Sensory Processing in Early Years — SEND & Inclusion Bronze

Module 1

The 8 senses — not just the 5 you learned at school

~8 min

Most adults were taught five senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell. There are actually eight. The three missing ones are the ones that most often drive behaviour in a nursery room.

The familiar five:

Visual (sight). Brightness, movement, patterns, faces, letters.
Auditory (hearing). Volume, pitch, sudden noises, background chatter.
Tactile (touch). Textures, temperatures, wet vs dry, clothing labels, hands-on materials.
Olfactory (smell). Nappy cream, lunch, cleaning products, another child's perfumed shampoo.
Gustatory (taste). Textures in the mouth even more than flavours — slimy, lumpy, crunchy, mixed.

The three hidden ones the JLK toolkit relies on:

6. Proprioception — the sense of where your body is in space. Comes from receptors in muscles and joints.
In the room: the child who crashes into furniture, pushes hard on other children when hugging, or seems clumsy is often proprioception-seeking. Heavy work (pushing, pulling, carrying) satisfies this sense and regulates the whole nervous system.

7. Vestibular — the sense of movement and balance. Comes from the inner ear.
In the room: the child who spins, rocks, tips upside down, or refuses to sit still is often vestibular-seeking. Swings, spinning games, and rolling on the floor are regulatory, not disruptive.

8. Interoception — the sense of what's happening inside your body. Hunger, thirst, needing the toilet, hot, cold, sick, upset stomach.
In the room: a child who wets themselves at 3 without noticing, doesn't ask for a drink until they're already crying, or eats past feeling full often has under-developed interoception. It's a real sense that develops — not carelessness.

💡 JLK principle: every child has a sensory profile. It doesn't need a diagnosis to be real — and it doesn't need a “fix”. It needs an adult who notices and adjusts.

I can name all 8 senses including proprioception, vestibular and interoception
I understand why heavy work regulates a proprioception-seeking child
I know interoception is a real sense children develop — not carelessness

Module 2

Sensory-seeking vs sensory-avoiding

~7 min

Every child sits somewhere on a spectrum for each sense. In a nursery you'll see two extreme patterns.

🔍 Sensory-seeking (under-registers input): the child's nervous system needs MORE input to feel regulated. What you see:

Crashes into things, hugs too hard, jumps off high things.
Spins, rocks, wiggles constantly.
Puts everything in their mouth.
Turns up the volume, seeks bright lights.
Bumps against other children on purpose.

Wrong response: tell them to sit still, stop being rough, calm down.
Right response: give them the input they need in a safe way — a heavy-work job, a swing, a crash mat, a chew tool.

🚫 Sensory-avoiding (over-registers input): the child's nervous system finds ordinary input overwhelming. What you see:

Covers ears at everyday sounds (hoover, hand dryer, other children laughing).
Refuses foods with certain textures — often runny, mixed, slimy.
Distress at clothing labels, seams in socks, hands wet or sticky.
Melts down in busy rooms with too much visual/auditory input.
Avoids eye contact, hugs, being touched unexpectedly.

Wrong response: force them to join in, remove the choice, dismiss as fussy.
Right response: reduce input — quiet corner, dimmed light, warning before a loud noise, a choice about textures.

The mixed profile: many children are seekers in one sense and avoiders in another. A child might seek proprioception (loves crashing) but avoid auditory input (needs ear defenders at group time). Both are real. Both need adjustment.

💡 Reframe: “fussy” is not a diagnosis. It's the word adults use when they haven't decoded the sensory profile yet.

I can spot the difference between a sensory-seeking child and a sensory-avoiding child
I understand a child can seek in one sense and avoid in another
I've reframed at least one child's “fussy” behaviour as a sensory communication

Module 3

The JLK regulation toolkit

~7 min

Regulation tools at JLK are universal, not exceptional. Ear defenders live in the room, not in one child's bag. Sand timers, chew necklaces, weighted lap pads, and a calm corner are available to any child, any day. This removes stigma and normalises the tool.

Tools for sensory-SEEKING children (increase input safely):

Heavy work: carrying a basket of blocks across the room, pushing a chair, wiping a table hard, kneading dough.
Deep pressure: weighted lap pad, tight hug (with consent), squeeze between two cushions.
Vestibular input: spinning in a chair 3–5 turns, rocking, swinging, rolling.
Oral input: chew necklace or safe chew toy, crunchy snack (cucumber, breadsticks), water bottle with sports lid to suck.
Movement breaks: jumping on a mini trampoline, running an errand, dancing.

Tools for sensory-AVOIDING children (reduce input):

Retreat space: calm corner with soft lighting, cushions, blanket, one book at a time.
Ear defenders for noisy activities (hoover, group singing, birthday parties).
Advance warning: “in 2 minutes the fire drill will start — it will be loud.”
Choice about touch: ask before hugs; offer high-five as alternative.
Simplified environment: fewer resources on the table at once; visual timetable so they know what's next.
Texture options: a spoon and a hand-covering during messy play, not a rule to touch it.

Tools for interoception development (all children benefit):

Named routines: “let's all take a wee break together” at set times.
Adult body-check questions: “are you thirsty? Take a sip anyway just to check.”
Emotion-body links in language: “my tummy feels wobbly when I'm nervous. Does yours?”

Setting up a JLK calm corner: soft floor, dimmed or covered lighting option, one weighted lap pad, a “feelings book”, 2–3 sensory toys (kinetic sand jar, sensory bottle, textured cushion), one book. Not a punishment space — a regulation space. Any child can go there any time.

I know at least 3 tools for a sensory-seeking child
I know at least 3 tools for a sensory-avoiding child
Our room has a calm corner accessible to every child, any time
Regulation tools are universal in our room, not labelled as one child's

Scenario

Reading the sensory profile

~3 min

Malik (3y 2m) has been at JLK Croydon for 4 months. His key person notices this week:

At group time, he lies on the floor and rolls sideways instead of sitting.
He hugs peers so tightly they cry.
He puts his fingers in his ears at the hoover but is fine with peers laughing.
He turns down apple slices but eats crunchy breadsticks by the handful.
He wets himself twice this week without noticing until it's puddled.

Reveal JLK sensory read + toolkit

Reading Malik's profile:

Sensory-seeking on proprioception + vestibular: rolling instead of sitting, tight hugs. He needs heavy work and movement input.
Sensory-avoiding on specific auditory input: hoover volume overwhelms him, laughter doesn't. Selective, not general.
Oral seeker: crunchy over soft. Not fussy — specific texture preference.
Interoception under-developed: not registering full bladder. Real development area, not toilet-training failure.

JLK adjustments:

Offer him a “heavy job” before group time (push the toy trolley to the carpet). Let him sit with a weighted lap pad, or lie on his tummy at the edge of the group.
Ear defenders available before hoovering. He picks them up himself.
Snack: keep crunchy options available. Don't force apple.
Toilet routine: proactive prompts every 60–90 minutes with adult body-check language: “let's check if your body needs a wee.” Not a punishment for accidents.
Peer hug: teach a “strong squeeze” on the pillow instead of the peer. Give him the input he needs, safely.

What we don't do: stop hugging (removes connection), take away breadsticks (his safe food), or shame him for wetting.

I can read a child's sensory profile from a week of observations
I know how to redirect input safely instead of removing it

Knowledge check

End-of-course quiz · 5 questions

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