There are few things I enjoy more than helping people take a deep breath and realize there is hope!
Sensory Checklist
This sensory checklist is to be used as an educational tool for your own knowledge and is not a diagnostic tool.
As you look over this list you may say to yourself, “Wow! This is my child to a T.” Don’t panic! That is why you are here.
Or, you may go through the list and think, “My child a few of these behaviors but doesn’t everyone?” If this is the case, it’s a good idea to consider how your child’s behavior fluctuates from day to day and from situation to situation (especially in unpredictable situations).
The focus here is which category your child seems to have the most difficulty in and how much it interferes with their daily life. They may have a lot of check marks in one category and not many in another. This shows you that this particular sensory system is one that needs a lot of attention.
You can refer to “Why is My Kid Doing That?” for a more thorough explanation and activities to use to help build their sensory system and give them a good strong foundation to work off of.
I have to warn you…you may look through this list and realize this describes you or another loved one. It’s never too late. Knowledge is power!
Tactile Sense
Tactile sense: This system is our sense of touch which is gathered through our skin. It is our largest sensory system and plays an important role in behavior. There are two subsystems: the protective system and the discriminatory system. The protective system makes us scream and swat at a bug that we feel crawling on our legs or panic and pull our hand away quickly when we realize we have touched something that is hot. The discriminatory system tells us if something is hot or cold, soft or hard, bumpy or smooth, painful or pleasant, etc.
Over-sensitive to tactile input
- Seems to be fearful of or dislikes crowds
- Dislikes standing in lines or other situations where they will be in close proximity to others and risk being touched by them
- Dislikes having hair brushed
- Seems to get upset by minor injuries (cuts, bruises) or shots at the doctor’s office and response is out of proportion to the severity of the stimuli
- Distressed by raindrops, water falling from the shower, running through a fountain, or other situations where water may touch their skin
- Resists touch or affection from others
- Avoids getting hands dirty or messy play (dislikes finger paint, playing in sand or mud, play-do, glue, etc)
- Does not like to wear certain clothes (including undergarments and socks)
- Dislikes having face washed
- Distressed by having hair or nails cut
- Distressed by brushing teeth or going to the dentist
- Picky eater (avoids certain food textures)
- Walks on tiptoes
- Refuses to go barefoot in grass or sand
Under-sensitive to tactile input
- Touches everything
- Seems unaware of cuts, bumps, or bruises; has a high tolerance for pain
- Frequently bumps or pushes other children
- Bangs head, bites self, or picks nails
- Craves salty, spicy, or sour foods
- Seeks out messy play and getting their hands dirty
- Frequently puts non-food objects in their mouth
- Repeatedly touches objects or textures that they might find soothing (i.e. a favorite blanket or stuffed animal)
Difficulty with tactile discrimination and perception
Tactile discrimination: Distinguishing between the characteristics of the sensory input (hot/cold, sharp/dull, smooth/rough, etc). Discrimination problems can lead to difficulty with skills and coordination.
Perception: Recognizing and interpreting tactile input (touch) in a way that will help us understand and learn from that input and then motivate us toward a certain action or reaction. We must correctly perceive the input to be able to make meaning out of it and apply it toward motor skills.
- Has difficulty with fine motor tasks such as buttoning, zipping, tying shoes
- Has difficulty using scissors, crayons, and silverware
- Puts things in their mouth to explore them (after the age of 2)
- Has difficulty identifying an object simply by feeling it (needs to use vision to help)
Vestibular Sense
Vestibular sense: Through information gathered via a mechanism in the inner ear, this sense tells us where our head is in relation to gravity by processing motion or change of head position. This system detects motion and gravity, and gives us our sense of balance. It can also give us information regarding the acceleration or deceleration of our bodies. This system is how we develop and comprehend the relationship of our body to the rest of the world.
