My child DOES NOT CRY MUCH when she gets hurt..She simply brushes it off and moves on....

#tactilehyposensitivity #pickyeater #sensory #occupationaltherapyseremban #juliablog

In our post, Why is your child so picky with food ? We discussed tactile defensiveness or Tactile Hypersensitivity. We explored some of the common difficulties that a person with tactile sensitivities experience.

A recap....the tactile sense relates to how we perceive touch, pressure , temperature and pain.

If you are hypersensitive to touch, you may overreact to some sensations that do not bother others.

Over Reacting:

EG: A child in tears, looking terrified, yelling and kicking at the hair dressers.

Appropriate Reaction:

EG: A child sitting calmly on the chair, maybe looking bored and impatient.

Under Reaction:

EG: The hair dresser accidentally cuts the skin at the tip of the child's ears. The child does not react at all to the surprise of the hair dresser .

See quotation below: Taken from the previous post ..Why is your child so picky with food ?

"A person with sensory problems may be too sensitive to touch (tactile defensiveness) or

under-sensitive to touch-hardly feeling anything (tactile hypo-sensitivity)"

Let's look at the polar opposite of hyper-sensitivity...TACTILE HYPO-SENSITIVITY.

What is Tactile Hypo-Sensitivity?

Children with tactile hypo-sensitivity require more input to feel what others without sensory problems feel.

What does it look like?

- A child may not notice that he is being

touched unless extra forced is used to

get his attention.

- He may frequently walk around without noticing that his face is messy or that his hands are soiled.

- He usually shows NO to VERY LITTLE reaction to pain.

- Sometimes you may notice bruises on him for which he has no explanation for.

- He may be prone to burns from not feeling the heat from touching a pot on the stove.

Children with hypo-sensitivity frequently seek sensation..

- They may like to touch, press or squeeze objects or surfaces around them.

- Instead of sitting on a chair while watching TV, they may prefer to roll their bodies on the carpet.

- Prefer to sit on a bean bag rather than a couch or chair.

- They may frequently put non edible objects into their mouths like straws, bottle covers.

- In a classroom setting, we may notice

some children chewing the ends of their pencils or pens... (...also in offices ...)

- During lessons, some children may not be able to focus unless they have some object in hand that they can get sensory input from.

- It may be beneficial to provide your child with a fidget toy during lessons, especially if it will stop

her from thinking about touching something or being uncomfortable due to her sensory need.

HOW CAN YOU HELP YOUR TACTILE HYPO-SENSITIVE CHILD?

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