Using Your 8 Senses
Okay! Many of your know the 5 senses. But let me tell you, there are actually 8 senses that our bodies use to regulate and I’m going to tell you about them. First, let’s label and define all of them.
Vision - the ability to see with one’s eyes. Cones are the part of our vision that see color and detail. Rods are the part of our vision that see movement out of the corner of our eyes, and black & white.
Auditory - the ability to hear with one’s ears.
Vestibular - the ability for the body to tell one’s own head position. The is rotational (spinning) and linear (back and forth).
Gustatory - the ability for the body to taste. There is sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami.
Olfactory - the ability for the body to smell.
Proprioceptive - the ability for the body to feel a sense of push and pull on the joints. The feeling of one’s own body in the space around you. There is both compressive (smushing) and traction (pulling) based input.
Tactile/Touch - the ability for the body to feel through the skin. There are two types of touch: light vs. deep
Interoception - the ability for the body to communicate with your brain to tell you what it needs. Examples include: the feeling of hunger, feeling cold vs. hot, knowing when to use the bathroom)
Okay, now that you know what they all are…Let’s try to make some sense of this. EVERYONE has sensory needs of the body. The difference is, some people need help regulating from caregivers and therapist’s like me, and some people figure it out as they age on their own. See my Instagram @canoe.community and scroll down until you see the house posts. Here I list some activities that you can do at home with your little one to encourage relation and sensory exploration. Below, I am also going to list some examples. This is not an exhaustive list by any means!
Example: My 4-year-old will not stop spinning. They keep going and going for about 15 minutes. After they spin, I noticed they appear calm and will watch a TV show with me. In this example the child is seeking rotational vestibular input to regulate their nervous system in the form of a stim. Once regulated they are able to sit down and have some bonding time with their caregiver. In this example the stim is not hurting themselves or others, it should not be bothered. Leave them alone and let them regulate.
Example: My 7-year-old is really rough. He doesn’t appear to know what his body is doing and has a tendency to apply too much force to something which causes it to break. He also tends to be too rough with other children when he tries to play and because of this has trouble making friends. This child sounds like their having trouble with their proprioceptive system. Some acitvities that might help them re-orient to their body could be wheel-barrow walks, wall pushes, lifting something heavy and holding, hanging from the monkey bars. Try doing these before they have a play date and see if they do any better. If they’re still having trouble, you may need an evaluation from an Occupational Therapist.
Example: My 15-year-old smashes their head repeatedly onto the ground when they become overwhelmed. They will do so until they are bleeding. I am not sure what to do, I don’t want people to think I’m abusing my teen. In this example, the teen is seeking proprioceptive, vestibular, and tactile input to regulate but is choosing a dangerous one. This is an activity that does have to change. Try putting a pillow or something soft beneath them to mitigate the force applies to the head. A protective helmet also may be needed. You may even have to hold your child so that they cannot hit their head any longer. Then redirect them to another hard input like rough play that encourages push and pulling on the body and head with changes in head position like spinning. This is a tricky example! Some ideas I’ve listed here may help but in this case, please seek out an evaluation from an Occupational Therapist.
-Holly Ross, MOT/OTRL/WSI
