Introduction

If you're a parent who's noticed your child seems to need more sensory input than before—more jumping, spinning, crashing, touching, or moving—you're not alone. Occupational therapists across the country report a significant increase in sensory-seeking behaviors among children since the pandemic, with many families struggling to understand why their children seem more "intense" or harder to satisfy than they used to be.

The statistics are striking: research published in 2024 shows that approximately 40% of children now display more pronounced sensory-seeking behaviors compared to pre-pandemic levels. What's happening isn't a coincidence, and it's not a sign that something is wrong with your child or your parenting. Instead, it reflects how profoundly our children's sensory worlds have been disrupted and how their developing nervous systems are trying to adapt to unprecedented changes.

Dr. Lucy Jane Miller, founder of the Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation, explains: "The pandemic didn't just change where children spent their time—it fundamentally altered their sensory experiences during critical developmental periods. Children who were developing their sensory processing systems during lockdowns missed out on crucial environmental inputs, and we're seeing the effects now as they try to catch up."

Understanding why sensory-seeking behaviors have intensified helps parents respond with compassion and effective strategies rather than frustration or confusion. This comprehensive guide explores the science behind post-pandemic sensory challenges, provides evidence-based strategies for supporting sensory-seeking children, and shows how tools like sensory-rich busy books can become essential parts of a successful sensory diet.

The Science Behind Post-Pandemic Sensory Changes

How the Pandemic Disrupted Sensory Development

Children's sensory systems develop through experience and environmental interaction. During the pandemic, many of these crucial experiences were dramatically reduced or eliminated entirely.

Reduced Environmental Variety: Before the pandemic, children naturally encountered diverse sensory experiences through school playgrounds, community spaces, sports activities, and social gatherings. Lockdowns compressed children's sensory worlds into primarily home environments, reducing the variety and intensity of sensory inputs their nervous systems received.

Limited Social Sensory Experiences: Much of children's sensory learning happens through interaction with peers—rough-and-tumble play, group games, playground equipment, and the natural jostling and movement that occurs in group settings. Social distancing and remote schooling eliminated many of these experiences during critical developmental windows.

Increased Screen Time Effects: While screen time provided educational and social connections during lockdowns, it also meant children spent significantly more time in static positions with limited proprioceptive and vestibular input. The average child's screen time increased by over 50% during the pandemic, according to research from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Disrupted Sleep and Routine Patterns: Changes in family routines, increased stress, and reduced physical activity affected children's sleep patterns and circadian rhythms. Poor sleep quality directly impacts sensory processing abilities, creating a cycle where sensory challenges worsen sleep, which further impairs sensory regulation.

Understanding the Sensory Systems

Proprioceptive System: Often called our "body awareness" sense, proprioception tells us where our body parts are in space and how much force we're using. This system develops through heavy work activities—pushing, pulling, carrying, jumping. During the pandemic, many children missed crucial proprioceptive experiences, leading to seeking behaviors like excessive jumping, crashing into things, or needing to touch everything.

Vestibular System: Our balance and movement sense, located in the inner ear, processes information about head position and movement through space. Vestibular input comes from activities like swinging, spinning, sliding, and climbing. Reduced access to playground equipment and movement activities during the pandemic has left many children with under-developed vestibular processing.

Tactile System: Our touch sense processes texture, temperature, pressure, and pain through skin receptors. During the pandemic, children's tactile experiences were often limited to home environments, and increased hygiene practices sometimes reduced natural tactile exploration. Some children now show heightened tactile seeking—constantly touching objects, people, or textures.

The Catch-Up Phenomenon

Developmental Windows: The human nervous system has specific developmental windows when certain sensory integration skills are most easily acquired. Children who missed these experiences during pandemic restrictions are now trying to catch up, often leading to more intense sensory-seeking behaviors as their systems attempt to get the input they need.

Sensory Hunger: When children don't receive adequate sensory input during critical periods, they can develop what occupational therapists call "sensory hunger"—an increased drive to seek the sensory experiences their nervous systems need for optimal development.

Compensatory Behaviors: Many behaviors that parents find challenging—excessive movement, difficulty sitting still, constantly touching things, seeking intense physical play—are actually the child's nervous system trying to compensate for earlier sensory deprivation.

