Glossary

Plain-language definitions for terms we use across the site. This is general education, not a diagnosis or treatment guide.

Auditory processing: How your brain handles sound: volume, pitch, how many sounds compete at once, and how predictable they feel. It is not the same as hearing acuity. See also: Auditory processing.
Visual processing: How your brain filters light, contrast, motion, and busy scenes. It is not the same as eyesight alone. See also: Visual processing.
Tactile (touch): How light touch, pressure, texture, and temperature land in your nervous system. Clothing seams, wet hands, and hugs all count. See also: Tactile (touch).
Proprioception: Your sense of where your body is in space without looking. Joints, muscles, and pressure on skin feed this sense. See also: Proprioception.
Vestibular: Your inner-ear sense of balance, head position, and motion. It works with vision and proprioception so you can move smoothly. See also: Vestibular.
Interoception: Awareness of signals from inside your body: hunger, thirst, temperature, heartbeat, breathing, needing the toilet. See also: Interoception.
Olfactory (smell): How you process odours. Smell is wired closely to memory and emotion, so reactions can feel intense. See also: Olfactory (smell).
Sensory processing: How the nervous system receives sensory input and responds. It describes patterns, not a diagnosis on its own.
Sensory integration: A theory (often linked to Ayres) about how the brain organises sensory information for everyday function. It overlaps with everyday talk about sensory processing.
Over-responsive: The nervous system reacts more strongly than expected to everyday input. Sometimes called sensory sensitivity or over-responsivity.
Under-responsive: The nervous system does not register input until it is strong. Signals can be missed until they become urgent.
Sensory seeking: Actively craving more sensory input (movement, pressure, sound, and so on) to feel alert or regulated.
Regulation: Matching your alertness and emotional state to the situation. Not too wired, not too flat. Everyone’s tools differ.
Deep pressure: Firm, sustained pressure through skin and joints. Weighted items, hugs, and resistance activities often provide it.
Heavy work: Activities that use muscles against resistance: carrying, pushing, pulling, climbing. Often used to increase proprioceptive input.