24/10/2025
✋🏼 THE TACTILE SYSTEM! ⠀
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October is Sensory Processing Awareness Month! To help spread awareness, I am sharing a series of graphics about the 8 sensory systems. ⠀⠀⠀⠀
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To get a printable version of this graphic,
🗣️Comment SENSORY and I'll send you the link directly.⠀⠀
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The tactile system is often the most commonly recognized sensory system of the body. ⠀
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It is also the one people notice most often if a child has an overactive or underactive tactile system. Anything you touch or feel is part of this system.⠀
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There are actually 3 types of tactile receptors on the skin. Light touch, discriminative touch, or pressure touch, and ones that perceive heat, cold, and pain. ⠀
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You'll notice I included a list of possible sensitivities for seekers and avoiders. This is not to be used as a diagnosis tool, purely as education. If you have concerns or questions, talk to your child's doctor and ask for an Occupational Therapy evaluation.⠀
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Some of the most common tactile sensitivities are to light touch, which is also connected to how the child feels hot, cold, and pain. It can also show in sensitivities to certain food types or areas around the mouth, which affects feeding, brushing teeth, etc. ⠀
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What are some ways you can support a child who is struggling with tactile system sensitivities? ⠀
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- Use sensory bins with various textures⠀
- Weighted blankets or lap pads⠀
- Use fidget items in the classroom or at home to help focus. Fidgets are tools, not toys. They should not be distracting to others. ⠀
- Sensory play dough or finger painting⠀
- Deep pressure, either by rolling a therapy ball across the back or squeezing the hands. This adds proprioceptive input, which can be calming or altering. ⠀
- Using a stress ball for hand squeezes⠀
- Have tag-less clothing options. Many brands are going tagless in shirts and pants, which is awesome! ⠀
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To get a printable version of this graphic, 🗣️Comment SENSORY and I'll send you the link directly.
