What is Sensory Processing?

Differing Minds

25 Aug 202201:59

Summary

TLDRThis script enlightens us about the eight senses humans possess, with five well-known—sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch—and three lesser-known: the vestibular sense for balance, proprioception for self-movement awareness, and interreception for internal body state perception. It uses the metaphor of cups to illustrate how sensory input affects individuals differently, with some needing more or less stimulation to feel regulated. Understanding one's sensory profile is crucial for optimizing learning and performance.

Takeaways

👀 There are eight senses, not just the commonly known five.
👂 The vestibular sense, also known as the balance or gravity sense, is crucial for smooth movement and maintaining balance.
💪 Proprioception is the sense of self-movement, force, and body position, essential for muscle movement without conscious thought.
🌡️ Interreception allows us to understand and feel internal bodily states like hunger, thirst, pain, or the need for a toilet.
🧠 Each sense can be thought of as a 'cup' that needs to be filled with sensory input to feel regulated.
🔊 For some, a small cup for sound means they can become overwhelmed by noise quickly.
🏃‍♂️ Individuals with a large proprioception cup require more movement to feel regulated.
🤔 Understanding a person's sensory profile is vital for knowing how to support their optimal learning and performance.
📊 The size of the 'cup' for each sense can vary greatly among individuals, affecting how they perceive and react to sensory input.
🔄 Sensory input, such as sound or movement, fills up the 'cup' for each sense, contributing to an individual's regulation and well-being.

Q & A

What are the five commonly known senses?
-The five commonly known senses are sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.
What is the vestibular sense and what does it do?
-The vestibular sense, also known as the gravity or balance sense, allows us to move smoothly and helps us maintain balance while walking, running, and staying upright when sitting or standing.
What is proprioception and how does it relate to muscle movement?
-Proprioception is the sense of self-movement, force, and body position. It is present in every muscle movement, enabling us to move without constantly thinking about our next step.
What is interreception and how does it function within the body?
-Interreception helps you understand and feel what's going on inside your body, such as when you're hungry, thirsty, in pain, or need to use the toilet.
How does the concept of 'cups' relate to the regulation of our senses?
-For each of our eight senses, imagine we have a cup. To feel regulated, each cup needs to be full. Sensory input for each sense fills up the cup, and the size of the cup varies from person to person.
Why is it important to understand someone's sensory profile?
-Understanding someone's sensory profile is important to know what they need to feel, learn, and perform at their best.
How can a small cup for sound affect a person's sensory experience?
-A person with a small cup for sound may find their cup fills up quickly with a little noise, and any additional sound can feel overwhelming.
What does it mean to have a big cup for proprioception?
-Having a big cup for proprioception means a person will need lots of movement to feel regulated, as their cup takes more sensory input to fill up.
How can the concept of sensory cups be applied to support individuals with sensory processing differences?
-The concept of sensory cups can be used to tailor environments and activities to meet the unique sensory needs of individuals, helping them to feel more regulated and capable.
What are some practical ways to support someone with a small cup for a particular sense?
-Supporting someone with a small cup for a particular sense might involve reducing exposure to that sensory input, providing calm environments, or using sensory tools to help manage overload.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 Exploring the Eight Senses

This paragraph introduces the concept of eight senses that humans possess, five of which are commonly known: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. The remaining three are less familiar: the vestibular sense, which is associated with balance and movement, proprioception, which is the awareness of body position and movement, and interreception, which is the internal sense that informs us about our body's needs like hunger, thirst, and pain. The paragraph also uses the metaphor of cups to explain how sensory input affects individuals differently, with some having a higher capacity (larger cups) and others a lower capacity (smaller cups) for certain senses. Understanding a person's sensory profile is emphasized as crucial for supporting their optimal learning and performance.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Senses

Senses are the body's ways of perceiving the world around us. In the context of the video, the traditional five senses—sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch—are well-known, but the discussion also extends to three lesser-known senses that are equally important for our overall sensory experience.

💡Vestibular Sense

The vestibular sense, also referred to as the balance or gravity sense, is crucial for our ability to move without falling. It helps us maintain balance while walking, running, and staying upright during sitting or standing. The video emphasizes its role in our daily movements and the importance of this sense for our physical coordination.

💡Proprioception

Proprioception is the sense of self-movement, force, and body position. It is integral to every muscle movement, allowing us to move without constantly thinking about our actions. The video uses proprioception to illustrate how some individuals might require more movement to feel regulated, depending on the size of their 'proprioception cup'.

💡Interreception

Interreception is the sense that helps us understand and feel what's happening inside our bodies, such as hunger, thirst, pain, or the need to use the toilet. The video suggests that this internal awareness is a sense that needs to be 'full' for us to feel regulated, similar to the other senses.

💡Sensory Input

Sensory input refers to the stimuli that our senses receive from the environment. The video uses the metaphor of filling cups to explain how sensory input affects our senses, with each sense having a 'cup' that needs to be filled to feel regulated and function optimally.

💡Regulation

Regulation in the context of the video refers to the process of maintaining a balanced state of our senses. It is mentioned in relation to how sensory input affects our senses and the need for each 'cup' to be full to achieve a regulated state.

💡Cup Metaphor

The cup metaphor is used in the video to represent the capacity of each sense. Some individuals have 'big cups' that require more sensory input to feel regulated, while others have 'small cups' that fill up quickly and can become overwhelming with less input.

💡Overwhelming

Overwhelming is used to describe the feeling of sensory overload when the 'cup' for a particular sense is full and cannot handle more input. The video explains how a small cup for sound can make even a little noise feel overwhelming.

💡Sensory Profile

A sensory profile is an individual's unique set of sensory sensitivities and preferences. The video stresses the importance of understanding someone's sensory profile to know what they need to feel, learn, and perform at their best.

💡Movement

Movement is highlighted in the video as a way to regulate proprioception. It gives the example that individuals with a 'big proprioception cup' might need a lot of movement to feel regulated, indicating the role of physical activity in sensory processing.

💡Optimal Performance

Optimal performance refers to the peak level at which an individual can function, learn, and execute tasks. The video connects this concept to the need for a balanced sensory profile, suggesting that understanding and catering to one's sensory needs can lead to better performance.

Highlights

Humans have eight senses, not just the commonly known five.

The vestibular sense, also known as the balance or gravity sense, is essential for smooth movement and balance.

Proprioception is the sense of self-movement, force, and body position, present in every muscle movement.

Without proprioception, conscious thought would be required for every movement.

Interreception allows us to understand and feel internal bodily states such as hunger, thirst, and pain.

Each of the eight senses can be visualized as a cup that needs to be filled with sensory input to feel regulated.

The size of the 'cup' for each sense varies among individuals, affecting how quickly it fills with sensory input.

A small cup for sound means that a person can feel overwhelmed by noise quickly.

A large cup for proprioception indicates a need for more movement to feel regulated.

Understanding a person's sensory profile is crucial for supporting their optimal learning and performance.

The concept of sensory cups helps in tailoring environments and activities to individual needs.

The vestibular sense plays a key role in maintaining balance and coordinating movement.

Proprioception is vital for unconscious body awareness and the execution of complex movements.

Interreception is the internal communication system that informs us about our body's needs and states.

Sensory input for each sense contributes to an individual's overall sense of well-being and regulation.

Individuals with sensory processing differences may require specific accommodations to thrive.

The sensory profile concept can be applied in educational, therapeutic, and everyday settings.