Challenging behaviour? Or sensory processing difficulties?

Every child and young person needs support to help them learn or engage with activities. Some need additional or different support from those of the same age to ensure that everyone benefits from all they participate in. We want to address some of the important questions around these needs. Welcome to ‘All inclusive’.

Sometimes we think we see a child displaying challenging behaviour, yet if we take a moment to understand what is really going on we might find that it is something very different indeed. It might be that we are seeing a child who is overwhelmed with sensory processing difficulties and is unable to cope any more.

A child with sensory processing difficulties can react in ways that, at first glance, can be difficult to understand and explain. Their body is automatically reacting to their environment and their sensory input. If they become overwhelmed, this can create a ‘fight’, ‘flight’ or ‘freeze’ response. This can often be wrongly interpreted as bad or challenging behaviour.