Hi, my name is Melany and I'm a pediatric occupational therapist with Alberta Health Services.
In other videos in this series, you learned about the senses, sensations, sensory processing, sensory thresholds, and habituation.
But what happens when the brain and the body get too much sensory input?
Sensory overload.
This is when the sensations coming into your child's brain are too much and their brain gets overwhelmed or overloaded.
These overwhelming sensations are usually from your child's external senses.
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Imagine all the different thresholds for your child's external senses getting triggered at the same time.
Using the cup example, all their cups are full and start overflowing.
Their brain can't keep up with processing all the sensations.
If your child has lower thresholds or lower tolerance for a sensation, it takes less sensory input for this to happen.
Even people with high thresholds can experience sensory overload.
Sensory overload can happen to anyone.
Adults usually notice when they're getting overwhelmed by sensations, and they can leave or withdraw from the sensory input before they get completely overloaded.
They withdraw and give themselves time to reset their brains.
Your child may struggle to realize they are getting overwhelmed by sensation, and they won't always be able to leave or withdraw from sensation.
When they can't leave and don't realize they're getting overwhelmed, it's more common to see sensory overload.
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When your child's brain gets overwhelmed with sensory information, it can't keep up.
It protects itself by going into fight, flight, or freeze mode.
This is when your child may have a meltdown or a shutdown.
A meltdown is an intense tantrum.
It can seem like it comes from nowhere.
Your child's fight or flight mode is trying to protect them.
A shutdown is when your child can't respond.
This is the freeze response taking over.
These responses are involuntary.
This means your child can't control it.
With a meltdown or a shutdown their brain and body are telling us that the sensations are too much for them.
When your child is experiencing sensory overload, they can't process sensory input.
This means that they can't process or respond to your words, what they see, or possibly even your touch.
Their brain needs time, and possibly help, to reset.
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In addition to sensory overload, your child may have a fight, flight, or freeze response if they feel big emotions, like being scared, angry, sad, or anxious, or if they're feeling tired, sick, or hungry.
When your child has a fight, flight, or freeze response, like a meltdown or a shutdown, you can help.
Recognize that this is a stress response, not a behavior.
Your child's brain is overwhelmed.
The fight, flight, or freeze response is the brain trying to protect itself.
This isn't a choice.
Your child doesn't enjoy this, and they don't choose to get overwhelmed.
Children frequently can't withdraw or leave a situation when sensations are too much for them.
Figure out the ‘why’ if possible.
Are they feeling OK?
Is this a reaction to emotions?
Is this a response to sensations?
Or a combination.
If it's a response to sensations, reduce the sensory input.
Make the room quieter, turn down the lights, and move to a comforting space.
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Remember that the fight, flight, or freeze response can be very intense and make your child's brain very tired.
Don't be surprised if your child falls asleep or seems tired afterwards.
The brain needs sensation.
It's fuel for the brain.
Your child's 8 senses take in sensations from the outside and inside their body.
Their brain then processes the sensations.
Each one of us processes sensations differently because the brain uses our experiences and history to understand sensations.
This means everyone has sensations that they like and sensations they don't like.
The likes and dislikes are unique to each person.
In addition to these preferences, people need different levels, or intensity, of sensation to notice or register it in their brain.
The amount of intensity needed is the sensory threshold.
Thresholds can be low, high, or most often somewhere in between.
When the sensation coming into the brain is too much, or all the thresholds are triggered, this can overwhelm the brain and result in sensory overload.
If you're looking for more information about sensory processing, please visit ahs.ca/pedrehab for more resources.
Thank you for watching.
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