Over-sensitive to vestibular input
- Prefers sedentary tasks or tasks that don’t involve much physical movement
- Moves slowly and with caution
- Appears weak
- Fearful of their feet leaving the ground and of falling (even when there is no real risk involved)
- Avoids playground equipment such as swings, slides, or ladders
- Appears clumsy
- Loses balance easily
- Difficulty balancing on one foot or walking on a balance beam, curb, etc
- Avoids activities that involve spinning (i.e. merry-go-rounds, ring around the rosy, carnival rides)
- Did not like “tummy-time” as an infant
- Fearful of, or has difficulty with activities that require balance such as riding a bike or scooter
- Dislikes elevators or escalators
- Is fearful of going up or down stairs
- Gets car sick easily or frequently
Under-sensitive to vestibular input
- Always “on the go”; can’t sit still
- Appears to be a “thrill-seeker”; seems to gravitate toward activities that seem dangerous
- Even while sitting, is rocking, tapping a foot, and moving around in chair
- Seeks out activities that involve movement (especially fast and intense movement)
- Could swing for days if you let them
- Does not appear to get dizzy even after long and intense episodes of spinning
- Never walks; is always running or jumping to get where they need to go
- Always jumping, spinning, or hanging upside down
- Bangs head on purpose
Poor muscle tone or coordination
Muscle tone: Amount of tension in the muscles (not, strength, but tension)
Coordination: Gross motor or fine motor. Poor awareness of how your body is moving, will lead to coordination deficits
- Appears “floppy”; arms and legs appear hyper-flexible
- Fatigues easily
- Slumps in chair, lies head on desk, or props head on hand while seated
- “W sits”-while seated on floor vs. sitting “criss-cross applesauce”
- Has difficulty holding “superman” position (lying on stomach and simultaneously holding head up, arms up and straight out in front of them, and legs up off of the ground with straight knees)
- Has trouble catching themselves when falling
- Has difficulty putting clothes on and with buttons, zippers, tying shoes, etc
- Bumps into things, knocks things over, or trips frequently
- Seems to have difficulty learning how to move their body to learn a new exercise, sports skill, jump over something, etc
- Has difficulty with or is fearful of catching balls
- Has difficulty with gross motor skills such as kicking a ball, jumping jacks, hopping on one foot, etc
- Has difficulty with fine motor skills and using “tools” such as a pencil or crayon for writing or coloring, using scissors to cut, lacing or tying shoes, using silverware to eat, etc
- Did not crawl as an infant
- Has not established hand dominance by the age of 4 or 5
Proprioceptive Sense
Proprioceptive sense: This is our “position” sense as it processes the information gathered through our muscles, ligaments, and joints to tell us the position of our body. Proprioception helps us to motor plan (figure out what our body needs to do in order to move a certain way), have motor control (our body doing what our brain tells it to do), have postural stability and a sense of safety during movement, and allows us to grade our movements or make adjustments to the pressure, strength, or intensity we use when handling an object
Under-sensitive to proprioceptive input/Proprioceptive seeking behaviors
- Seeks out activities that involve jumping, bumping, and crashing
- Falls on the ground purposely and frequently
- Frequently bumps, hits, or pushes others
- Chews on non-food items frequently; “shirt chewer”
- Stomps feet when walking
- Has difficulty sitting still in a chair; constantly tapping foot on floor, tapping pen on desk,etc
- Enjoys being hugged tightly and firmly
- Loves jumping off of furniture and high places
- Loves pushing, pulling, or carrying heavy objects (such as carrying a heavy backpack, pushing a vacuum, pushing heavy furniture, pulling a wagon, etc)
- Grinds teeth
- Would jump for hours if able
- Loves roughhousing, tackling, or wrestling
- Likes clothing to be tight
Difficulty grading movements
Grading movements: Involves making adjustments to the pressure, force, strength, or intensity needed to complete a task.
