Background

All activities in life (from sleeping to writing) involve some degree of sensory stimuli. Sensory stimuli includes everything in our environment e.g. objects, light, sounds, colours, wind, rain, other people, clothes, smells (the list is endless).

The primary function of the human brain is to process, interpret and then choose the appropriate response to the sensory stimuli we come into contact with every day.

Having difficulty processing sensory stimuli can impact on an individual’s ability to:

• Learn
• Concentrate
• Regulate emotions
• Socialise
• Pay attention
• Perform everyday activities

The pyramid of learning image shows that the brain needs to be able to process sensory information first before it is able to conduct more complex tasks such as academic learning.