Current Research on Sensory Processing Challenges

2024-2025 Studies and Findings

Recent research provides important insights into how the pandemic has affected children's sensory processing and what interventions are most effective.

Increased Prevalence: A systematic review published in the Journal of Occupational Therapy found that sensory processing difficulties have increased by approximately 35% among school-age children since 2020. This includes both sensory-seeking behaviors and sensory avoidance patterns.

Educational Impact: Research from the American Journal of Occupational Therapy shows that children with unaddressed sensory processing challenges are significantly more likely to struggle with attention, learning, and social interaction in post-pandemic educational settings.

Family Stress Correlation: Studies indicate a strong correlation between family stress levels during the pandemic and children's sensory processing difficulties. Chronic stress affects the nervous system's ability to process and integrate sensory information effectively.

Intervention Effectiveness: Recent research consistently shows that structured sensory diets—planned activities that provide specific types of sensory input—are highly effective in addressing post-pandemic sensory challenges when implemented consistently over time.

Understanding Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)

Clinical vs. Typical Challenges: While many children are experiencing heightened sensory needs post-pandemic, it's important to distinguish between temporary adjustment challenges and clinical Sensory Processing Disorder. SPD occurs when the nervous system doesn't process sensory information effectively enough to support daily functioning.

Assessment and Evaluation: The Sensory Processing Measure (SPM) and other standardized tools help professionals assess whether sensory challenges rise to the level requiring formal intervention. These tools have shown very high reliability (0.95-0.98) in identifying sensory processing differences.

Co-occurring Conditions: Research shows that sensory processing challenges often co-occur with conditions like ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, and anxiety. The pandemic appears to have increased the prevalence of sensory challenges both in children with existing conditions and in typically developing children.

Age-Specific Sensory Seeking Behaviors and Solutions

Toddlers and Preschoolers (Ages 2-5): Foundation Building

Young children's sensory systems are still developing rapidly, making them particularly vulnerable to pandemic-related disruptions but also highly responsive to intervention.

Common Sensory-Seeking Behaviors

Excessive Jumping and Bouncing: Many toddlers now seem to need constant movement, jumping off furniture, bouncing constantly, or seeking out trampolines and bouncy surfaces more than before.

Crashing and Rough Play: Children might run into walls, throw themselves onto cushions, or engage in rougher physical play than typical for their age. This behavior provides proprioceptive input that their nervous systems crave.

Oral Sensory Seeking: Increased mouthing of objects, chewing on clothing, or seeking chewy/crunchy foods can indicate oral sensory needs that weren't adequately met during development.

Tactile Exploration: Constantly touching everything, seeking messy play, or needing to feel different textures can indicate tactile system needs.

Effective Interventions

Heavy Work Activities: Provide regular opportunities for activities that work against resistance—pushing heavy boxes, carrying books, pulling wagons, or doing "helper jobs" like moving chairs or carrying groceries.

Sensory-Rich Busy Books: Montessori-inspired fabric busy books with varied textures, zippers, buttons, and manipulative elements provide safe, controlled sensory input that can help satisfy tactile and proprioceptive needs.

Movement Integration: Build movement into daily routines—marching to the bathroom, hopping to the kitchen, or doing animal walks throughout the house. This provides vestibular and proprioceptive input in functional ways.

Sensory Bins and Exploration: Create containers with different materials for safe tactile exploration—rice, beans, fabric scraps, or kinetic sand. These allow controlled sensory seeking in appropriate contexts.

Elementary Age (Ages 6-11): School and Social Challenges

School-age children face the challenge of meeting their sensory needs within structured educational and social environments that may not accommodate their post-pandemic sensory requirements.

Classroom Challenges

Difficulty with Stationary Learning: Children who need more movement may struggle with traditional desk-based learning, leading to fidgeting, difficulty concentrating, or disruptive behaviors.

Social Sensory Conflicts: Some children seek physical contact or rough play that makes peers uncomfortable, while others may avoid group activities due to sensory overwhelm.

Attention and Focus Issues: Under-stimulated sensory systems can make it difficult for children to maintain attention and focus on academic tasks.

Home and School Strategies

Sensory Breaks: Schedule regular movement breaks throughout the day—jumping jacks between subjects, wall push-ups, or brief walks. These help regulate the nervous system for learning.

Fidget Tools and Sensory Supports: Provide appropriate fidget tools, weighted lap pads, or textured surfaces that allow sensory input without disrupting learning or social situations.

