Sensory Needs of Children

Every child experiences the world in their own unique way. Some children seek out movement and touch, others are sensitive to noise or bright lights, and many fall somewhere in between. Understanding a child’s sensory needs helps us see why they react the way they do, and how we can support them with patience and compassion rather than frustration.

When we pay attention to sensory needs, everyday moments become easier and more joyful. A child who covers their ears may not be misbehaving; they may be overwhelmed. A child who needs to move constantly may be regulating their body, not ignoring directions. Recognizing these differences allows adults to adjust the environment, routines, or expectations so children feel safe, calm, and ready to learn.

Most importantly, understanding sensory needs sends children a powerful message: you are understood and accepted. When children feel supported in their bodies, they are better able to connect, communicate, and grow with confidence. Meeting sensory needs isn’t about changing who a child is, it’s about honoring how they experience the world and helping them thrive within it.

Understanding Sensory Needs

You Don't Know What You Don't Know

Do you know there are fun games that promote auditory skills?

Playing games with your young child is one of the most natural and joyful ways to support the development of auditory skills. Through play, children learn to listen, notice sounds, and make meaning from what they hear, without pressure or drills. Simple games like Peekaboo, Simon Says, Hokey Pokey, Freeze Dance, and I Spy invite children to tune in, anticipate what comes next, and connect sounds with actions.

Games also create repeated opportunities for children to practice important auditory skills such as turn-taking, sound awareness, and following simple directions. Singing songs, clapping rhythms, reading books aloud, or playing “ready, set, go!” all help children learn to listen for cues, changes in voice, and key words. Because games are fun and predictable, children are more motivated to listen and participate, which makes learning feel easy and rewarding.

Most importantly, playing together builds connection. When a child feels safe, engaged, and joyful, their brain is more ready to learn. These shared moments of laughter and play don’t just support auditory skills; they strengthen relationships, boost confidence, and teach children that communication is part of meaningful, loving interactions.

I'm Shelly Esteves, and our family lives in Southeast Idaho. We have a four-year-old son with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. He was diagnosed after he did not pass his newborn hearing screening at the hospital, and he was fitted with hearing aids at four months old.

Many families on this journey understand the flood of emotions that can come with a hearing loss diagnosis — overwhelm, grief, and shock. When you first hear that your child is deaf or hard of hearing, millions of questions rush through your mind. Fear about your child’s future can feel paralyzing. The sheer amount of information can be exhausting. “Doctor Google” can quickly become overwhelming.

We experienced all of these feelings when we learned about our son’s hearing loss. Over time, we learned to focus on taking one step at a time. We reminded ourselves that we didn’t have to solve middle school challenges when our baby was only a few months old. We just needed to focus on the next right step. First, we enrolled in early intervention. Then we joined the HATCH group. After that, we connected with support for Listening and Spoken Language therapy. Slowly, fear began to be replaced with knowledge, confidence, and hope for the future.

Early in our journey, someone shared the poem Welcome to Holland with us. The poem describes the experience of expecting to travel to one beautiful destination, only to arrive somewhere completely different. At first, the change can feel confusing, disappointing, or overwhelming. But over time, you begin to notice that this new place also has beauty, culture, and meaningful experiences you never would have discovered otherwise. That message deeply resonated with our family and helped reshape how we viewed our journey.

Parenting a child with hearing loss may not be the path we originally expected, but it has introduced us to incredible professionals, supportive communities, and moments of growth and resilience we may never have experienced otherwise. Our son continues to teach us daily about determination, joy, and celebrating progress in ways both big and small.

If you are at the beginning of this journey, please know you are not alone. It is okay to feel overwhelmed, to grieve expectations, and to ask questions. Take time to learn, connect with support systems, and celebrate each step forward — no matter how small it may seem. There is hope ahead, and there is a strong community walking alongside you.

Sometimes life takes us on unexpected journeys. And just like in Welcome to Holland, if we pause, look around, and allow ourselves time to adjust, we may discover beauty, strength, and purpose in places we never imagined.

Welcome To Holland
by Emily Perl Kingsley
Copyright©1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley.
All rights reserved.
Reprinted by permission of the author.

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this……

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The flight attendant comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland.”

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy.”

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It’s just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

The Reading Nook

Early literacy plays a pivotal role in shaping a child’s future academic success and lifelong learning by honing crucial language acquisition, phonological awareness, and comprehension skills. Research shows that reading and signing stories together helps promote essential literacy skills for ALL children: deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing.

This week, let's read...

Empowered Parent Resource of the Week

There is so much joy in teaching children about the interesting world around them... the tiny details, the big wonders, and everything in between. When we slow down to notice a ladybug on the sidewalk, listen to the duck quack, or talk/sign about how bread rises in the oven, we invite children into moments of curiosity and connection. Their questions, excitement, and fresh perspective remind us to see the world with wonder again. These shared discoveries don’t just build knowledge; they build language, confidence, and warm memories that children carry with them as they learn to explore, ask questions, and fall in love with learning.

Check out February's Bookworm about sharing information with our children and great ways to do it!

February Bookworm

En Espanol

If you are a caregiver of a young child who has a hearing difference, please join us for Tuesdays@10 !

T@10 is a very supportive, informative, and casual Zoom designed to let you join from wherever you are. We share stories, tips, and resources to support your family on this journey. Join us and feel the benefit of being part of a supportive, empathetic, and empowered community!

Next Tuesday: There comes a time when we have to leave our children in the care of others. This is never easy, but it can be even harder when they have hearing devices and unique needs. Let's talk about what worries and questions you may have, and let other parents share how they managed this.

Join Tuesdays@10 Here!

Text HEAR to 274 448!

The HEAR program is a specialty track within Lantern’s larger network, specifically designed for families of children ages birth to 3 years with suspected or confirmed hearing loss. Messages are a mix of information and encouragement, delivered once per week for 6 months. The program is available in English and Spanish.

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We always want you and your family to have access to good-quality, evidence-informed, information that can support your journey of raising a child with a hearing difference. Please check out our trusted resources and empower yourself!

HATCH Family Support

Off To A Great Start!

EHDI Pals- Family Resources

Hearing First

American Society For Deaf Children

Idaho Hands & Voices Chapter

Hands & Voices Main Website

We are HATCH Family Support, which is the family-to-family support arm of the HATCH (Helping Adults Talk to Children) lab at Idaho State University. Co-Directed by Kristina Blaiser, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, a professor in Communication Sciences and Disorders and years of experience teaching language strategies to the families of young children who have a hearing difference, and Kat Ross, a parent of a child with a hearing difference and years of experience in family-to-family support in Idaho. We provide family centered, statewide outreach, support, and evidence-informed resources to families who have children identified with a hearing difference.

Kristina Blaiser, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Director of Early Intervention Integration

kristina.blaiser@isu.edu

(208)859-0703

Kat Ross, Parent

Director of Family Support

kathleenross2@isu.edu

(208)407-3726

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Sensory Needs of Children

You Don't Know What You Don't Know

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