6 Tips for Sensory-Avoiding Needs

Sensory avoiding is when a child or teen is hypersensitive to sensory input from the five primary senses or three “hidden” senses proprioception, vestibular, and interoception. To the untrained eye, a child who is exhibiting sensory-avoiding behavior may seem defiant—plugging his or her ears, closing his or her eyes, or running away. But Trust-Based Relational Intervention^® (TBRI^®) recognizes that these behaviors are a response to the nervous system’s distress caused by certain sensory inputs. When we have a better understanding of sensory processing—how our bodies take in and understand information from the world around us—we are more equipped to meet the needs of our kiddos and build connection with them.

The following are examples of sensory-avoiding behaviors

• Attempts to avoid specific sensory input by closing eyes in bright places or around flashing lights or covering ears during loud noises.
• Preference for familiar environments and resistance to new experiences. 
• Strong food and drink preferences.
• Withdrawal or becoming irritable with overstimulation.

As parents and caregivers, we want our children and teens to thrive in day-to-day life, and supporting them in their sensory-processing needs is integral in that. To begin, consider the ideas and insights below to better meet your children’s sensory-avoidance needs, helping them to regulate in their external environments while building connection, trust, and felt safety.  

• Spend time observing and learning more about your child’s specific sensory needs, and begin tailoring activities to meet those needs. 
• Keep a pair of noise-canceling headphones handy for your child to wear in loud environments. 
• Cut the tags out of your child’s clothing or consider letting him or her choose their own clothing and footwear. 
• Offer sunglasses when going outside or in buildings with bright or flashing lights.
• Take time to explain or talk through changes when going into a new or unfamiliar environment. 
• Remain patient and gentle in challenging situations because those will come. (If you flip your lid, your kiddo will likely follow your lead!) 

As you grow in understanding your child’s sensory-seeking needs, the common TBRI saying See the need. Meet the need. will be crucial. Build the awareness to see beyond your child’s behavior in order to meet the need behind it, and as you do, you will grow in connection with your child, building trust and felt safety. So many times, as parents and caregivers, we want our children or teens to meet us where we are, but true connection will happen when we join them where they are. ere they are.