ABSTRACT
In Chapter 2, Jack alerted us to the effect of hypersensitivity when he explained that the bright lights, loud sounds and strong smells in the nursery were upsetting him to the extent that he could not focus on his work. Other children in the same room were unperturbed, but the information Jack was taking from the environment through his eyes and nose was so acute that he was distressed. But, of course, sight, hearing and smell are just three of the senses that provide information (input) that is then processed in the brain and used to guide the subsequent action (output). In the nursery, children are often told that the senses are seeing, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting. Most enjoy feely bags (where they can’t look but have to identify objects by their size and shape), and as they discriminate between one object and another, they are developing their sense of touch (the tactile sense). It is interesting to note that as they do this, the children appear to be listening intently as well, as if their auditory sense could complement their tactile one. Children who are hypersensitive to the feel of certain textures, however, will not enjoy their turn at all; in fact, they may refuse to try. Tasting sessions where the children distinguish between salty tastes, e.g. that of a savoury biscuit, and unusual sweet tastes, e.g. that of a piece of kiwi fruit, can also be tricky because now tastes are added to textures. Slightly older children may make bar charts showing the numbers of children who prefer sweet or savoury foods, and in school they will learn about where (on the tongue) these differences are identified. In this way, the early sensory learning is developed into mathematical or scientific education.