Activity Books for Regulation: Use quiet, tactile activities during homework time or before bedtime to provide sensory input while building academic skills.

Communication with Teachers: Work with educational teams to understand your child's sensory needs and implement appropriate accommodations in classroom settings.

After-School Sensory Diets

Proprioceptive Activities: Playground time, bike riding, swimming, or organized sports that provide intense physical input to help regulate the nervous system after school.

Creative Sensory Projects: Art activities, building projects, or hands-on science experiments that provide tactile input while supporting learning and creativity.

Calming Activities: Quiet sensory activities like busy books or sensory bins for children who become overstimulated during the school day and need calming input.

Adolescents (Ages 12-18): Identity and Independence

Teenagers face unique challenges as they try to meet their sensory needs while navigating social expectations and developing independence.

Adolescent Sensory Challenges

Social Awareness vs. Sensory Needs: Teenagers may feel embarrassed about sensory-seeking behaviors that seem "childish" but still have nervous systems that require sensory input for regulation.

Academic Pressure: Increased academic demands combined with unmet sensory needs can create stress cycles that worsen sensory processing challenges.

Identity Development: Understanding their sensory needs and learning to advocate for appropriate accommodations becomes part of developing self-awareness and independence.

Age-Appropriate Interventions

Exercise and Sports: Encourage participation in activities that provide intense proprioceptive and vestibular input—weight training, martial arts, dance, or team sports.

Creative Outlets: Art, music, theater, or other creative activities that engage multiple sensory systems while providing social connection and self-expression.

Stress Management: Teach adolescents to recognize their sensory needs and develop personal strategies for self-regulation, including appropriate fidget tools, movement breaks, or environmental modifications.

Advocacy Skills: Help teenagers understand their sensory needs and learn to communicate them effectively to teachers, employers, and peers.

Creating Effective Sensory Diets

Understanding Sensory Diet Principles

A sensory diet is a planned schedule of sensory activities designed to help a child's nervous system maintain optimal arousal and organization throughout the day. Unlike food diets that restrict intake, sensory diets ensure children receive the sensory "nutrition" their nervous systems need.

Individual Assessment: Every child's sensory needs are different. Some children need more proprioceptive input, others require vestibular stimulation, and some need tactile experiences. Effective sensory diets are based on careful observation of individual needs and responses.

Timing and Frequency: Research shows that short, frequent sensory activities are more effective than long, infrequent sessions. Most children benefit from sensory input every 90-120 minutes throughout the day.

Environmental Integration: The most successful sensory diets integrate sensory activities into daily routines and environments rather than requiring separate "therapy time." This makes sensory input sustainable and functional.

Gradual Adjustment: Sensory diets should be adjusted gradually based on the child's responses. Too much sensory input can be overwhelming, while too little won't meet the nervous system's needs.

Designing Age-Appropriate Sensory Diets

Morning Activation

Heavy Work Start: Begin the day with proprioceptive activities that help organize the nervous system—making beds with hospital corners, carrying laundry baskets, or doing wall push-ups.

Movement Integration: Include vestibular input through activities like jumping on a trampoline, swinging, or dancing to music. This helps prepare the nervous system for the day's demands.

Tactile Preparation: For children who need tactile input, morning routines might include using textured washcloths, playing with therapy putty, or engaging with sensory-rich materials.

Midday Regulation

School-Day Strategies: For children in school, work with teachers to provide appropriate sensory breaks—delivering messages to other classrooms, helping with classroom setup, or using fidget tools during instruction.

Lunch and Recess Optimization: Encourage playground activities that provide proprioceptive and vestibular input—swinging, climbing, or playing active games with peers.

Home-Day Activities: For children at home, midday sensory activities might include outdoor play, busy book activities that provide tactile input, or household "helper jobs" that involve heavy work.

Evening Wind-Down

Calming Sensory Input: Evening activities should help the nervous system prepare for sleep through calming proprioceptive input—gentle stretching, deep pressure through weighted blankets, or quiet tactile activities.

Routine and Predictability: Consistent evening sensory routines help signal to the nervous system that it's time to wind down and prepare for rest.

Sleep Environment: Optimize sleep environments with appropriate sensory supports—weighted blankets for deep pressure, white noise for auditory regulation, or comfort objects for tactile security.

