Why is my child so sensitive?

The “extra” sensitivity of the human nervous system, especially in children, that manifests as sensory-processing, emotional volatility, attention challenges, or other neurodevelopmental concerns is often coming from a nervous system stuck in stress mode. Increased sensitivity without the context of safety shows up as disorganization, dysregulation, and distress. Behavior is the output that is showing (on the outside) where the strain on the nervous system is on the inside.

The architecture of the brain serves, in some ways, as a filter. Information from the external environment is perceived through the senses of the body. As that information ascends from the spine to the brain, it is modulated by the state, tone, and tension of the neurospinal system. Both developmentally and in day-to-day experience, the nervous system organizes from the bottom up and the back forward. There are levels and layers of filter before the emotional brain comes online, and levels and layers of filter before we come to cognitive processing. Behavior, emotional regulation, focus/attention, speech, and other more complex functions all rest on the scaffolding of what is happening before the frontal and prefrontal brain participate.

Knowing where to look, how to look, and what to look for is the type of discernment that neurologically-focused pediatric chiropractic offers. If you are the friend or family member of a child that is having challenge, we can help.