He covers his ears as soon as the sound level rises. She categorically refuses to wear that sweater that seems so soft to you. He gags at certain smells that you barely perceive. She can't stand neon lights and constantly squints in class. These reactions, often misunderstood and sometimes judged as tantrums, actually reveal sensory hypersensitivity: a functioning where the senses capture and transmit information with multiplied intensity.
For these children, the world is louder, brighter, more fragrant, more textured than for others. What is simply perceived by the majority sometimes becomes unbearable for them. This reality, invisible from the outside, deserves to be understood and supported appropriately.
What is sensory hypersensitivity?
Hyper-reactive sensory receptors
Sensory hypersensitivity is characterized by an amplified perception of physical stimulations that arrive through the five senses: hearing, sight, touch, smell and taste. The nervous system of the hypersensitive child processes this sensory information with more intensity and precision than average.
This particularity is not an anomaly or a disease. It's a variation in neurological functioning that exists in approximately 15 to 20% of the population. The sensory system of these people is simply "tuned" to perceive more.
Stimulations that are neutral or barely perceived by others can be intense, even painful for the sensorially hypersensitive child. It's not that he "exaggerates" or "makes a fuss": it's his perceptual reality.
A less effective filtering system
Our brain normally has a filtering system that sorts sensory information, only allowing those that are relevant to reach our consciousness. The background noise of the refrigerator, the contact of clothes on the skin, ambient smells: these stimulations are filtered and don't reach our conscious attention.
In the sensorially hypersensitive child, this filtering is less effective. Many pieces of information that would normally be filtered remain in the forefront of consciousness, demanding attention and consuming cognitive energy. The child perceives what others don't even notice.
Faster overload
The consequence of this amplified perception is faster sensory overload. The child reaches their tolerance threshold before others, in environments that their peers tolerate without difficulty.
This overload can manifest as fatigue, irritability, concentration difficulties, and can lead to emotional crises when the system is completely saturated.
Auditory hypersensitivity: when the world is too noisy
What the child experiences
Auditory hypersensitivity is probably the most frequent and most disabling form in daily life. The child perceives sounds louder, more numerous and with more nuances than others.
The sound volume is amplified. What is simply "a bit loud" for others can be painful for the hypersensitive child. The school cafeteria, public transportation, shopping centers, birthday parties: so many environments where the sound level can become unbearable.
The quantity of sounds perceived is greater. The child hears background conversations, the humming of electrical appliances, outside noises that others don't notice. This multitude of sounds constantly demands their attention.
Sound discrimination can be difficult. In a noisy environment, the child may have difficulty isolating their interlocutor's voice from background noise, making communication exhausting.
Sudden noises provoke intense startle responses and sometimes fear. A car horn, a balloon popping, a scream can trigger a disproportionate stress reaction.
Manifestations
The auditorily hypersensitive child may:
Cover their ears frequently, even for sounds that seem tolerable to others. Avoid certain places or events because of noise. Complain about sounds that others don't notice. Have difficulty concentrating in sound environments. Be exhausted after time in noisy places. Become irritable or have meltdowns in overly stimulating sound environments. Startle violently at unexpected noises.
Problematic environments
Certain places are particularly difficult for these children:
The school cafeteria combines the noise of utensils, multiple conversations, and echoing spaces. It's often the most difficult moment of the school day.
The playground with its children's screams can be experienced as an assault.
Shopping centers with their background music, announcements, and constant hubbub.
Public transportation with their engine noises, braking, crowds.
Parties and events with loud music, animated conversations, festive noises.
Visual hypersensitivity: when light becomes aggressive
What the child experiences
Visual hypersensitivity concerns the perception of light and visual information. The child may be bothered by light intensity, the imperceptible flickering of certain sources, or visual information overload.
Bright light can be dazzling and cause discomfort, headaches, and fatigue. Sunlight, neon lights, overly bright screens are frequent sources of discomfort.
The flickering of certain lights (neon, LED screens, certain bulbs) can be perceived even though it's imperceptible to others. This constant blinking is irritating and tiring.
Visual overload related to cluttered environments can overwhelm the child. Messy rooms, walls covered with posters, overloaded supermarket aisles generate an overload of information to process.
Strong contrasts between bright and dark areas can be uncomfortable.
Manifestations
The visually hypersensitive child may:
Squint frequently or shield themselves from light. Complain of headaches in certain environments (especially under neon lights). Have difficulty concentrating in visually cluttered spaces. Prefer dimly lit and uncluttered environments. Be sensitive to screen or light flickering. Avoid places that are too bright.
Problematic environments
Classrooms with their neon lights, multiple displays, often inadequate lighting.
Supermarkets and shopping centers with their aggressive lighting and visual profusion.
Outdoors on sunny days without protection.
Screens that are too bright or with visually cluttered content.
Tactile hypersensitivity: when everything that touches bothers
What the child experiences
Tactile hypersensitivity concerns everything that comes into contact with the skin: fabric textures, temperature, pressure, contact with certain materials.
Clothing textures can be a source of great discomfort. A rubbing tag, a poorly placed seam, a fabric "that scratches" can become the sole focus of the child's attention, making any other activity impossible.
Temperature is felt more intensely. Bath water may seem too hot or too cold when it seems perfect to parents. Cold floor, wind on the skin, heat can be very unpleasant.
Physical contact may be sought or avoided depending on circumstances. Some tactilely hypersensitive children avoid hugs or unexpected contact, others on the contrary seek deep pressure which has a calming effect.
