Why sensory regulation matters: Helping adopted children thrive through body-based practices

A neuroscience-informed guide for adoptive parents

“My child melts down when we walk into the supermarket. Is it the lights? The noise? The smells? I never know what will set her off.”

If you have ever wondered why your child reacts so strongly to sounds, textures, or busy environments, you are not alone. For many adopted children, regulation is not just about emotion, it is also deeply sensory. And without understanding this sensory world, we may misread what they truly need.

Sensory regulation is the ability to process and respond to sensory information. It plays a critical role in how children feel, behave, and connect. For adopted children, especially those who have experienced early adversity, this regulation process is often disrupted. Understanding why can help you meet their needs with more clarity and compassion.

What is sensory regulation?

Sensory regulation is the brain and body’s ability to manage incoming information from the senses in a way that supports stability, focus, and emotional control. Our nervous system is constantly processing signals from eight sensory systems:

·       Sight (visual)

·       Sound (auditory)

·       Touch (tactile)

·       Taste (gustatory)

·       Smell (olfactory)

·       Balance and movement (vestibular)

·       Body awareness (proprioception)

·       Internal sensations (interoception) – such as hunger, temperature, the need to use the toilet, or emotional states like anxiety.

Sensory regulation involves more than just noticing these sensations, it is about how the brain filters, prioritises, integrates, and responds to them. For example, if a child hears a dog barking in the distance, their nervous system must decide: Is this important or can I ignore it? At the same time, it needs to monitor their own heartbeat, the feel of their socks, the light coming through the window, and their thoughts about what is happening next.

When this system is well-regulated, a child can focus, learn, play, and shift between rest and activity. Their body knows when to be alert, when to relax, and how to respond to the environment in a way that feels safe and manageable.

But when sensory regulation is impaired, the child may experience the world as too intense, too unpredictable, or too muted. A gentle touch might feel like pain. A small sound might feel like a threat. A sense of hunger might be misread as anger or fear. The result can be confusion, overwhelm, shutdown, or explosive behaviour.

In other words, sensory regulation is the foundation for emotional, behavioural, and social regulation. It influences how a child experiences safety in their body, and how they respond to the world around them.

Sensory input is processed in lower brain regions (brainstem and midbrain) before reaching the cortex, meaning regulation begins at a subconscious level. When this filtering system is either hyperactive (picking up too much) or hypoactive (missing key signals), the body’s stress response becomes dysregulated. This is why sensory challenges often present as behavioural issues, but are actually rooted in nervous system survival responses.

How early adversity impacts sensory regulation

Sensory regulation difficulties in adopted children often stem from disruptions to early sensory experiences, particularly in cases of neglect, institutional care, or trauma. During infancy, the brain depends on consistent, nurturing sensory input to develop connections between the brainstem, midbrain, and higher cortical areas. These systems are responsible for integrating sensations like movement, touch, sound, and internal awareness into a coherent experience of safety and control.

When children are exposed to neglect, whether emotional, physical, or environmental, they may not receive the variety and repetition of sensory input needed to build these neural pathways. For instance, a baby who is rarely held, rocked, or spoken to may not develop a robust vestibular or tactile processing system. If their early environment was overstimulating or chaotic, such as in a crowded orphanage, where cries went unanswered and sudden noises were frequent, their nervous system may remain locked in hypervigilance, unable to filter out non-threatening stimuli. These adaptations are not psychological choices; they are biological responses to inconsistent or unsafe environments.

In one neuroimaging study, Chang et al. (2022) found altered activation in the somatosensory cortex of children with early trauma histories, particularly those who experienced neglect. This affected how children interpreted tactile and proprioceptive input - meaning they often responded to everyday sensations as confusing or distressing. Similarly, Teicher et al. (2016) reported disrupted white matter development in brain regions critical for sensory processing, indicating that early deprivation can physically change how the brain receives and interprets sensory data.

Over time, this may manifest as either sensory-seeking (where the child constantly craves stimulation to feel present) or sensory-avoidant behaviours (where normal levels of input feel overwhelming or unsafe). Often, children will fluctuate between both states depending on stress levels, environment, and internal cues.

The role of interoception

A lesser-known aspect of sensory regulation is interoception - the ability to sense internal bodily states such as hunger, thirst, pain, temperature, or the need to use the toilet. Many adopted children struggle with interoceptive awareness due to early disruption.