Environmental Modifications

Home Environment Adaptations

Sensory Corners: Create dedicated spaces for sensory regulation with crash pads, fidget tools, noise-canceling headphones, and calming lighting. These spaces give children a place to go when they need sensory input or regulation.

Movement Integration: Modify home environments to allow for appropriate movement—hanging swings in doorways, providing trampolines or balance boards, or creating obstacle courses that can be easily set up and taken down.

Tactile Stations: Organize areas where children can safely engage in tactile exploration—art supplies, sensory bins, therapy putty, or Montessori-inspired busy books with varied textures.

School Environment Supports

Classroom Accommodations: Work with teachers to provide appropriate sensory supports—alternative seating options, fidget tools, or scheduled movement breaks.

Playground Strategies: Help children identify playground activities that meet their sensory needs—swinging for vestibular input, monkey bars for proprioceptive input, or textured surfaces for tactile exploration.

Academic Supports: Request accommodations that allow for sensory input during learning—standing desks, therapy balls for seating, or permission to doodle or fidget during instruction.

The Role of Busy Books in Sensory Regulation

Why Busy Books Are Ideal for Sensory-Seeking Children

Controlled Sensory Input: Busy books provide predictable, controllable sensory experiences that allow children to get the tactile and proprioceptive input they need without overwhelming their systems or disrupting their environments.

Portable Regulation Tools: Unlike larger sensory equipment, busy books can be used anywhere—in the car, at restaurants, during quiet time, or in classrooms—making them practical tools for sensory regulation throughout the day.

Fine Motor Development: Many sensory-seeking children also need fine motor skill development. Busy books with buttons, zippers, laces, and manipulative elements provide sensory input while building crucial fine motor abilities.

Calming and Organizing: The focused attention required for busy book activities can help organize the nervous system and provide calming input for children who become overstimulated or dysregulated.

Selecting Sensory-Appropriate Busy Books

Tactile Variety: Look for busy books that include multiple textures—smooth fabrics, rough surfaces, soft materials, and firm elements. This variety allows children to explore different tactile sensations and find what their nervous systems need.

Proprioceptive Elements: Choose busy books with activities that require force or resistance—snaps that need firm pressure, zippers that require pulling force, or buttons that need pushing strength. These elements provide proprioceptive input through the hands and fingers.

Visual and Auditory Considerations: Some busy books include visual patterns, colors, or sounds that can either support or overwhelm sensory processing. Choose options that match your child's visual and auditory sensitivities.

Durability for Intense Use: Sensory-seeking children often use materials more intensely than typical users. Select busy books made with durable materials that can withstand enthusiastic manipulation.

Integration into Daily Routines

Transition Times: Use busy books during transition periods—waiting for appointments, traveling in cars, or between activities—to provide sensory input and help children regulate during potentially challenging times.

Quiet Time Regulation: Incorporate busy book activities into daily quiet times or before sleep routines to provide calming sensory input that helps prepare the nervous system for rest.

Learning Support: Use busy books during homework time or before academic activities to provide sensory input that helps organize the nervous system for learning and attention.

Social Regulation: Busy books can serve as self-regulation tools during social activities, providing children with appropriate sensory input when group situations become overwhelming.

Supporting Families Through Professional Collaboration

When to Seek Professional Help

Persistent Challenges: If sensory-seeking behaviors significantly interfere with daily functioning, learning, or social relationships despite consistent home interventions, professional evaluation may be helpful.

Safety Concerns: When sensory-seeking behaviors create safety risks—excessive climbing, dangerous jumping, or aggressive physical contact—occupational therapy assessment can help develop safer alternatives.

Educational Impact: If sensory challenges significantly affect school performance, attention, or peer relationships, school-based occupational therapy services may provide valuable support.

Family Stress: When sensory challenges create significant family stress or conflict, professional guidance can help develop effective strategies and improve family functioning.

Types of Professional Support

Occupational Therapy: Occupational therapists specializing in sensory integration can assess individual needs, develop personalized sensory diets, and provide family education about sensory processing.

School-Based Services: Educational teams can provide classroom accommodations, sensory supports, and consultation to help children succeed in academic environments.

Mental Health Support: When sensory challenges co-occur with anxiety, ADHD, or other conditions, mental health professionals can provide comprehensive support that addresses multiple aspects of functioning.

