Understanding Sensory Processing Through a Nervous System Lens: Addressing the Root Cause
Sensory processing challenges can feel overwhelming for both children and their parents. Whether a child is overly sensitive to stimuli or constantly seeking movement and touch, these behaviors can often be misunderstood as behavioral issues rather than what they truly are—a reflection of an imbalanced nervous system.
By taking a nervous system-based approach, we can begin to understand where these symptoms come from, why they persist, and how we can support healing at the root cause.
The Nervous System and Sensory Processing: Where Symptoms Begin
At the core of sensory processing lies the nervous system, which is responsible for interpreting and responding to sensory input from the environment. When the nervous system is functioning optimally, it filters, integrates, and organizes sensory information seamlessly. However, when there is an imbalance, sensory input can feel overwhelming, disorganized, or even painful.
The Role of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
The ANS is divided into two main branches that regulate our body's response to the world:
Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) – "Fight or Flight": This system is designed to protect us when under threat, helping us react quickly to danger. However, it also plays a key role in energy, excitement, exercise, and alertness. It increases heart rate, heightens senses, and prepares the body for action. When engaged properly, it helps us stay focused and responsive. However, if a child is stuck in sympathetic dominance, their body remains in high alert, making sensory input feel overwhelming and even distressing.
Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) – "Rest and Digest": This system is responsible for regulating, healing, and restoring balance. It works primarily at night to help the body recover, digest food properly, and promote deep relaxation. When engaged, it supports emotional regulation, immune function, and internal repair. If the parasympathetic system is underactive, children may struggle with digestion, immune challenges, and difficulty winding down from stress.
A healthy nervous system requires balance between these two systems. When one is dominant for too long, the other becomes insufficient, leading to dysregulated sensory processing, emotional instability, and chronic stress responses.
How Sensory Processing Is Affected by Nervous System Imbalance
Sensory processing issues arise when the body misinterprets signals from the environment. This can look like:
Sensory Avoidance: Overwhelmed by loud noises, bright lights, or certain textures.
Sensory Seeking: Constantly needing to touch, spin, or crash into things.
Difficulty with Transitions: Struggling to shift between activities or regulate emotions in changing environments.
During sympathetic engagement (fight or flight), the senses are heightened on purpose to detect potential threats. This is why children stuck in a stress response often react intensely to sensory input. Their nervous system is prioritizing survival, making the world feel chaotic and overwhelming.
The ability to move fluidly between sympathetic and parasympathetic states is key to maintaining emotional and sensory balance. However, early stressors, such as maternal stress during pregnancy, birth trauma, and stressful early life events, can throw off this balance, keeping children in a chronic state of dysregulation.
Research from Harvard University
Research from Harvard University underscores the profound impact of early-life stress on a child's developing brain and nervous system. The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard identifies toxic stress as the excessive or prolonged activation of stress response systems in the body and brain. This heightened state can disrupt the healthy development of brain architecture and other bodily systems, increasing the risk for stress-related diseases well into adulthood.
The Center further emphasizes that significant adversity early in life can alter a child's capacity to learn and adapt to stressful situations. This disruption can lead to difficulties in emotional regulation and sensory processing, highlighting the importance of addressing these imbalances promptly.
By focusing on calming the nervous system, we can help children experience the world in a more peaceful and regulated way, mitigating the long-term effects of early adversity.
For a visual explanation of how toxic stress affects early development, you might find this video insightful:
Getting to the Root Cause: Addressing Nervous System Imbalances
Many traditional approaches focus on managing behaviors, but true healing comes from addressing the physiology behind those behaviors. The key to helping a child with sensory processing challenges is to regulate their nervous system so that their body can appropriately process sensory input.
How Chiropractic Care Supports Sensory Processing Challenges
Chiropractic adjustments are a powerful tool in helping balance the nervous system by:
Regulating the Autonomic Nervous System: Adjustments stimulate the vagal nerve, which helps shift the child from sympathetic dominance into a calmer, more parasympathetic state.