This can lead to:

• Difficulty recognising when they are hungry or full

• Unawareness of pain or fatigue until it is extreme

• Emotional outbursts with no clear cause (because the child cannot connect physical discomfort with behaviour)

Neuroscience note: Interoception is processed in the insula - a brain region affected by early trauma and stress. Craig (2009) suggests that impaired insular function can make emotional regulation more difficult, as children struggle to “read” their own internal signals.

Sensory-seeking behaviours and how to respond

Children who are sensory-seeking are often described as “wild,” “restless,” or “clumsy”, but these behaviours reflect a nervous system that is under-registering input. Without sufficient tactile, proprioceptive, or vestibular input, these children instinctively look for ways to stimulate their senses just to feel grounded in their bodies.

Common sensory-seeking behaviours:

• Constant movement: spinning, jumping, crashing into things

• Rough play or seeking tight hugs and squeezes

• Making loud noises or talking excessively

• Chewing on clothing, pencils, or fingers

• Touching everything in reach, including people’s hair or faces

• Seeking extreme temperatures or spicy, crunchy foods

As a parent, you can:

• Provide safe ways to meet these needs proactively, such as setting up a mini-trampoline, crash pad, or heavy blanket corner

• Offer oral input alternatives like chewable jewellery, crunchy snacks, or straws for smoothies

• Build sensory breaks into the day with activities like animal walks, wheelbarrow races, or pushing a weighted laundry basket

• Use deep pressure regularly, rolling a yoga ball over your child’s back, firm hugs (if welcomed), or wrapping them tightly in a blanket like a “burrito”

Why this helps: These activities offer proprioceptive and vestibular input, which calm the nervous system and help children register where their body is in space. This can reduce impulsivity, restlessness, and improve focus and emotional stability.

Sensory-avoidant behaviours and how to respond

Sensory-avoidant children tend to withdraw or become overwhelmed by everyday sensations. They may be perceived as picky, fussy, or shy, but often, their behaviour reflects a nervous system that is over-registering input as threatening or unpredictable.

Common sensory-avoidant behaviours:

• Refusing certain clothing (especially tags, seams, or textured fabrics)

• Covering ears in noisy places or during group activities

• Avoiding messy play, mud, or certain food textures

• Reacting strongly to smells, lights, touch, or even light brushing

• Avoiding hugs or pulling away from physical closeness

• Becoming upset in crowded, chaotic, or visually overstimulating environments

As a parent, you can:

• Allow your child to have clothing preferences (seamless socks, tagless shirts) and avoid forcing textures they cannot tolerate

• Use ear defenders or noise-cancelling headphones in busy places

• Introduce messy play slowly, offering options like dry rice or flour before wet textures like slime

• Let your child initiate physical contact and respect their space

• Create quiet sensory retreat spaces in the home with soft lighting and few visual distractions

Why this helps: These strategies reduce sensory overload, allowing your child’s stress response system (particularly the amygdala and brainstem) to settle. Over time, with trust and safety, their tolerance for input may gradually expand - but only when their system is not being pushed beyond its current threshold.

How sensory regulation affects emotional and behavioural regulation

The ability to regulate emotions is built on the ability to regulate the body. Before a child can process a feeling or calm down after frustration, they need a body that feels safe, grounded, and settled. When sensory input is too intense or too dull, it sends the nervous system into either:

• Hyperarousal (fight/flight: meltdowns, pacing, shouting)

• Hypoarousal (freeze/shut down: zoning out, fatigue, non-responsiveness)

In both states, the child is not able to think clearly, follow instructions, or respond with flexibility. Traditional behavioural approaches may not work in these moments because the child is outside their window of tolerance - a concept describing the optimal zone of arousal for learning and connection.

Supporting sensory regulation is often the first step in helping a child access emotional regulation, social engagement, and even executive function.

Final thoughts

If your child seems constantly overwhelmed or oddly disengaged, sensory dysregulation may be playing a bigger role than you realise. And once you start seeing your child’s responses as body-based, not behavioural, your approach can shift from control to connection.

“She is not overreacting. Her body is doing the best it can with the signals it is receiving.”

Adopted children need more than rules and routines, they need adults who understand their sensory world and can help them feel safe in it. With the right support, the nervous system can become more flexible, more settled, and more open to growth.

Speak soon,

The Walk Together Team

References

Craig, A. D. (2009). How do you feel - now? The anterior insula and human awareness. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 10(1), 59-70.

Chang, J. J., et al. (2022). Neuroimaging correlates of sensory processing in children with a history of early adversity. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 54, 101085.

Teicher, M. H., Samson, J. A., Anderson, C. M., & Ohashi, K. (2016). The effects of childhood maltreatment on brain structure, function and connectivity. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 17(10), 652-666.