Tactile Processing - Touch and movement issues

Touch is one of the five traditional senses and is part of the somatosensory system that also includes the sense of pressure, vibration, temperature and pain. We have about 5 million receptor cells in total. These receptor cells are not only located in our skin, but also in our internal organs, joints and muscles. By combining the sense of touch with information from our other senses we can detect and direct movement.

Touch is the earliest sense to develop in the foetus and is more important to sustaining life than either vision or hearing. It helps us assess potential danger and therefore often overrides other sensory input. Touch between people communicates distinct emotions such as anger, fear, happiness, sympathy, love, and gratitude. The modern educational system does not pay much attention to either touch or movement, but many people are easily distracted by touch or can learn and perform better whilst moving.

Many people get distracted by tight fitting clothes, labels or the feel of certain materials. Others may loose concentration by itches or an uneasiness or restlessness in parts of the body. Some have a strong dislike of being touched lightly, but like the sense of deep pressure when being hugged. Over or under-sensitivity to pain, heat or cold can also contribute to an overall feeling of uneasiness.

In a learning environment we ideally receive little information from our skin or internal body parts as we are then able to concentrate on the visual and auditory information being presented to us. Some of the negative influences caused by our sense of touch can be reduced by adjusting our environment, such as choosing the right clothes or furniture, but most of these filtering and processing difficulties can only be addressed by changing the way the brain processes somatosensory information.

The five senses – hearing, vision, touch, smell and taste – plus our sense of balance and where our body is in the space around us (proprioception) all contribute to how we learn and develop. How the brain receives, filters, processes and interprets the signals from these senses determines how we perceive reality and how we react, behave and express ourselves. The SAS methods are specifically designed to strengthen sensory processing and improve inter-hemispheric synchronisation and communication. The structured training and coaching programmes improve speech & pronunciation, reading & writing, attention & understanding and lead to better behavioural, social and emotional expression.

If you are interested in overcoming limitations, boosting achievement and creating a happier life, then find out how SAS is helping children and adults of all abilities become more successful:

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