Why does one child seem to constantly seek movement while another avoids the noisy school cafeteria?
Why might a child chew on their pencil, cover their ears, wiggle throughout a lesson, crash into furniture, or need extra time before joining an activity?
These behaviors can sometimes be connected to sensory processing and regulation.
Sensory processing is part of everyday life. Our nervous systems are constantly receiving information from our bodies and the environment, deciding what is important, and helping us respond.
For children, differences in sensory processing can influence participation in everything from sitting in the classroom and completing schoolwork to getting dressed, playing with friends, eating meals, and transitioning between activities.
Instead of simply asking, “How do we stop this behavior?” it can be much more helpful to become curious about what the child may be communicating and what support might make participation easier.
What Is Sensory Processing?
Sensory processing refers to how the nervous system receives, organizes, and responds to sensory information.
We often think about the five familiar senses:
- Touch
- Sight
- Sound
- Smell
- Taste
But sensory processing also includes several important internal sensory systems.
Vestibular input provides information about movement, balance, and the position of the head in space.
Proprioceptive input provides information from the muscles and joints and helps us understand where our body is and how much force we are using.
Interoception provides information about what is happening inside the body, such as hunger, thirst, temperature, fatigue, needing to use the bathroom, or changes associated with emotions and stress.
All of these systems work together throughout the day.
Sensory Processing Looks Different for Every Child
There isn’t one specific way a child with sensory differences will behave.
One child may seek lots of movement.
Another may become overwhelmed by unexpected touch.
A child may tolerate noise during a favorite activity but find the same volume overwhelming when they are tired or already managing many other demands.
You might notice a child:
- frequently moving, jumping, rocking, spinning, or crashing
- chewing on clothing, pencils, or other objects
- covering their ears around certain sounds
- avoiding messy textures
- seeking tight hugs, pressure, pushing, or pulling
- having difficulty remaining seated for certain classroom activities
- preferring particular clothing or avoiding certain textures
- becoming overwhelmed in busy environments
- seeking small or quiet spaces
- having difficulty recognizing when their body needs a break
- needing movement before or during challenging tasks
These observations aren’t automatically a problem that needs to be eliminated.
They are information.
The goal is to understand what may be contributing to a child’s participation and determine what supports, accommodations, environmental changes, or sensory experiences may help.
If you’re trying to determine whether sensory processing may be one piece of what you’re observing, my Is There a Sensory Component to Behavior? resource was created to help therapists and educators think through these patterns more systematically.
What Does Sensory Processing Have to Do With Self-Regulation?
Sensory processing and self-regulation are closely connected, but they aren’t exactly the same thing.
Self-regulation involves managing changes in our internal state so that we can participate in what we need and want to do.
Sensory input is one factor that can influence that state.
Think about your own day.
You may concentrate better after getting up and walking around. You might turn down the radio when you’re trying to navigate an unfamiliar area. You may dim the lights when you have a headache or wrap yourself in a blanket when you’re relaxing.
Children also develop preferences and strategies that help their bodies feel comfortable, organized, alert, or calm.
The difference is that children may not yet recognize what their bodies are telling them or have the language, autonomy, or available tools to respond.
That’s where supportive adults can help.
Regulation Isn’t the Same as Being Calm
This distinction is important.
The goal of sensory support should not be to make every child quiet, still, and compliant.
A regulated child can be excited.
A regulated child can move.
A regulated child can stim.
A regulated child can need to stand while learning.
Regulation is about having enough support to participate, communicate, connect, learn, play, and complete meaningful everyday activities.
Sometimes a child needs calming input.
Sometimes they need alerting input.
Sometimes they need movement.
Sometimes they need less sensory information altogether.
The question becomes:
What does this child need right now to participate successfully?
Start With Observation Before Choosing a Sensory Strategy
It’s tempting to see a child having difficulty and immediately offer a sensory activity.
But sensory strategies aren’t one-size-fits-all.
Start by observing.
Ask questions such as:
What is happening?
What is the child doing, avoiding, seeking, or communicating?
When does it happen?
Is there a pattern related to certain environments, activities, people, times of day, or transitions?
What sensory information is present?
Consider noise, lighting, movement, touch, visual stimulation, body position, crowding, smells, and other environmental factors.
What is the demand?
Sensory needs don’t exist separately from task demands. Consider communication, motor, executive functioning, emotional, social, and cognitive demands too.
What happens when support is provided?
Does movement help? Does reducing noise help? Does changing the seating position help? Does more predictability help?
Looking for patterns can be much more useful than simply creating a long list of sensory activities.
For school-based OTs, this same problem-solving approach can be incorporated into tiered supports. I talk more about this in Occupational Therapy MTSS & RTI: School-Based OT Strategies.
Sensory Regulation Strategies for Kids
Once you have a better understanding of what a child may need, there are many ways to support regulation.
1. Provide Opportunities for Heavy Work
Heavy work generally involves activities that provide proprioceptive input through pushing, pulling, lifting, carrying, climbing, or working against resistance.
Depending on the child, examples might include:
- carrying classroom materials
- pushing a loaded cart
- pulling a wagon
- climbing playground equipment
- animal walks
- moving books
- helping rearrange lightweight classroom equipment
- using resistance bands
- pushing against a wall
Whenever possible, incorporate movement into real routines and meaningful activities rather than treating sensory input as something that always has to happen separately.
