If you’ve noticed a child who hates the sound of a hand dryer, refuses certain fabrics, or seems to crash into furniture on purpose, you’re not imagining things, and you’re certainly not alone. In many cases, these patterns point toward a sensory motor processing disorder: a difference in how the brain receives, organises, and responds to sensory information from the body and the environment. Although sensory motor processing disorder is often discussed purely in the context of occupational therapy, speech pathology also plays an important role, particularly when communication, feeding, or oral motor skills are involved. In this article, we’ll explore what sensory motor processing disorder actually looks like, how it can affect communication, and, most importantly, how a strengths-based approach to speech therapy can help.
What Is Sensory Motor Processing Disorder?
Sensory motor processing disorder describes difficulty integrating sensory input (touch, sound, sight, movement, proprioception, or body awareness, and the vestibular system, or balance) with an appropriate motor response. In other words, the brain receives the information just fine; the challenge lies in understanding and responding to it ³. For some people, this means being hypersensitive to certain textures, sounds, or movements. For others, meanwhile, it means being under-responsive, actively seeking out intense sensory experiences in order to feel regulated. Often, in fact, people experience a mix of both, depending on which sense is involved.
Historically speaking, this way of understanding sensory motor processing disorder traces back to occupational therapist A. Jean Ayres, PhD, who first proposed in the 1970s that the brain actually works with seven senses rather than the traditional five ⁴. Alongside touch, hearing, taste, smell, and sight, Dr. Ayres identified two additional “internal” senses: proprioception, which tells the brain where the body is in space, and the vestibular sense, which governs balance and movement. When these seven streams of information can’t be synthesised smoothly, the resulting experience has been likened to a kind of internal traffic jam, with conflicting signals arriving from every direction at once ⁴. Understood this way, sensory motor processing disorder isn’t a matter of a person overreacting on purpose; rather, it reflects a genuinely different neurological process for organising sensory information.
Sensory Motor Processing Disorder and Neurodivergence
Sensory motor processing disorder is not yet recognised as its own standalone diagnosis in every diagnostic manual, even though it is widely acknowledged clinically, with pediatricians and developmental specialists frequently the ones to identify it ¹. Indeed, there is ongoing debate within the medical community about how sensory motor processing disorder should be classified. On one hand, some clinicians view it as a distinct profile in its own right; on the other, some see it as one expression of a broader condition such as autism or ADHD, or simply part of the natural range of sensory sensitivity ³. Ultimately, though, what matters most for families isn’t the label; it’s recognising when sensory and motor differences are genuinely getting in the way of communication, learning, or daily participation, so that the right support can be put in place early.
Additionally, sensory motor processing disorder shows up across the neurodivergent community broadly, and are commonly associated with autism and ADHD; however, a substantial group of children experience significant sensory processing challenges without meeting the criteria for either diagnosis, which in turn means access to appropriate support can sometimes be harder to find for this group ².
Signs of Sensory Motor Processing Disorder
Sensory motor processing disorder can present differently from one person to the next, which is why it can be missed or misunderstood. It generally falls into two patterns, with many people experiencing a blend of both ³. These patterns may become noticeable during the toddler years through sensitivity to noise or light, clothing preferences, clumsiness, or difficulty with fine motor tasks ⁴.
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Some children are over-responsive to sensory input.
They may react strongly to textures, sounds, lights, or food textures, and may appear clumsy or avoid activities such as playground equipment or messy play. These responses can sometimes be mistaken for behaviour problems ³.
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Some children are under-responsive or sensory-seeking.
They may struggle to sit still, chew on clothing or objects, seek spinning or jumping, or have difficulty reading social cues and judging personal space ³.
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For older children and teens
, unrecognised sensory motor processing disorder may affect self-confidence or contribute to social withdrawal. Early and affirming identification can help ensure the right supports are provided without focusing on labels ³.
Sensory Motor Processing Disorder Across Ages
Sensory motor processing disorder can affect both children and adults. Many adults have experienced these sensory patterns since childhood, often developing coping strategies that may hide their difficulties from others ³.
Sensory motor processing disorder can also be mistaken for other behaviours. A child may be labelled “picky”, “impulsive”, “clumsy”, or “immature”, when these behaviours may actually reflect how their nervous system responds to sensory input ⁴.
Sensory Motor Processing Disorder and Communication
Speech and language don’t develop in isolation from the sensory and motor systems; rather, they depend on them. Producing speech and language relies on foundational processes such as integrating auditory and visual information, planning motor sequences, and having proprioceptive awareness of the body ¹. When sensory motor processing disorder disrupts any of these foundations, communication development can be affected in several distinct ways:
- Auditory processing challenges for example, can make it difficult to filter background noise from speech, discriminate between similar sounds, or attend consistently to spoken language.
- Oral sensory sensitivities, similarly, can affect willingness to try new foods, tolerate toothbrushing, or accept touch around the mouth and face, all of which relate closely to feeding and oral motor development.
- Motor planning difficulties (sometimes called dyspraxia), meanwhile, can make it harder to coordinate the rapid, precise movements of the lips, tongue, and jaw required for clear speech.
- Vestibular and proprioceptive differences, in addition, can affect a child’s ability to sit still, regulate arousal levels, and stay engaged during learning or social interaction, all of which indirectly support communication.
