Symptoms

• Sensory Sensitivities (Over-responsive): Covering ears around everyday sounds, disliking clothing tags, seams, or certain fabrics, strong reactions to haircuts, hair washing, or brushing teeth, extreme food texture preferences, avoiding messy play or being barefoot, and becoming overwhelmed in busy environments.

• Sensory Seeking (Under-responsive): Constantly touching things, chewing clothing or toys, crashing into furniture, seeking jumping, spinning, or rough play, wanting tight hugs/pressure, difficulty sitting still, and appearing unusually clumsy.

• Regulation & Behavioral Cues: Difficulty transitioning between activities, becoming dysregulated seemingly "out of nowhere," and experiencing meltdowns in overwhelming settings. (Note: These behaviors mean the child's nervous system is having a hard time, not that the child is being difficult).

Possible Causes

• Nervous System Integration: Sensory processing is how the nervous system receives, interprets, and responds to enormous amounts of external data (sight, sound, touch) and internal data (movement, balance, muscle tension).

• Processing Differences: Some kids find everyday sensory input overwhelming, while others need much more input (like heavy movement) before their body feels organized.

• Proprioceptive & Vestibular Factors: The brain relies heavily on the proprioceptive system (awareness of body position from muscles/joints, heavily tied to the spine) and the vestibular system (balance and movement in the inner ear) to coordinate responses.

When Chiropractic May Help

• Optimizing Sensory Input: Gentle, specific adjustments target areas of altered spinal joint movement to ensure the musculoskeletal system sends the clearest, most appropriate sensory (proprioceptive) input possible to the nervous system.

• Supporting Adaptation & Regulation: Care is designed to support better neurological adaptability and help the nervous system respond smoothly to internal and external demands (rather than trying to "adjust away" a behavior).

• Observed Outcomes: Families frequently report that children seem calmer, experience easier transitions, sleep better, handle stimulation differently, show improved coordination, and recover emotionally more easily after feeling overwhelmed.

When Medical Evaluation Is Appropriate

• Note: Sensory challenges are multifaceted and often benefit from a collaborative team. Parents should seek medical, developmental, or occupational therapy evaluations when sensory difficulties severely disrupt daily functioning, safety, speech, or overall development.

• Chiropractic care is designed to complement—not replace—other professionals like occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and physical therapists.

What to Expect

• Detailed History: Discussing pregnancy and birth history, early development, motor milestones, sleep patterns, sensory behaviors, school/daycare life, what overwhelms the child, and what helps them regulate.

• Gentle Examination: An age-appropriate chiropractic and neurological examination assessing spinal movement, posture, coordination, balance, muscle tension, and nervous-system findings (sometimes incorporating INSiGHT scanning technology).

• Adapted Pediatric Care: If chiropractic care is recommended, techniques are specific, exceptionally gentle, and fully adapted to the child’s age, size, and developmental stage.