What are sensory processing abilities?

Sensory processing abilities are how your brain takes information from what you see, hear, touch, taste, and smell, and makes sense of it all.

Imagine your brain is like a busy chef in a kitchen, and every time something happens around you, like a loud noise or a soft hug, it’s like a new ingredient coming into the kitchen. Your brain has to decide what to do with that ingredient: use it, ignore it, or mix it with others.

Sensory processing abilities help you notice and understand everything in your world.

• If you're playing with blocks, your brain uses touch to feel the smoothness of each block.
• When a friend calls your name, your brain uses hearing to know it's them, not someone else.
• Your brain also helps you tell when something is hot or cold, loud or quiet.

Sometimes, your brain might get confused by too many ingredients at once. Like if you’re trying to listen to a story but the room is full of noisy kids, that’s like having too many things in the kitchen all at once!