Sensory Seekers + Avoiders

Most people who know about sensory processing are familiar with the terms sensory seekers and sensory avoiders. These labels can be helpful to define seeking and avoiding behaviors, as can knowing that they are not mutually exclusive; one can be a seeker and an avoider, even within the same sensory system. 

Before we break all of this down, let’s also discuss the 8 sensory systems that we are measuring, as OTs (and an additional “sense” that I look at):

• Touch/Tactile: anything that touches the skin such as playing with messy materials, clothing preference, touch from others, textured foods
• Vision: involves processing the visual environment, clutter, being attracted to bold colors vs. neutrals, lighting, navigating “busy” visual environments
• Hearing/Auditory: includes navigating environmental situations with background noise, listening to music (preference for volume), being able to filter pertinent sounds/communication
• Movement + Balance/Vestibular: includes being able to navigate heights, experiences with feet off of the ground (swings, etc), challenges with sitting still
• Position/Proprioception: includes awareness of the body, intense experiences that stimulate the joints and muscles such as climbing, running, jumping, pulling, pushing
• Taste/Gustatory: linked with smell/olfactory, includes textures, temperatures (both also linked with touch/tactile system), spicy, bland, sweet, sour flavors
• Smell/Olfactory: linked to taste/gustatory, aversion to strong odors, can smell things others can’t, seeks smelling objects and/or food
• Internal State/Interoception: includes a link to the homeostatic functions of the body organs such as thirst, hunger, heart rate, toileting needs, temperature, breath capacity, and also emotional state
• Intuition*: involves being in tune with subtle aspects of self and environment, in tune with motives and emotions of others, being in tune with internal world (interoception) to decipher internal “signals” such as the gut instinct, being able to read others’ emotions/feelings 

It’s also important to note that many of these senses work together. For example, as many of us who have had COVID have learned, smell and taste are absolutely connected. The movement/vestibular, auditory, and visual systems are also closely connected. The position/proprioception and vestibular senses are also connected. There are many other connections; these are just a few examples. It’s also important to note that the internal state/interocpetion and intuition are challenging to label into seeking and avoiding categories, but are important to be aware of as they play important roles in our lived experiences. 

A sensory “seeker” is someone who seeks out different sensations, while a sensory “avoider” is someone who avoids different sensations. Here are some examples of sensory seeking and avoiding behaviors:

• Loves textures, loves getting messy, playing with things like slime, putty, finger paints, and even playing with foods—->avoids textures, avoids getting hands messy, resists bathing/grooming, strong preference to soft clothing, loose waistbands
• Wiggles, fidgets, can’t sit still, loves movement—–>fear of heights/swings, limited play on the playground, prefers running to climbing, tentative, watches others first
• Likes busy, bright environments, OK with noise, likes to be loud—->prefers quiet environments, small groups, wears headphones to block noises, covers ears with loud sounds.  
• Likes exploring with spices, adventurous eater, places non food objects into mouth, PICA       ——> Picky eater, likes a certain color, texture, or temperature of food, limited food choices, brand preferences (may be related to preservatives), ARFID.

To address the fact that a person can be a seeker AND an avoider, even within the same system, let’s consider an example. A person who is sensitive to loud, unexpected sounds (the auditory system) may also be noisy on purpose. This is a way for them to desensitize themselves to loud noise, while getting the benefit of the proprioceptive system (stimulation of the muscles around the lungs and intercostals to produce loud sounds, which also stimulates the Vagus nerve that elicits a relaxation response). It’s sort of like removing a bandage: it’s much easier to remove it yourself than to have someone remove it for you. 

There can also be conditional issues that influence seeking and avoiding. If someone is stressed out, has had little sleep, has had insufficient food/nutrition, or is in a challenging situation, they may not be as able to tolerate things that they typically tolerate. Just as this is true for us, it is true for our children. 

Another nuanced detail to this is that the founder of Sensory Integration therapy, Dr. A. Jean Ayres, noted that children tend to seek out the input that they need. I’ll add that they may not always seek it out appropriately (such as biting toys/clothes, or hitting others for the proprioceptive input to calm the nervous system). We also do see children seek out things to an extent that it ends up dysregulating them, and also those who avoid experiences that could actually benefit their nervous system. These are all factors that skilled OTs take into consideration when working with children. 

Furthermore, this is why, as occupational therapists, we use detailed questionnaires, and look at behavior over a period of time, versus one time. We rely on the report or presentation of the child, as well as gathering information from teachers and caregivers to get a fuller picture of how to support children with sensory processing issues across a variety of environments. Based on these sensory “profiles” and how a child is presenting at any given moment, we can adjust our OT sessions depending on where the child is at in that moment, and knowing what might support them best. 

This is one reason why planned interventions can be less effective than responding to the child’s needs in any given moment. Many parents of children with sensory processing issues understand that more “traditional” approaches, including discipline, simply don’t work as effectively with children with sensory processing issues. This is because we are basing our qualifications of “good behavior” on neurotypical individuals. 

If you have a child who is a sensory seeker, it is important to give your child opportunities to safely get what they need. If you have a child who is a sensory avoider, it is important to try and introduce these experiences in a safe and non threatening way, and consider baby steps to be a big deal. If your child’s responses to sensory experiences are getting in the way of their home, school, or social life, it is recommended to seek help form an OT skilled in sensory integration, preferably Ayres’ Sensory Integration (ASI). 

*I have added intuition as a sense; its not traditionally recognized as such