- Presses too hard when writing or erasing
- Written work is often messy
- Plays with others with too much force, often hurting them
- Seems to do everything with too much force (such as walking, slamming doors, slamming down objects, squeezing too tightly, etc)
- Frequently breaks or drops things
- Does not seem to understand the concepts of “light” and “heavy”
Auditory Sense
Auditory sense: This system involves the information gathered through our ears. Processing of auditory information includes the ability to separate sounds heard in one ear from the other and allows us to discern sounds (such as the teacher talking from background noise in the classroom).
Over-sensitive to auditory input
- Seems overly sensitive to sounds
- Distracted by environmental sounds (such as lawnmowers, music, people talking, etc)
- Distracted by background noises (such as the air conditioner, a fan, a clock ticking, etc)
- Distressed by loud noises (buzzers at a ball game, movie theater, music concerts, etc)
- Fearful of sounds such as a hairdryer, vacuum, toilet flushing, hand dryer, dog barking, etc
- May run away, cry, or cover ears with loud or unexpected noises
Under-sensitive to auditory input
- Does not respond to name being called
- Always making noises, talking to themselves, or humming just for the sake of making noises
- Loves loud sounds (TV, movie theaters)
- Appears oblivious to certain sounds
- Has trouble following verbal instructions
Taste and Smell
Over-sensitive to tastes and smells
- Gags with foods of certain textures
- Avoids certain tastes or smells; prefers bland food
- Resists having dental work done
- Will only eat hot or cold food
- Reacts negatively to odors in public (restaurants, stores) or at home (cooking, cleaning supplies)
- Is bothered by the scent of lotions, soaps, perfumes, and shampoos
Under-sensitive to tastes and smells
- Does not seem to notice odors and smells (which may be a safety concern)
- Prefers foods with intense flavors
- May lick, taste, or chew on inedible objects
- Does not notice unpleasant odors
Visual System
Over-sensitive to visual input
- Prefers dim lights
- Avoids eye contact
- Is distracted by other visual stimuli in the room (decorations, movement, windows, etc)
- Has difficulty keeping eyes focused on a task for an appropriate amount of time
Under-sensitive to visual input
- Has difficulty following a moving object, such as a ball, with their eyes
- May complain of having tired eyes
- Often loses their place while reading or copying written work
- Has difficulty locating objects among other items (clothes in a drawer, food on a shelf, toys in a bin, etc)
- Reverses certain words or letters when copying or reads words backwards after the first grade (such as “on” for “no” or “top” for “pot”)
Interoceptive System
Interoceptive sense: This system provides us with sensations from internal sensors near our organs including our heart, stomach, bowel, and bladder. It tells us how we feel inside as it gives us information regarding our heart rate, hunger, thirst, digestion, state of arousal, mood, etc.
- Has frequent muscle aches or pain
- Frequently complaining of vague discomfort
- Severe mood swings with moods that can change quickly
- Difficulty regulating thirst or hunger; always thirsty/hungry or never thirsty/hungry
- Difficulty potty training; does not seem to feel the sensation when it is time to go
- Can switch quickly from one state of arousal to another (i.e. lethargic to hyper, overstimulated to under stimulated)
Self-regulation
Self-regulation: Self-regulation is the way in which we manage and cope with situations that are emotional in nature; situations that require us to monitor, adapt to, or change how we act or react on a moment to moment basis.
- Difficulty getting along with peers
- Prefers playing alone
- Difficulty accepting changes in routine
- Easily frustrated
- Impulsive
- Uses tantrums to express themselves
- Avoids eye contact
- Has difficulty playing independently (needs adult guidance)-over the age of 18 months
- Excessive irritability or fussiness as an infant
- Has difficulty self-soothing/calming
- Has difficulty falling asleep; needs a lot of adult help to calm self in order to go to sleep
- Wakes up frequently through the night and needs adult help to go back to sleep
- Has difficulty forming bonds/relationships with familiar people
The Sensor Checklist is adapted from: www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/sensory-processing-disorder-checklist.html
