Is your child constantly on the go, a whirlwind of activity who seeks stimulation? Or do they prefer a quieter, easier pace where they avoid loud noises, bright lights, and messy play? These are what’s known as sensory preferences. Understanding whether your child’s sensory preferences tend toward seeking or avoiding input can be a powerfully effective way to help them feel calmer, stay focused, and participate more comfortably in daily routines.
What Are Sensory Preferences?
Sensory preferences in children are their individual likes and dislikes for different types of sensory input, including touch, sound, sight, taste, smell, and movement.
For example, you may have one child who loves loud music and another who may avoid it. One child may love bear hugs, another may be sensitive to touch. One child may love messy play and another may get distracted by clutter.
Understanding your child’s sensory preferences gives insight into how to support their growth, learning, and daily routines. And understanding whether they are a sensory seeker or a sensory avoider is a great first step to understanding their specific needs.
What Is a Sensory Seeker?
If your child is a sensory seeker, they crave sensory input. Their nervous system is asking for more stimulation to feel organized, regulated, and comfortable.
Common ways sensory seekers show this preference are:
- Craving movement such as climbing, jumping, spinning or bouncing
- Touching everything or enjoying rough, physical play
- Seeking out loud sounds, strong flavors, or intense sensory experiences
- Chewing on nonfood objects like shirt sleeves or pencils
- Needing to always be “on the go”
Unfortunately, sensory seekers are sometimes accused of being disruptive or too energetic when they are simply trying to meet their sensory needs. When sensory seekers get the right kind of input in safe, predictable ways, they can calm their bodies, focus better, and feel more comfortable throughout their day.
What Is a Sensory Avoider?
If your child is a sensory avoider, subtle or “typical” sensory input may be too much for them at times. Their avoidance is a protective response to discomfort, not a form of defiance.
Some behaviors linked to sensory avoidance include:
- Disliking certain clothing, food, or surface textures
- Avoiding loud or unpredictable noises
- Preferring routine and sameness
- Covering ears or eyes in busy environments
- Becoming upset during grooming tasks like hair brushing or teeth cleaning
These reactions are your child’s way of managing sensory experiences that feel intense or unpredictable. With understanding and support, avoiders can learn ways to feel safe and confident in daily activities.
Does My Child Have to Fit in a Sensory Category?
Not all kids are clearly sensory seekers or sensory avoiders, and some may display a combination of both. Sensory preferences exist on a spectrum, and many kids show a blend of patterns depending on the situation, mood, or activity. This is why it’s helpful to think of sensory preferences as a tool for understanding your child’s experience, not as a label that limits them.
For example, some kids are fine in familiar settings but may have meltdowns in crowded, unfamiliar places. Others might seek out more sensory input to help calm themselves down in certain situations, even if they are not typically sensory seekers. These responses can change based on how your child is feeling in the moment or how well they are able to self-regulate.
Knowing your child’s reactions and triggers can help you find ways to support them and help them thrive in everyday situations.
Supporting Your Child Based on Their Sensory Needs
Once you understand your child’s sensory preferences, you can better meet their needs in ways that feel right for them. Thoughtful sensory strategies can help your child feel calmer, more focused, and more at ease during daily routines.
Support for Sensory Seekers
Helping your sensory seeker involves providing safe, intense, and frequent sensory input to satisfy their high thresholds. This may include:
- Integrating daily activities that involve “heavy work” such as pushing a weighted laundry basket, carrying groceries, or doing wall push-ups
- Scheduling regular active play like jumping on a mini-trampoline or swinging
- Providing them with crunchy or chewy snacks like carrots or pretzels
- Giving them bins filled with rice, water, beads, or sand to satisfy touch cravings in a controlled way
- Having your child wear a weighted vest, use a weighted lap pad, or receive firm hugs to provide grounding
Support for Sensory Avoiders
Helping your sensory-avoiding child involves reducing overwhelming input and providing a sense of control over the environment. This may include:
- Using warm, dim lighting instead of harsh fluorescent bulbs
- Minimizing clutter in their play area
- Providing noise-canceling headphones or earplugs for loud settings, and using white noise machines to mask background noise
- Dressing them in seamless or tagless clothing and using unscented detergents
- Respecting personal space and asking before giving physical affection, like hugs
- Designating a quiet “calm-down corner” with soft pillows and weighted blankets where they can retreat when overstimulated
When to Seek Outside Support
If you are concerned that your child’s sensory preferences are interfering with their daily life or learning, pediatric occupational therapy can help. Tailored therapy supports your child in developing the skills they need to participate more comfortably and confidently in everyday routines while managing their unique sensory needs.
Through play-based sensory integration techniques tailored to your child, an occupational therapist can help your child practice regulation strategies that work for their nervous system, while building independence in daily routines and supporting success at school.
Therapists also work closely with families, offering practical ideas and strategies that can be used at home to support progress and participation.
Reach Out to Sensational Development for Support
If you feel your child needs extra support managing their sensory preferences and you are in the Massapequa or East Northport, NY, area, call Sensational Development at (516) 799-2900 to speak with an expert pediatric occupational therapist. We look forward to helping your child feel comfortable, confident, and thrive in daily life.