Just as adults get stressed and overloaded, so do children. But some children have what is known as Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID). Sensory integration is how our bodies integrate and respond to stimuli in our environment. Stimuli being things such as light, sound, things we touch; more or less how we process the information through our senses. SID comes in different forms. Some children are constantly smelling objects, others are extremely active and get over-stimulated in a noisy busy room, while others are impulsive and easily distracted.
There are times when these behaviors can be mistaken for something else such as a child misbehaving or acting out, when all the child is doing is trying to satisfy a craving their body has for the sensory information they are seeking. Children with SID have difficulty controlling themselves without the proper sensory input (such as jumping, running, a massage to calm them down, etc)and it is important for us to be aware of children with these behaviors.
Children who have been identified as having SID can improve with the help of an Occupational Therapist who can provide a "sensory diet" to help children receive the input they are seeking.
There is a lot to sensory integration and it is by no means a subject easily summed up in a few paragraphs. There are different forms of SID and there are great books and websites to help us learn and understand more about it. Here are a few:
"The out-of-sync child" by Carol Stock Kranowitz. http://www.out-of-sync-child.com/
Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation: www.spdfoundation.net
Sensory Integration Education and Research Foundation: http://www.sierf.org/
Even if your child doesn't have SID, they still get overloaded and overwhelmed, just as we do and they look to us to help. So help them take a few deep breaths, bring them to a quiet room or stop to smell the roses. Sometimes it's just enough to help for the moment...