Food textures in the mouth are part of this tactile dimension and can explain food refusals that are not related to taste.
Manifestations
The tactilely hypersensitive child may:
Refuse certain clothing (materials, cuts, presence of tags). Have a very limited clothing repertoire. React strongly to unexpected contact. Complain about temperatures that others find normal. Have difficulties with hygiene (hair brushing, nail cutting, bathing). Present food selectivity related to textures.
Problematic situations
Dressing can become a daily battle if the child only tolerates certain clothing.
Hygiene care (bathing, tooth brushing, hair styling) can be sources of conflict.
Meals if the child rejects certain food textures.
Social contact with peers who may touch, jostle, or hug.
Olfactory hypersensitivity: when smells invade
What the child experiences
Olfactory hypersensitivity exposes the child to an amplified perception of smells. Perfumes, household products, cooking odors, body smells arrive with an intensity that can be nauseating.
Perfumes and cosmetics can be overpowering, causing headaches or nausea. The child may refuse to approach certain people because of their perfume.
Food smells can be perceived as very strong, pleasant or unpleasant depending on the case. The school cafeteria with its mixed smells can be difficult.
Product smells (household cleaners, paint, new plastic) can be very present and bothersome.
Body odors, their own or others', are perceived acutely.
Manifestations
The olfactorily hypersensitive child may:
Complain about smells that others don't smell or find light. Refuse to enter certain places because of their smell. Have nausea or headaches related to smells. Be very sensitive to people's perfumes. Immediately notice when a smell appears or changes.
Gustatory hypersensitivity: when flavors explode
What the child experiences
Gustatory hypersensitivity amplifies the perception of flavors. Tastes are more intense, nuances more perceptible, certain flavors can become unbearable.
Strong flavors (spicy, bitter, sour, very sweet) can be perceived as excessive and unpleasant.
Subtle tastes that others wouldn't notice are detected, which can be positive (appreciation of nuances) or negative (perception of a "weird" taste that ruins a dish).
Combined with tactile hypersensitivity in the mouth, this gustatory sensitivity can create significant food selectivity: the child only accepts a limited repertoire of foods whose taste and texture they know and tolerate.
Manifestations
The gustatorily hypersensitive child may:
Refuse many foods. Detect tastes that others don't perceive. Find flavors that seem normal to others too strong. Have very marked and rigid food preferences. React strongly (grimaces, refusal, nausea) to certain foods.
Sensory overload: when everything becomes too much
The overload mechanism
Each sensory stimulation adds to the previous ones. In the hypersensitive child, these stimulations arrive with more intensity and are less well filtered. The "vase" therefore fills faster.
When the tolerance threshold is reached, the nervous system is overloaded. The child can no longer process information properly, regulate their emotions, or control their behaviors.
Signs of imminent overload
Learning to spot warning signs allows intervention before crisis:
Increasing agitation or conversely freezing. Rising irritability. Difficulty listening or responding. Sensory protection gestures (covering ears, squinting). Withdrawal or escape. Verbal complaints ("It's too loud", "I can't take it anymore").
Overload manifestations
When the threshold is exceeded, overload can manifest as:
An emotional crisis (tears, anger, screaming). A collapse (the child can no longer do anything, withdraws). Disorganized behaviors. An urgent need to flee the environment.
Supporting sensory hypersensitivity
Adapting the environment
The first strategy is to reduce stimulations at the source:
Create calm spaces with dimmed light, little noise, uncluttered visual environment. Choose comfortable clothing: cut tags, favor soft materials, respect the child's preferences. Reduce background noises at home. Use soft lighting rather than neon lights.
Providing protective tools
Certain tools allow the child to modulate sensory inputs:
Noise-canceling headphones for sound environments. More discreet earplugs. Tinted glasses for light. Compression clothing for some children who seek pressure.Planning recovery time
After exposure to stimulating environments, the child needs time in a quiet space to allow their nervous system to recover.
Anticipating and preparing
When a potentially difficult situation approaches (shopping center outing, birthday party), prepare the child and plan strategies: headphones in the bag, possibility to withdraw, limited duration.
DYNSEO training courses to go deeper
To effectively support sensory hypersensitivity, DYNSEO offers specialized training courses.
The Managing the emotions of a hypersensitive child training addresses environmental adaptation strategies and regulation tools.
The Supporting an anxious child: rituals, breathing, anchoring training offers complementary techniques.
COCO THINKS and COCO MOVES: a senses-respectful application
The COCO THINKS and COCO MOVES application by DYNSEO has been designed to respect sensory sensitivities.
The calm mode reduces visual and sound stimulations for moments of sensory vulnerability.
The uncluttered interface avoids visual overload.
The non-aggressive sounds respect sensitive ears.
The sports breaks allow regulation of the nervous system.
Conclusion: respecting an invisible reality
Sensory hypersensitivity is invisible from the outside but very real for those who experience it. The child who covers their ears, who refuses certain clothing, who flees certain places isn't throwing tantrums: they're protecting an easily overloaded nervous system.
Understanding this reality allows us to move from judgment ("He's exaggerating") to understanding ("He perceives differently"), then to adaptation ("How can I help?").
With an adapted environment, appropriate protective tools and an understanding of their functioning, the sensorially hypersensitive child can learn to navigate in a world not always designed for them, while preserving the strengths associated with this fine perception of the world.
Was this article helpful? Discover our training courses to deepen your support of sensory hypersensitivity, as well as our senses-respectful COCO program.