Welcome, intrepid explorer! You've chosen a path to take a general tour of our amazing sensory systems. Many people are familiar with the traditional five senses, but we actually have at least eight that constantly feed information to our brains, helping us understand and interact with the world around us and within us.
For neurodivergent individuals, how these senses process information can be quite unique. Some senses might be hyper-sensitive (overly responsive, making sensations feel too intense), while others might be hypo-sensitive (under-responsive, needing more input to register). Many people experience a mix!
This tour will briefly introduce each sense and hint at how these sensitivities can manifest. From here, you can choose to dive deeper into any sense or sensitivity profile that resonates with you.
What it does: Processes light, color, shape, movement, and visual details.
Hyper-sensitivity might mean: Bright lights are painful, visual clutter is overwhelming, certain patterns are dizzying. (Explore more on Page 55)
Hypo-sensitivity might mean: Needing bright/intense visuals to stay engaged, not noticing subtle visual details, being unbothered by clutter. (Explore more on Page 69)
What it does: Processes sounds, including volume, pitch, and location.
Hyper-sensitivity might mean: Loud noises are unbearable, difficulty filtering background noise, specific sounds trigger distress (misophonia). (Explore more on Page 56)
Hypo-sensitivity might mean: Needing sounds to be louder, not responding to quieter sounds, enjoying noisy environments. (Explore more on Page 71)
What it does: Processes touch, pressure, texture, temperature, and pain from the skin.
Hyper-sensitivity might mean: Aversion to certain clothing textures, tags, light touch, or messy play. (Explore more on Page 58)
Hypo-sensitivity might mean: High pain threshold, not noticing messiness on skin, craving deep pressure or strong textures. (Explore more on Page 72)
What it does: Processes airborne chemical signals as smells.
Hyper-sensitivity might mean: Overwhelmed by perfumes, cleaning products, or food odors, leading to headaches or nausea. (Explore more on Page 59)
Hypo-sensitivity might mean: Not noticing strong smells others find offensive, needing very potent scents to register them. (Explore more on Page 73)
What it does: Processes chemical signals from food as flavors (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami). Closely linked to smell.
Hyper-sensitivity might mean: Aversion to strong or complex flavors, specific food textures (often linked to tactile). (Explore more on Page 61)
Hypo-sensitivity might mean: Preferring very intensely flavored foods, finding many foods bland. (Explore more on Page 74)
What it does: Located in the inner ear, it senses head movement, gravity, and body position in space, crucial for balance.
Hyper-sensitivity might mean: Motion sickness, fear of heights or unstable surfaces, dislike of spinning or fast movements. (Explore more on Page 62)
Hypo-sensitivity might mean: Craving movement like spinning/swinging, not getting dizzy easily, needing to move to feel regulated. (Explore more on Page 76)
What it does: Receptors in muscles and joints tell the brain where body parts are, how they're moving, and how much force is being used.
Hyper-sensitivity might mean (less common): Acute, uncomfortable awareness of muscle/joint sensations, dislike of strong physical exertion. (Explore more on Page 63)
Hypo-sensitivity might mean: Clumsiness, difficulty grading force (too hard/soft), seeking deep pressure, "crashing," or heavy work. (Explore more on Page 77)
What it does: Senses internal bodily states like hunger, thirst, pain, temperature, heart rate, and the physical sensations of emotions.
Hyper-sensitivity might mean: Acute, anxious awareness of subtle internal sensations (heartbeat, digestion), intense experience of pain. (Explore more on Page 64)
Hypo-sensitivity might mean: Difficulty recognizing hunger/thirst/pain signals, trouble identifying emotions. (Explore more on Page 66)
As you've taken this quick tour: