High Emotional Dysregulation Common in Children with Sensory Processing Disorder: New Study
New research exploring the diverse landscape of sensory processing differences shows a prevalence of self-regulation challenges, including emotional dysregulation.
December 17, 2024
Emotional dysregulation is an invisible string linking sensory processing, anxiety, and ADHD in children, according to new research that explores the relationship between sensory processing subtypes and self-regulation in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Researchers found that, while some sensory subtypes were associated with elevated anxiety and others with elevated ADHD symptomatology, all sensory processing subtypes were associated with higher emotional dysregulation compared with sensory-typical children.
The study, published in Nature, enrolled 117 participants from a community-based specialty clinic; all participants were children aged 8 to 12 years old with various neurodevelopmental diagnoses, including autism and ADHD.1 The researchers uncovered five distinct sensory processing profiles in this group:
- Typical Sensory Processing (30% of the sample)
- Sensory Under-Responsive (20%): Child often does not respond to verbal information or what is around them
- Sensory Over-Responsive (19%): Child is bothered by wearing certain garments or by loud sounds
- Sensory Seeking (19%): Child has a persistent desire for fast movement and often cannot stop touching things or people
- Mixed Sensory Processing (11%): A combination of the above, depending on context or the stimuli
The study highlights the “wide range of heterogeneity in sensory experiences among populations with neurodevelopmental concerns,” say the study’s authors.
Elevated Emotional Dysregulation, Anxiety, ADHD
The researchers investigated the prevalence of behavioral and emotional regulation challenges in the group as a whole and in different sensory subtypes. They also considered the following comorbidities:
They also studied patterns associated with specific sensory subtypes:
- Children in the sensory over-responsive subtype reported significantly elevated anxiety levels.
- Children in the sensory seeking and sensory under-responsive subtypes reported the highest levels of ADHD behaviors.
- All subtypes, apart from typical sensory processing, reported elevated levels of emotion dysregulation.
These findings offer insights into the complicated relationship between sensory processing and self-regulation challenges, which researchers hope will help clinicians better serve neurodivergent children through targeted interventions that address overlapping symptomology.
“Not many people realize that the sensory systems are foundational to development, functioning and wellbeing. Differences in sensory processing may undermine the acquisition of skills of a higher order – from behavior to learning,” explains Candace Peterson MS, OTRL, in her ADDitude article. “What Is Your Child’s Sensory Profile?” “This is why sensory challenges in kids often manifest in school, show up as behavior problems, and make daily living difficult.”
An ADDitude reader who struggles with sensory over-responsiveness explains: “Sounds seem to overstimulate me the most frequently and easily. It feels like the sounds are physically pushing me into a corner and squishing me.” Another reader with sensory over-responsiveness says clothing tags and seams are her “mortal enemies.” “On good days, they’re a slight annoyance,” she says. “On bad days, it feels like they’ve come alive with tiny needles for fingers, incessantly poking at me, causing repeated stings.”
