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examBoard: AQA
examType: GCSE
lessonTitle: Sensory Processing Development
Our brains are amazing organs that help us make sense of the world around us. From the moment we're developing in the womb, our brains are busy setting up systems to process information from our senses. This process continues after birth and throughout childhood as we learn to understand and respond to the sights, sounds, touches, tastes and smells around us.
Key Definitions:
The five main senses that develop are:
Beyond the five main senses, we also develop:
These systems develop alongside the main senses and are crucial for coordinated movement and bodily awareness.
Sensory development follows a specific timeline, beginning before birth and continuing through childhood. Each sense develops at its own pace, but they all follow a pattern of increasing complexity and integration.
Even before birth, babies are developing their sensory systems:
Develops first, around 8 weeks. By 32 weeks, the foetus can feel touch across the whole body.
Ear structures form by 16 weeks. By 24 weeks, the foetus responds to loud sounds and can recognise mum's voice.
Develop around 12-15 weeks. By the third trimester, babies can taste flavours from mum's diet in the amniotic fluid.
Vision is the least developed sense at birth but develops rapidly during the first year of life:
The critical period for visual development extends from birth to about 8 years, with the most rapid changes happening in the first 6 months.
Research by Hubel and Wiesel (1963) showed that if kittens had one eye covered during a critical period of development, they permanently lost vision in that eye, even when the covering was removed. This demonstrated the importance of visual stimulation during critical periods. Similar findings have been observed in children with conditions like cataracts, highlighting the need for early intervention.
The development of sensory processing involves several key brain mechanisms:
Early in development, the brain produces an excess of neurons and connections. This "overproduction" gives the brain flexibility to adapt to different environments.
As development continues, connections that aren't used get "pruned away" while frequently used connections get strengthened. This is why early experiences are so important - they help determine which connections stay and which go.
A crucial part of sensory development is myelination - the process where nerve fibres get coated with a fatty substance called myelin. This coating works like insulation on electrical wires, allowing signals to travel faster and more efficiently through the brain.
Different sensory systems become myelinated at different rates:
Critical periods are specific windows of time when the brain is especially receptive to developing particular sensory abilities. During these periods, the brain is highly plastic and sensitive to environmental input.
Critical period: Birth to 8 years, with most rapid development in first year. Conditions like amblyopia (lazy eye) must be treated during this window for best results.
Critical period: Birth to 3 years for language-related hearing development. Early detection of hearing problems is crucial for language development.
Critical period: Birth to 7 years, with sensitivity declining after. Children who don't receive language input during this time may struggle to fully develop language skills later.
Genie was a child who was severely neglected and isolated until age 13. When discovered in 1970, she had received almost no sensory or social stimulation during critical developmental periods. Despite intensive intervention, she never developed normal language abilities, demonstrating the importance of sensory input during critical periods. While this case involves extreme deprivation affecting multiple systems, it highlights how crucial early sensory experiences are for development.
As children develop, their brains learn not just to process individual senses but to combine information from multiple senses - a process called sensory integration.
Sensory integration develops gradually as children grow:
Sometimes sensory processing development doesn't follow the typical path, leading to challenges in how children interact with their environment.
Some children may be:
These differences can affect learning, behaviour and social interactions.
Research shows that providing appropriate sensory experiences can support development:
Understanding sensory processing development has important real-world applications:
Research by Shams and Seitz (2008) found that learning is more effective when multiple senses are engaged. For example, children learn to read more effectively when they see letters (visual), hear sounds (auditory) and trace letters with their fingers (tactile). This research has led to multisensory teaching approaches that are now widely used in education.
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