An Overwhelmed and Overstimulated Brain

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“Their tantrums are out of control.”

“They can’t handle the loud sounds or the constant chatter of their siblings.”

“The seams on their socks bother them. Their sleeves have to go down to their wrists.”

“Broccoli and carrots cause them to scream as if they are being hurt so they only eat salty and soft foods like chicken nuggets and french fries.”

We have heard all of these plus so many more about sensory kiddos. What makes them so sensitive?

Think about sensory input as water flowing into a cup. The brain is the cup. A neuro-typical brain that does not get overwhelmed by sensory input is like a cup with a big hole in the bottom. Water goes in and water flows out.

An overwhelmed and overstimulated brain is like a cup with a very small hole in the bottom. Water goes in and has a very hard time coming out of the hole in the bottom. Therefore, the water overflows! The overflowing sensory input, or overflowing water in their cup, results in their tantrums, food aversions, and sensitive nature to clothing. They react and overreact because the stress of the sensory input has to dissipate, and it is the only way their nervous system knows how to adapt.

The question we address is, “How can I make the hole bigger in the bottom of their cup?”

How can we allow their brain to better adapt and handle sensory input?

We focus on balancing the brain and getting them out of stress-mode.

It’s what we do everyday with sensory kiddos at Pure Light.The results are life changing for kiddos and families!