Improving Brain-Body Communication: Adjustments support neuroplasticity, meaning the brain can rewire how it processes sensory information.
Enhancing Proprioceptive Input: Chiropractic care helps the body feel more grounded, improving coordination and spatial awareness.
When nervous system regulation improves, sensory processing often follows suit, allowing the child to experience the world with greater ease and adaptability.
Tools for Parents While the Nervous System is Healing
While working on the root cause, it’s important to provide supportive strategies to help children manage sensory challenges day-to-day. Here are a few tools that can help:
1. Deep Pressure & Proprioceptive Activities
Weighted blankets or compression clothing.
Pushing or pulling heavy objects.
Bear hugs and deep-pressure touch.
2. Sensory Diet
Structured activities that provide needed sensory input.
Balance of movement, deep touch, and calming activities.
Example: Swinging, jumping on a trampoline, or using a therapy ball.
3. Predictable Routines
Sensory-sensitive kids thrive on structure and predictability.
Use visual schedules or timers to help transitions.
4. Regulation Strategies
Teach breathing exercises (e.g., box breathing, belly breathing).
Encourage slow rhythmic rocking or swaying.
Use noise-canceling headphones or sunglasses in overstimulating environments.
The Role of Therapy and Chiropractic—Working Together
Therapies such as occupational therapy (OT) and speech therapy are excellent tools for helping a child develop coping skills and improve sensory integration. However, these therapies are most effective when the underlying nervous system dysfunction is addressed first.
Therapy Addresses Behavior: OT and other therapies help children build strategies for managing sensory overload and developing motor skills.
Chiropractic Addresses the Cause: Chiropractic care balances the nervous system so that sensory input is received and processed correctly, reducing the overall intensity of sensory challenges.
When these two approaches work together, children experience long-lasting results, rather than just temporary symptom management.
Healing Starts with the Nervous System
Sensory processing challenges are a sign of a nervous system out of balance, not just a child who is struggling with behavior. When we focus on calming the nervous system, we give children the ability to experience the world in a more peaceful and regulated way.
If your child is experiencing sensory challenges, chiropractic care may be the missing link in their healing journey. By restoring balance to the nervous system, we can help them shift from chaos to calm, allowing them to thrive rather than just cope.
Are you ready to explore how nervous system-based care can support your child? Schedule a consultation with us today!
What parents are saying
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "A Complete Transformation!"
"Before we started focusing on my son's nervous system health, daily life was exhausting. He would get overwhelmed by noises, have meltdowns over clothing textures, and struggle to transition between activities. Since working with a chiropractor and implementing nervous system regulation techniques, he’s so much calmer, more focused, and even sleeping better. It’s been a complete transformation for our whole family!" – Emily T.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "My Child Finally Feels at Ease"
"We had tried so many therapies, and while they helped with coping strategies, my son was still struggling at a foundational level. It wasn’t until we started addressing his nervous system with chiropractic care that we saw a real shift. His ability to handle sensory input has improved tremendously, and he no longer goes into ‘fight or flight’ mode over everyday things. I can’t thank this approach enough!" – Sarah M.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "From Daily Meltdowns to Thriving!"
"My daughter used to have daily meltdowns because sounds and textures were just too much for her. After learning about how early stressors and an overactive sympathetic system could be the cause, we started working with a chiropractor to help regulate her nervous system. She’s now thriving, happier, and so much more in control of her emotions!" – Jason L.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Wish We Had Known This Sooner!"
"I had no idea how much birth stress and early experiences could impact sensory processing. Learning about the nervous system’s role and getting our son the right care has changed everything. He is more relaxed, less reactive, and more confident in new environments. I wish we had known this sooner!" – L. R.
✅ "Ready to help your child experience sensory balance? Book a consultation with us today and take the first step toward a more regulated nervous system