Medical Evaluation: In some cases, medical evaluation can help identify underlying conditions that contribute to sensory processing challenges and guide appropriate treatment approaches.

Collaborative Care Approaches

Team Communication: Effective intervention requires collaboration between families, schools, and healthcare providers to ensure consistent approaches across all environments.

Progress Monitoring: Regular assessment of intervention effectiveness helps teams adjust strategies and ensure children are making progress toward their goals.

Family Education: Professional support should include education for families about sensory processing, implementation of strategies, and advocacy for their children's needs.

Transition Planning: As children grow and change environments, professional teams can help plan for transitions and ensure continuity of appropriate supports.

Long-Term Outcomes and Future Planning

Building Lifelong Self-Regulation Skills

Self-Awareness Development: Help children learn to recognize their own sensory needs, identify when they need regulation, and understand what types of sensory input help them feel organized and calm.

Strategy Generalization: Teach children to adapt sensory strategies to different environments and situations, building flexibility and independence in self-regulation.

Advocacy Skills: As children mature, help them learn to communicate their sensory needs to others and advocate for appropriate accommodations in school, work, and social settings.

Stress Management: Sensory regulation skills often transfer to general stress management abilities, helping children develop resilience and coping strategies for life challenges.

Educational and Career Considerations

Strength-Based Approaches: Help children and adolescents identify careers and activities that naturally accommodate their sensory needs and leverage their sensory strengths.

Accommodation Planning: Teach families and children about disability rights, accommodation processes, and how to access appropriate supports in educational and employment settings.

Skill Development: Focus on developing skills that build on sensory strengths—creativity, attention to detail, physical abilities, or problem-solving skills that many sensory-seeking individuals possess.

Life Skills Training: Ensure children develop practical life skills that account for their sensory needs—organization strategies, time management, and environmental modification skills.

Research and Future Directions

Ongoing Studies: Current research continues to explore the long-term effects of pandemic-related sensory disruptions and the effectiveness of different intervention approaches.

Technology Integration: Emerging research examines how technology can support sensory regulation—apps that remind children to take sensory breaks, virtual reality for vestibular input, or wearable devices that monitor sensory needs.

Prevention Strategies: Future research may identify ways to prevent sensory processing challenges during times of environmental disruption or stress.

Family System Approaches: Growing research recognizes the importance of supporting entire family systems rather than focusing solely on individual children with sensory challenges.

Conclusion: Understanding and Supporting Our Changed Children

The increase in sensory-seeking behaviors among children post-pandemic isn't a temporary phase or a parenting problem—it's a predictable response to unprecedented changes in children's sensory environments during crucial developmental periods. Understanding this helps parents respond with compassion, appropriate strategies, and realistic expectations for their children's sensory needs.

Research consistently shows that sensory-seeking behaviors, when appropriately supported, can become strengths. Children who learn to understand and manage their sensory needs often develop enhanced body awareness, strong problem-solving skills, and creative approaches to life challenges. The key is providing appropriate sensory experiences while building self-regulation skills that will serve children throughout their lives.

The strategies outlined in this guide—from creating effective sensory diets to using tools like busy books to building collaborative professional relationships—provide families with evidence-based approaches for supporting their sensory-seeking children. These approaches recognize that sensory needs are real, valid, and manageable with appropriate understanding and intervention.

Remember that progress in addressing sensory challenges often happens gradually. Children's nervous systems need time to reorganize and develop new patterns of regulation. Consistent, patient implementation of sensory strategies, combined with professional support when needed, typically leads to significant improvements in functioning and family quality of life.

As one occupational therapist working with post-pandemic sensory challenges observed: "The children we're seeing now aren't broken—they're adapting. Our job is to help them adapt in ways that support their development and help them thrive in their changed world."

Your child's increased sensory needs are not a reflection of inadequate parenting or a permanent limitation. They represent a nervous system that's working to get the experiences it needs for optimal development. With understanding, appropriate strategies, and patient support, you can help your child learn to meet their sensory needs in healthy, functional ways that support their growth, learning, and happiness.

The investment you make now in understanding and supporting your child's sensory needs will benefit them throughout their lives, helping them develop self-awareness, self-regulation skills, and the confidence to advocate for their own needs as they grow into successful, capable adults.