For students who enjoy resistance-based movement, my Therapy Band Cards for Kids provide visual exercises that can be used to incorporate proprioceptive input and movement into small spaces.
2. Build Movement Into the Day
Some children benefit from having regular opportunities to move.
Movement could include:
- walking to deliver something
- standing while working
- stretching
- chair or desk-based movement
- playground activities
- short movement breaks
- changing working positions
- using flexible seating when appropriate
Movement doesn’t have to mean leaving the classroom for a long sensory break.
Sometimes a small change in how a child participates is enough.
For a playful whole-class, small-group, or individual option, Roll the Dice Movement Breaks provides simple movement activities that can be incorporated into the school day.
3. Consider the Environment
Sometimes the most effective sensory strategy is changing the environment rather than asking the child to tolerate it.
Consider:
- reducing unnecessary visual clutter
- providing access to quieter spaces
- adjusting lighting when possible
- changing seating location
- allowing headphones or other sound-reducing options when appropriate
- providing adequate personal space
- making sensory tools easily accessible
Environmental accommodations can reduce demands before a child becomes overwhelmed.
I have a much larger list of ideas in 50+ Accommodations to Support Students with Sensory Processing and Regulation Challenges.
You may also want to explore Occupational Therapy Classroom Accommodations for IEPs for accommodations across sensory, fine motor, visual motor, handwriting, movement, and classroom participation.
4. Support Body Awareness
Children may need support noticing and interpreting signals from their bodies.
Instead of only asking, “How do you feel?” try helping children notice concrete body information.
For example:
“My hands are squeezing tightly.”
“My heart is beating faster.”
“My body wants to move.”
“My shoulders feel tight.”
“My eyes feel tired.”
Over time, children can begin connecting body signals with strategies that feel supportive.
My How Does My Body Feel and What Coping Tools Can I Use? resource takes this a step further by helping children explore body clues and identify strategies that may work for them.
5. Offer Choices
Rather than deciding what a child needs every time, help the child develop agency.
You might offer choices such as:
“Would movement or a quiet space feel better?”
“Do you want to sit, stand, or work on the floor?”
“Would pushing the wall or carrying something heavy feel good to your body?”
A strategy is only helpful if it is actually helpful for that child.
Visual choices can make this process more concrete. My Sensory Diet Visuals include 60 visual sensory strategy choices that can be used to help individualize sensory supports.
Sensory Processing in the Classroom
School can be an incredibly sensory-rich environment.
Think about everything happening during a typical school day:
chairs moving, fluorescent lights, bells, crowded hallways, classroom conversations, art materials, playground movement, lunchroom smells, assemblies, unexpected touch, transitions, and changing expectations.
At the same time, students are expected to listen, write, organize materials, interact with peers, transition, problem-solve, and learn.
For some students, sensory accommodations can make those environments more accessible.
Classroom supports might include:
- flexible working positions
- planned or child-initiated movement opportunities
- access to sensory tools
- reduced sensory distractions
- visual supports
- predictable routines
- heavy-work classroom jobs
- quiet spaces
- alternative seating options
- opportunities to recognize and communicate sensory needs
The best support depends on the individual student, activity, environment, and goal.
For even more classroom ideas, read 50+ Accommodations to Support Students with Sensory Processing and Regulation Challenges.
Students with ADHD may also benefit from individualized movement, sensory, environmental, and executive functioning supports. I share more ideas in ADHD Classroom Accommodations: Practical Strategies for School.
Teach Children to Understand Their Own Sensory Needs
One of the most valuable things we can do is move from adults constantly regulating the environment for children toward helping children understand themselves.
Instead of:
“You need a sensory break.”
We can gradually work toward:
“What is your body telling you?”
and
“What might help?”
Children can learn to recognize their sensory preferences, communicate discomfort, request accommodations, choose strategies, and advocate for what helps them participate.
That is a much more meaningful long-term goal than simply teaching a child to use a predetermined coping tool.
Looking for Sensory Processing and Self-Regulation Resources?
If you’re an occupational therapist, teacher, special education professional, or parent looking for practical tools, I created my Sensory Processing & Self-Regulation Bundle to put many of these supports in one place.
The bundle includes 15 sensory processing and self-regulation resources, including:
- sensory processing education and visuals
- tools for exploring whether sensory needs may be contributing to behavior
- child sensory self-evaluation questions
- sensory processing evaluation materials
- sensory diet visuals
- heavy-work activities and visuals
- classroom movement and calming strategies
- in-seat movement activities
- flexible seating visuals
- resistance-band activities
- breathing lessons and activities
- body-awareness and coping tools
- self-regulation information for parents and teachers
Rather than searching for a different resource every time a sensory question comes up, the bundle gives you a collection of tools you can pull from based on the individual child and situation.
Explore the Sensory Processing & Self-Regulation Bundle →
Supporting Regulation Starts With Understanding the Child
Sensory processing isn’t about finding the perfect sensory activity or making a child appear calm.
It’s about understanding how that child’s nervous system interacts with the environment and identifying supports that help them participate in everyday life.
Observe.
Stay curious.
Offer choices.
Change the environment when appropriate.
Help children recognize their own bodies and preferences.
And remember that the goal isn’t for every child to regulate in the same way.
The goal is to help each child discover what works for them.
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