The link between adverse childhood experiences and sensory processing difficulties

The psychological impact of childhood trauma 

Over the last few decades psychological research in the field of trauma has highlighted that experiencing adverse childhood circumstances or childhood trauma acts as a risk factor for later emotional, cognitive, psychological and health difficulties. The likes of Dah Hughes and Karen Treisman have written extensively on the emotional dysregulation that can be experienced by children who have experienced relational and developmental trauma in childhood.

Advances in neuroimaging over recent decades have gone some way in explaining the neural components of the emotional dysregulation experienced by those who have experienced childhood trauma. Studies utilising neuroimaging techniques have helped to increase our understanding of the effect childhood trauma has on altering the function and activation of the limbic system. In particular, overactivation of the amygdala to perceived threat has been frequently highlighted in research into the neurological effects of childhood trauma. 

Sensory processing and trauma 

More recently research has extended trauma research to look at sensory processing. Most of the research so far has been through the lens of occupational therapy. The link between childhood trauma and sensory processing difficulties was first highlighted as a secondary finding in studies looking at the efficacy of sensory based treatments provided by occupational therapists for improving emotional regulation in children and adolescents. Over the past four to five years this link has been further explored to examine it directly using the Sensory Profile. 

Jeon & Bae (2022) 

The study that first sparked my interest in the area was published last year by a research team in Korea. The study directly aimed to link the CTQ with atypical patterns of sensory processing as measured by the Sensory Profile. The researchers found that there was a significant linear correlation between the two, which the researchers suggested to be indicative of a link between experiencing childhood trauma and sensory processing difficulty.

When I first stumbled across this study and did some further background reading, I was struck by the lack of research into this question from the counselling field. With the growth of trauma-informed counselling practices over the past couple of decades I was interested in finding a way to link the two. This led to my most recent piece of research, my master's thesis. 

My thesis: 'The Effect of Childhood Traumatic Experiences on Sensory Processing in Young People and the Impact of Counselling Interventions'

In carrying out my thesis research I aimed to add further research to the existing literature linking trauma and sensory processing and to examine this link in young people and to link it to counselling practice. The Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire (GSQ) was used to measure patterns of hypo and hypersensitivity to sensory stimuli in young people. Of note, the research found a significant link between childhood trauma and sensory processing difficulties in young people.

It is worth noting that there were some limitations to this study. The first lies in the measures used for measuring childhood trauma, a self-report yes or no question and the Benevolent Childhood Experiences (BCEs) scale, a resilience measure. While answering yes to the question asking participants if they had experienced childhood trauma and lower scores on the BCEs were linked to higher overall GSQ scores, these measures are not as robust as using say the ACEs scale or the CTQ which measure childhood trauma more directly. The findings do, however, go some way in adding to the current research in the field indicating to a link between sensory processing and childhood trauma. 

To assess the impact of counselling I compared the sensory processing scores between two groups: participants who had experienced childhood trauma and have previously had counselling; participants who had experience childhood trauma and have not previously had counselling. The analysis did not yield a significant difference, possibly because I was not able to get a GSQ score pre-counselling to compare with post-counselling. In the future I would love to extend this research further using a more robust pre- and post-intervention method to see if counselling interventions, particularly trauma-informed counselling models, demonstrate any efficacy in reducing sensory processing difficulties populations who have experienced childhood trauma.

I also have a particular interest in how trauma shapes the developing brain and alters neurodevelopment. We know from neuroimaging research into the emotional dysregulation experienced by those who have experienced early trauma, that such experiences can alter the function of certain regions, such as the amygdala. It seems plausible that the sensory processing difficulties linked to childhood trauma could also result from functional alterations in the developing brain.

As research into sensory processing and childhood trauma is a relatively recent endeavour, there is very limited research utilising neuroimaging exploring this link. A few studies have pointed towards changes in the somatosensory cortex and other corticolimbic structures, such as the insula, believed to be involved in sensory processing in adults who have experienced childhood trauma. But there are few studies examining this link. It would be interesting to see what would come to light if this link was examined further and what impact such findings could have to our current understanding of how childhood trauma alters neural development. 

What does this mean for practice? 

The link between sensory processing difficulties and childhood trauma is also interesting to consider in my work as a children's counsellor and for those working in therapeutic practices [GW2]. It's important to consider how we can make the therapeutic space more welcoming and supportive for our clients. This could now include a consideration of the sensory aspects of the therapeutic space in those that have experienced childhood trauma. It poses the question of how, within therapeutic practices, we can be more accommodating of such difficulties and how to tailor interventions to address the distress such difficulties may pose for our clients. 

In my own practice this had made me reflect on the creative media materials I use with children and young people, so I have a broader range of materials that cater to an individual's sensory sensitivities. For example, sand poses a challenge for some individuals who are hypersensitive. It's messy, it gets stuck on your hands, it can be overstimulating for some children.

To work with this using sand tray activities, I have tried using alternatives such as kinetic sand and to change the texture of the sand adding in varying amounts of water to make it slightly damp or wet. Whilst a small thing, this has helped open up sand tray work to a group of clients who have sensory difficulties working with dry sand.

I have also found myself considering how we can help young people manage the distress sensory difficulties may cause young clients who have experienced trauma. There is a wealth of strategies and interventions for managing sensory overwhelm in the context of working with neurodivergent populations. It would be interesting to see if these strategies and other sensory integration interventions have any efficacy when used in a counselling context with young people who have experienced trauma.

Author bio

Savannah is a Children and Young Person's Counsellor, working in Leicester. She completed her Psychology (BSc) at Durham University and has recently completed her MSc in Counselling (Children and Young People) at Birmingham City University.