TeleTots

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Addressing Tactile Defensiveness

Lauren Maeder, MOT, OTR/L

What is it? How can it be identified?

Tactile defensiveness, or touch sensitivity, are terms often used to describe someone when they don’t like interacting with certain textures. This can often look like being bothered by tags in clothing, seams in socks, avoiding touching anything “messy”, or disliking being touched by others.  

Humans are constantly taking in sensory information from our skin, and if some forms of this stimuli occasionally bother you that doesn’t automatically mean that you have tactile defensiveness – just as some people don’t enjoy the texture of bananas or certain fits of shoes, and there is nothing wrong with that! Everyone has different sensory systems and responds to stimuli differently and that’s okay. However, tactile defensiveness becomes something that should be made aware of and addressed if it is regularly interrupting one’s ability to participate in their daily activities, usually resulting in dysregulation or significant upset consistently.

This often can look like:

  • Not being able to participate in art and crafting tasks similarly to peers without becoming upset or dysregulated.

  • Refusal to eat or self-feed with foods of certain textures.

  • Tantrums or dysregulation with grooming tasks (hair brushing, washing hair, nail clipping, tooth brushing, etc.).

  • Avoidance of wearing certain clothing materials.

  • Becoming upset with walking barefoot across various mediums (upset or avoidance of walking on sand vs grass).

 

Strategies:

Sensory Brushing Protocols

The Wilbarger Deep Pressure and Proprioceptive Technique (DPPT) consists of strategic sensory brushing routines followed by joint compressions and has been shown to have an array of benefits – such as increased focus, self-control, self-organization, motor coordination, and decreased sensitivity to tactile stimuli!

This protocol involves strategically delivering deep tactile input, followed by joint compressions. These are used together to target touch receptors and help to organize the central nervous system. When starting this process, there is a strict protocol that should be followed and that should only be completed after being prescribed and demonstrated by a trained occupational therapist. With this being said, some children find comfort in casual and self-provided inputs from a sensory brush without the protocol measures in place, but similar results to those associated with DPPT should not be expected without following the protocol as instructed.

Sensory Bins

Sensory bins are a typically inexpensive and simple activity that can take place with little to no prep or be a more immersive and child-specific activity with a few more prep steps taken! They are a great way to involve some more comforting and less-aversive stimuli for a child during play tasks that can help desensitize touch processors, while gradually introducing new stimuli as the child grows more comfortable and willing to explore.

Sensory bins usually involve incorporating a play scheme or activity within a bin of varying tactile stimuli (dry rice, dry beans, jello, yogurt, shaving cream, sand, crinkle paper, etc). Adding in puzzle pieces, preferred toy figures, and spoons or small shovels to retrieve items, can work on a variety of skills while encouraging tactile exploration in a novel and fun way!

Messy Play

SO many options!

Finger painting, drawing in shaving cream or yogurt, having a “car wash” or salon for dolls using dirt and soap, making slime at home, and - a personal favorite - assisting in baking!!

These are some great ways to incorporate new sensory exploration and exposure to kiddos in a fun and low-pressure way. If there is any resistance, have them help pour ingredients or wipe clean items without feeling the need to get their hands dirty themselves, and instead just handle being around and interacting with the stimuli in a way that isn’t aversive or dysregulating.

Sensory Diets

If your child is experiencing tactile sensitivities, a sensory diet is a great place to start to see improvements in the dysregulation or upset that may be a regular result. Individualized sensory diets assist in delivering vestibular and proprioceptive inputs in a way that is regulating for children. Delivering regulating input throughout the day can help in relieving some of the dysregulation that is experienced from interacting with aversive or overstimulating inputs, such as the non-preferred touch stimuli that may negatively impact someone experiencing tactile defensiveness.

Clothing Modifications

Clothing modifications, such as items with softer fabrics, without tags or seams, and that provide regulating compression or deep pressure can assist by replacing the items that are regularly causing dysregulation.

Some sensory-friendly children’s clothing brands:

 

*IMPORTANT NOTE*

Be sure to never pressure or force your child to participate in tactile activities that they are actively resisting, or which result in upset/dysregulated states against their will, as this will often result in increased anxiety and avoidance regarding such items. Activities should be approached in a fun, playful way without pressure to touch the items if they are not comfortable.

Your child’s occupational therapist should be consulted to identify appropriate mediums and ways to introduce them that will encourage exploration without causing heightened states of stress or dysregulation.