Sensory processing and interoception are two important aspects of human physiology and cognitive perception that play important roles in child development. Sensory processing has to do with the way the nervous system receives, organizes and interprets information from our senses. It is vital for children to interact with and learn effectively from their environment. Interoception, on the other hand, refers to the perception, interpretation, and integration of signals originating from within the body, contributing to feelings of bodily state, emotion, and self-awareness.
Sensory processing and interoception interact to shape a child’s perception and understanding of his environment and internal bodily states. Understanding the relationship between these two phenomena can yield valuable insights into children’s cognitive and emotional development, provide clues to various developmental conditions, and provide new directions for therapeutic intervention. However, the relationship between interoceptive awareness and sensory processing in children has thus far received little attention in the empirical literature. A recent study investigates this understudied area by exploring the association between these two key factors in neurotypical school-aged children.
Methods for Sensory Processing and Interception Studies
This study is a preliminary, non-experimental exploration conducted at a single time point. Thirty-three child-parent pairs were recruited to participate, with parents’ criteria set as knowledge of their child’s daily activities, English language skills, and consent to participate. Included children were between the ages of 8 and 12 years, had typical neurological symptoms, and agreed to participate.
Parents completed a demographic questionnaire and the Sensory Processing Measure (SPM-2) to collect data on their children’s sensory processing. The SPM-2 questionnaire asks 80 questions related to eight sensory processing domains: vision, hearing, touch, and social engagement. Children filled out three self-report questionnaires to capture their interoceptive awareness: the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness—Adolescent (MAIA-Y), Three Domain Interoceptive Questionnaire (THISQ), and Interoceptive Awareness Questionnaire (IAQ). These questionnaires provide insights into aspects of interoceptive awareness, such as neutral sensations and preoccupation with unpleasant bodily sensations.
The questionnaires have been tested for reliability and validity and found to be easy to read for the target age group. Together, they contribute to a comprehensive understanding of children’s sensory processing and interoceptive awareness.
Guilt Body Chart Check
Research result
After data analysis, a significant correlation was found between sensory processing and interoceptive awareness in this study:
- Attentional regulation of vision and touch: Attention regulation refers to the ability to focus, shift, and maintain attention to bodily sensations and emotions, a key aspect of interoceptive awareness. The correlation with vision and touch means that children’s processing of visual and tactile stimuli may affect their ability to regulate attention to internal bodily sensations.
- Self-regulation through sight, taste and smell, and social engagement: Self-regulation is the ability to manage and control one’s behavior, emotions or thoughts and to change them as the situation demands. This study found correlations between this ability and the processing of visual stimuli, taste, smell and social engagement. This suggests that children’s sensory processing in relation to these factors may be related to their ability to self-regulate.
- Listen to the body through touch, taste and smell and social engagement: Body listening refers to the awareness and response to internal body signals. Correlations with touch, taste and smell, and social engagement suggest that these sensory processing factors may affect a child’s ability to tune in and respond to internal signals from the body.
- Understanding neutral bodily sensations through vision: Awareness of neutral bodily sensations refers to the perception and understanding of bodily sensations that are neither overtly positive nor negative. The study found that children’s processing of visual stimuli may be related to their awareness of these neutral feelings, suggesting a potential influence of visual sensory processing on interoceptive awareness.
- Interoceptibility with taste and smell: Interoceptive sensitivity refers to reported awareness and perceived sensitivity to internal bodily sensations. This study found a correlation between children’s processing of gustatory and olfactory stimuli and their interoceptive sensitivity, suggesting a potential role for these sensory processing abilities in shaping children’s interoceptive awareness.
Conclusions on sensory processing and interception
This study found a significant positive predictive relationship between these variables, suggesting that children’s processing of visual, gustatory, olfactory, and social stimuli can potentially predict aspects of interoceptive awareness, such as attention regulation, self-regulation, and physical listening.
For pediatric occupational therapists and physical therapists, these findings provide initial insights into the link between children’s sensory processing and their interoceptive awareness. However, it is important to remember that this study was exploratory in nature with a small sample size, so the results are introductory and should be validated by further research. This research helps inform the evidence base for occupational therapy and helps inform therapeutic strategies targeting sensory processing and interoceptive awareness.
refer to
Bishop, C., Brown, T., and Yu, ML (2023). The relationship between interoceptive awareness and executive function in school-age children: an exploratory study. british journal of occupational therapy, 86(2), 116-129.
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