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Consultant psychologist Dr Bijal Chheda describes seven patterns that may indicate sensory overload at school, from difficulty concentrating in busy classrooms to exhaustion at home. None is diagnostic on its own, and recurring problems affecting a child’s learning or wellbeing merit discussion with the school and an appropriate health professional.
Consultant psychologist Dr Bijal Chheda has outlined seven behaviours that may point to sensory overload at school, including classroom concentration problems, discomfort with uniform, meltdowns and exhaustion after school. The list, published by MadeForMums, offers parents possible patterns to discuss with a child’s school or health professional; none of the signs alone confirms a cause.
Chheda, founder of Nos Curare, says a busy classroom can combine background chatter, movement and competing distractions, making it harder for some children to focus on a teacher or task. A child who can concentrate at home may still struggle in that environment. Attention problems, however, can have other explanations, including ADHD and specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia.
The other signs in the report are distress over uniform textures, frequent fidgeting, an intense reaction to a small event, difficulty coping with assemblies, recurring stomach aches and being completely drained after school. Chheda says movement may help some children regulate themselves, while prolonged sensory strain may leave them more alert and less able to handle another stress. The report presents these as possibilities, not a checklist for diagnosis.
Parents are advised to ask what specifically feels uncomfortable, notice whether problems arise in particular settings and give a distressed child time to settle before discussing an incident. Possible practical adjustments mentioned include removing an irritating clothing label, trying a softer layer, using an appropriate fidget tool, or arranging access to a quieter space. Persistent symptoms or difficulties affecting learning should be discussed with relevant professionals; stomach pain should not automatically be attributed to sensory causes.
How Sensory Strain Can Affect School
The report matters because behaviour that appears to be fussiness, inattention or defiance may sometimes reflect a child’s difficulty coping with sensations in the school environment. Considering the setting and pattern can give parents and teachers a more useful starting point for a conversation than judging a single incident in isolation.
That possibility should not replace assessment. Concentration difficulties, distress, fatigue and physical complaints can arise for different reasons, and several may overlap. The practical value of the list is to prompt careful observation: whether a problem repeatedly follows a noisy assembly, a particular item of clothing, a crowded lunch hall or a change in routine, and how much it affects the child’s day.
Where a pattern is present, communication between family and school may help establish whether staff see the same triggers and what adjustments are feasible. A health professional can help consider broader development and other potential causes. The report does not establish how common sensory overload is, or show that any particular adjustment will work for every child.
Seven Patterns in Daily School Life
Chheda’s seven signs span classroom behaviour, physical comfort and recovery at home. The classroom examples include trouble focusing amid competing activity, restlessness and difficulty with assemblies that bring together bright lights, amplified sound and a large group. At home, parents might notice a child is unusually exhausted after school or reacts strongly to a seemingly minor disappointment.
Other clues described are complaints about scratchy or tight uniform items and repeated stomach aches. Chheda says discomfort from a seam, label or fabric may remain distracting throughout the day. She also says prolonged stress can cause genuine stomach discomfort. Those explanations are attributed to the psychologist; they do not establish the cause of a particular child’s symptoms.
The report connects these observations with the possibility of sensory sensitivity, which it says is also common among autistic children. It does not claim that sensory overload means a child is autistic. Parents concerned about autism are advised to speak with an appropriate healthcare professional about the child’s wider development and whether further assessment may be useful.
“The report says muscle and joint signals from movement can help some children regulate themselves and concentrate.”
— Dr Bijal Chheda, Consultant Psychologist and founder of Nos Curare, as quoted in the MadeForMums report
What These Signs Cannot Establish
The signs are not a diagnosis, and the report gives no test, threshold or frequency that would identify sensory overload. It also does not provide research data on how often these behaviours stem from sensory difficulties, or compare sensory overload with other explanations for them.
The source material supplied here ends partway through its final sentence about when parents should seek help. It does state that recurring patterns affecting learning, wellbeing or coping at school warrant looking beyond the behaviour itself, but the full ending and any further advice in the original report are unavailable here.
It is not clear from the report whether schools in a reader’s area can provide particular accommodations, or whether options such as noise-reducing headphones are suitable in every setting. A child’s school and relevant professionals can advise based on the individual circumstances. Ongoing or worrying stomach pain should be discussed with a healthcare professional rather than assumed to have a sensory cause.
Track Patterns and Seek Advice
Parents who notice recurring difficulties can write down when and where they occur, what was happening beforehand and how the child was affected. Asking a child calmly about a scratchy garment, a loud room or a change in plans may help identify a possible trigger, though one observation cannot prove the explanation.
A next step is to speak with the child’s school about whether teachers observe similar patterns during lessons, assemblies, lunch or transitions. Families can discuss practical adjustments with school staff and see whether they help. If problems persist or affect learning and wellbeing, parents can seek advice from an appropriate health professional; concerns about autism or attention difficulties call for consideration of the child’s wider development and needs.
The report sets out no formal assessment timeline or announced follow-up. The immediate course it describes is observation, communication with school and professional advice where concerns continue. Any interpretation should remain open until the child’s circumstances have been considered.
Key Questions
What seven signs does the psychologist describe?
They are difficulty focusing in a busy classroom, discomfort with uniform, frequent fidgeting, a strong reaction to a small problem, difficulty with assemblies, recurring stomach aches and marked exhaustion after school. These may have other causes and do not confirm sensory overload.
Does fidgeting mean a child is experiencing sensory overload?
No. Dr Chheda says movement may help some children regulate themselves, but fidgeting alone does not establish why a child is moving. If it regularly interferes with learning, the report suggests seeking professional advice about what may be driving it.
Can these signs show that a child is autistic?
No single sign on this list establishes autism. The report notes that sensory sensitivity is common among autistic children and advises parents with concerns about autism to speak with an appropriate healthcare professional about the child’s wider development.
What should parents do if the pattern keeps affecting school?
Parents can discuss observed triggers with the school and ask whether staff see the same pattern. If difficulties continue to affect learning, wellbeing or coping with school, the report says to seek appropriate professional advice. Persistent or worrying stomach pain also needs discussion with a healthcare professional.
Source: rss
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