Occupational Therapy

Sensory Processing Red Flags Every Parent Should Know

Wellness Experts · May 2026

Every child covers their ears at a fire alarm. But when everyday sounds, textures, lights or movement consistently overwhelm your child — or barely register at all — you might be looking at sensory processing differences. They're common in autistic children and children with ADHD, and they're one of the most misread behaviours in childhood: what looks like defiance is often a nervous system doing its best in an environment that feels too loud, too bright, or too unpredictable.

Signs a child may be over-responsive

• Distress at haircuts, nail trims, tooth-brushing or hair-washing that doesn't ease with familiarity
• Refusing whole categories of food by texture rather than taste
• Clothing battles — seams, tags, socks, waistbands
• Covering ears or melting down in shopping centres, assemblies or parties
• Avoiding messy play, grass, sand or glue

Signs a child may be under-responsive or seeking

• Constant crashing, jumping, squeezing into tight spaces, chewing on clothing
• Not noticing a scraped knee, a full nappy, or being called by name
• Spinning or rocking without getting dizzy or bored
• Pressing too hard — on pencils, on other kids, on the dog

When to act

One or two of these in isolation is just childhood. The pattern worth acting on is interference: the sensory stuff is limiting where your family can go, what your child can eat, how they're coping at school, or how they feel about themselves. Teachers describing your child as "distracted", "rough" or "shut down" is often the first flag raised outside the home.

What actually helps

An occupational therapist starts with a proper sensory profile — mapping which systems are over- or under-responsive — then builds practical strategies into the places your child actually struggles: home routines, the classroom, the playground. That might mean environmental changes, a "sensory diet" of regulating activities, or gradual, playful exposure. The goal is never to force tolerance; it's to give your child's nervous system what it needs so learning and connection become possible.

If parts of this article felt like reading about your own child, trust that instinct — early support changes trajectories.