Last week I had a caregiver ask me in the TBRI® Caregiver Training Series ‘What percentage of sensory processing challenges with kids from hard places have sensory processing disorder?’ Well I ended up going down a small rabbit hole to find out more.
What I found out is that there isn't a definitive percentage of children with trauma histories or adverse experiences who have Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), but research suggests that sensory processing challenges are common in this population. SPD often coexists with trauma and attachment issues. Estimates from studies on children in foster care or adopted from institutional settings suggest that anywhere from 30% to 80% of these children exhibit significant sensory processing difficulties.
Not all children with sensory processing challenges will meet the clinical criteria for SPD, as trauma itself can create sensory sensitivities that may mimic or exacerbate sensory processing challenges. The overlap is substantial, but a formal diagnosis depends on a comprehensive assessment by occupational therapists or specialists.
Children with trauma histories often experience sensory processing challenges because trauma impacts the brain's development, particularly in areas responsible for regulating emotions, processing sensory input, and fostering attachment. I found that this information would be very helpful to our kinship caregivers so please read on to learn more about how trauma impacts sensory processing and strategies to help manage it.
How Trauma Impacts Sensory Processing:
Heightened Sensory Responses: Trauma can leave children hypervigilant, making them more sensitive to sensory stimuli like loud noises, bright lights, or certain textures. These children might perceive normal sensory input as overwhelming, triggering fight-or-flight responses.
Dissociation or Numbness: On the flip side, some children may seem under-responsive or appear numb to sensory input. This dissociation often occurs as a protective mechanism to cope with overwhelming trauma.
Mixed Sensory Responses: Children may have inconsistent sensory responses. They could be hypersensitive to some stimuli (like touch) and under-sensitive to others (like pain or movement).
Trouble with Self-Regulation: Sensory processing issues can exacerbate emotional dysregulation. Children may have trouble soothing themselves, feel easily frustrated, and have meltdowns or shutdowns when overwhelmed.
Strategies to Manage Sensory Processing Challenges in Children with Trauma:
Create Predictable Environments: Predictability and structure help reduce the overwhelm. Keeping routines and reducing chaos in a child's environment can help them feel safer and more in control of sensory input.
Use Sensory Integration Techniques: Occupational therapists often suggest sensory integration activities like swinging, deep pressure input (weighted blankets, tight hugs), or proprioceptive input (climbing, jumping) to help children regulate their senses.
Trauma-Informed Sensory Breaks: Allowing children time to pause in a quiet, calm environment helps when they are overstimulated. This might include a “sensory space” with calming elements like soft fabrics, low lighting, and soothing sounds.
Felt Safety Strategies: Using approaches from Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), focus on providing sensory experiences that build felt safety. This includes making eye contact, using a calm voice, and offering comfort through safe touch if the child is receptive.
Empathy and Co-Regulation: Trauma impacts a child’s ability to self-regulate, so caregivers may need to co-regulate with them by offering their calm presence, rhythmic breathing, or modeling how to soothe in stressful moments.
Empowerment through Choice: Giving children choices when it comes to sensory input (e.g., letting them choose a quieter room or a soft blanket) can empower them and make them feel more in control, which is vital for children with trauma histories.
Gradual Exposure to Challenging Stimuli: If certain sensory stimuli are unavoidable, slowly introducing these stimuli in a controlled, safe setting can help children build tolerance.
Address Underlying Emotional Needs: Sensory processing challenges often stem from a deeper need for emotional healing. Attachment-based therapies, trauma-informed care, and nurturing relationships are critical to long-term sensory regulation.
Resources:
Occupational Therapy: OT assessments and therapy can specifically target sensory processing issues and provide personalized interventions.
TBRI® (Trust-Based Relational Intervention): This approach offers excellent strategies for working with children from hard places who struggle with sensory and emotional regulation.
Sensory Diets: Many occupational therapists create sensory diets—personalized plans with activities to help children manage sensory overload or underload throughout the day.
In a couple of weeks watch out for a special blog on specific tools for creating a calming sensory space and more resources on TBRI's role in supporting sensory processing challenges.