can be over or under-acknowledged or over or under-responded to; in these situations, a person might have what would be considered sensory issues.
While most people are familiar with the basic 5 sensory systems (sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell), occupational therapists look at more systems, check as proprioception (the internal sense of awareness which helps maintain postural control and know how you are moving and where you are in space), vestibular (related to the inner ear and helps keep you balanced and coordinated), and Interoception (the awareness ow what is happening inside your body such as hunger, temperature, emotions, etc.)
Everyone has a unique profile for how they respond to each sensory system. Some people have an increased or decreased awareness of sensory information, which means they may not be as aware of the sensory inputs. For example, a person may be hyper-aware of the tag on their shirt while others may barely notice it’s there. When someone is hyper-aware of a specific type of sensory information, an occupational therapist may introduce the person to this type of input on a gradient scale where they can get exposure to that type of sensory input in small amounts while also doing something pleasurable so they don’t become upset about that input. People should never be forced into doing something they don’t like, and exposure should be slow.
Treatment will also depend on how a person responds to sensory information since a person may be hyper (over) or hypo (under) responsive. Again knowing that a person may have a wide range of responses to sensory information will determine how the treatment is approached. If a person is hyperresponsive, the occupational therapist knows that even with a small amount of sensory information presented, the person may have a tremendous response, making providing treatment on a gradient even more critical.
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