When most people think of the senses, they name the classic five: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. But we actually have eight senses—three of which are less commonly known but play a vital role in how we experience and respond to the world.
Understanding all eight can offer powerful insight into your child’s behavior, emotional regulation, and daily needs. And just as importantly, it can help you better understand your own.
🌟 The Eight Senses
Alongside the five traditional senses, here are the three that round out the full sensory picture:
- Proprioception – the sense of body awareness and position (e.g., knowing where your arms are without looking).
- Vestibular – the sense of balance, movement, and spatial orientation (managed by the inner ear).
- Interoception – the internal sense of the body’s state (like hunger, thirst, needing to go to the bathroom, or noticing your heartbeat).
Each of these senses contributes to how we move through and make sense of the world. When one or more of them is out of sync with the environment, it can impact how regulated or dysregulated we feel.
🌀 Sensory Needs and Emotional Regulation
Every individual has a sensory profile, or a unique pattern of how their nervous system responds to sensory input. This profile includes a range of tendencies along a spectrum for each sense:
- Sensory Seeking: craving more input, stimulation, or intensity
- Sensory Sensitive: easily overwhelmed or overstimulated by input
Take sound, for example. A child who seeks sound might hum, bang toys, or turn up the volume on everything. A child who is sound-sensitive might cover their ears at birthday parties or feel anxious in noisy spaces.
Or smell—a seeking child might sniff their food (or toys!) with curiosity, while a sensitive child might gag at the smell of certain foods or avoid certain environments altogether.
These tendencies aren’t fixed or inherently problematic—they’re just ways of processing the world. But when sensory needs go unmet (or are overwhelmed), they can lead to emotional dysregulation, behavioral outbursts, shutdowns, or anxious avoidance.
On the flip side, when we understand and proactively support a child’s sensory profile, we can help them feel safe, grounded, and more in control—paving the way for co-regulation, self-regulation, and resilience.
⚠️ It’s a Moving Target
It’s also important to note that sensory needs aren’t static. A child may be more sensitive when they’re tired, hungry, or sick—or more sensory-seeking when they’re excited or dysregulated. Context, environment, and stress levels all play a role.
This is why figuring out your child’s sensory profile can feel like trying to hit a moving target. It’s okay if it feels confusing or inconsistent at times. That’s a normal part of the process.
If you find yourself unsure of how to meet your child’s needs or decode what’s underneath a behavior, parent coaching can help you build a clearer understanding—and equip you with tools to support regulation in everyday life.
