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Writer's pictureMarie Tsilimos

Understanding The 8 Sensory Systems

Updated: Dec 8, 2023

Eating is the most difficult sensory task that children do! Our feeding therapy team here at Bambini have explained how to identify sensory responses that may be impacting your child's ability to eat well. Feel free to read our tips or learn more in our YouTube clip by clicking on the image below!



What are the 8 Sensory Systems?


External Environment Internal Environment

  1. Visual (Vision) 5. Tactile (Touch

  2. Auditory (Hearing) 6. Proprioception (body in space)

  3. Olfactory (Smell) 7. Interoception (body signals e.g., fullness)

  4. Gustatory (Taste) 8. Vestibular (balance)


What can I look out for during mealtime?

  • Over-responsivity: Reactions to food are greater than expected.

  • Under-responsivity: Reactions to food are less than expected.

  • Fluctuating responsivity: Reactions can be both greater and less than expected.

Visual Over-Responses

  • Avoids eye-contact

  • Moves chair back from table

  • Repeated eye blinking, squinting or eye watering

  • Attempting to scatter food off the table

  • Vomiting

Olfactory Over-Responses

  • Covering nose with hand or shirt

  • Eye watering or turning head away

  • Making funny faces around food

  • Coughing or gagging at smells

Tactile Defensive

  • Lip splay (spreading), finger splay or grimacing

  • Using teeth rather than lips to clear utensils

  • Frequent hand wiping

  • Avoids touching different food textures

Gustatory Over-Responses

  • Gagging

  • Vomiting to tastes

  • Grimacing, shuddering or lip splays

Auditory Defensive

  • Startling to noises

  • Avoiding crunchy foods

  • Covering ears during mealtime

  • Difficulty eating in loud environments (e.g., childcare or restaurants)

Gravitational Insecurity

  • Startles when chair is pushed in

  • Avoids drinking from an open cup or tips head back when drinking

  • Chin tuck to drink

  • Fearful when feet leave the ground to climb into chair

Under Responsive

  • May pocket food in mouth (food is held in their cheeks)

  • May overstuff mouth with food

  • Does not react to large smells

  • May swallow food whole or barely chew

  • Minimal reaction to spicy or sour foods


We strongly encourage you to reach out to your child’s feeding therapist if you have any further questions or would like any clarification to help you support your child on their feeding therapy journey.



These strategies were obtained from the SOS Approach to Feeding Guide and were developed by Kay A. Toomey and Associates 2002/2010

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