MOTION SICKNESS... A SENSORY ISSUE! Sensory Triggers when travelling in a car!

I recently "attended" a webinar by the world renown, Professor Winne Dunn on "Sensory Processing and the Impact on Everyday Life".  Professor Winnie Dunn is Professor and Chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy Education at the University of Kansas. She is known for her studies about sensory processing in everyday life and has published more than 100 research articles, book chapters and books.  Dr Dunn is also well known for being the author/creator of the Sensory Profile (assessment) for adults and children.

During the recent webinar, we looked at case studies of three children - a toddler who had difficulty at bath time and meal times, a 5 year old who would vomit in the car regularly and 3rd grader who was socially isolated.  Whilst every child is unique, the webinar prompted me to consider what are the sensory triggers for children when travelling in a car and what solutions can we offer families?

Travelling in a car can be an overwhelming sensory experience!  The trip may be five minutes or five hours, yet a child may suffer sensory overload and may react by becoming car sick, scream, kick, try to get out of the vehicle, head bang, cover their eyes or ears, push or hit other people in the vehicle,  change body positions, etc.  

Motion sickness is generally "thought to take place when there is a mismatch between the information that the brain receives from the inner ear balance mechanism (vestibular system) and what the eyes ‘see’" (Better Health Victoria).  You may not have considered motion sickness as a "sensory issue" however, it is clearly a response due to difficulty processing information from two sensory systems. 

Have you considered the sensory information your child is processing whilst travelling in a vehicle?

VISUAL: What can your child see during a car trip? 

• Is your child looking forward, to the side or rear-facing (for newborns)? 
• Does your child's eye level mean they can see outside of the window?
• Is your child looking at a screen? DVD player, tablet, phone, game device?
• Is your child reading, looking at map or other printed information?
• Is your child wearing sunglasses?
• Are your car windows tinted?

AUDITORY: What can your child hear during a car trip?

• Do you have music playing the car? Is it loud or soft? Does it have lyrics or is it instrumental? Does your child sing along? 
• Do you have audio books playing in the car? Are they engaging? Do they make your child have an emotional response (eg. cry, laugh, become scared)?
• Do you have the radio on in the car? Are their several voices talking simultaneously? 
• Do you have multiple children, people or pets making noise in the car?
• If the windows are wound down, what noises from the environment can be heard? 
• Are you travelling in a rural or urban environment? Does the road surface make a noise when driven over?

PROPRIOCEPTION: What can your child feel (touch pressure) during a car trip? 

• Are the seats in the car leather or fabric?
• What is the suspension like in the car and can you feel the "bumps" in the road?
• Are you travelling in a rural or urban environment? Does the road surface change?
• If the windows are wound down, is the wind affecting your child?
• Does your child seem to "touch" everything in the car? Do they want to play with the window controls, locks, seat pockets, arm rests,  seat belts, head rests, air conditioning vents, lights, audio outputs, floor mats, thread in the upholstery, fabric of a booster seat/car seat? 
• Does your child seem to avoid "touching" things in the car? Do they avoid touching the window or air conditioning vents? 
• Does your child insist on turning off the air conditioning or turning it on full?
• Does your child becoming irritated by the seat belt or harness across their body? 

VESTIBULAR: How is your child moving during a car trip?

• Does your child move their head a lot during a trip between different areas of focus? (eg. looking sideways out of the window, looking the opposite way sideways to look at a sibling, looking downwards at a book, looking backward to look at a pet?)
• Does your child sway/dance to music in their seats?
• Does your child rock forward and backward?
• Does your child kick the chair in front of them?
• Does your child try to curl into a ball?
• Does your child try to twist out of their seat belt of car restraint?

ORAL: What does your child do with their mouth during a car trip?

• Does your child chew or suck on food? Is the food crunchy, soft, sour, sweet, salty, spicy?
• Does your child drink? Is the liquid cold, hot, thick, thin, fizzy, plain, sweet, sour? Are they using a straw, sports bottle top, other?
• Does your child mouthe inedible objects? Are they licking/sucking/chewing items such as a dummy, blanket, hair, seat belt, pencil, clothing, etc?
• Does your child bite themselves or others?
• Does your child blow with their mouths?  Are they blowing their hair, a tissue, a toy? 
• Does your child whistle or sing?
• Does your child play with their lips?
• Does your child dribble or drool? Is this age-appropriate?

SMELLL: What does your child smell during a car trip?

• Does anyone in the car wear perfume, deodorant, after-shave or strong smelling moisturizer?
• Is there a baby in the car? Does the baby have talc powder? Have they soiled their nappy?
• Does the car have an "air freshener"?
• Has the car been recently vacuumed and cleaned? Were chemicals used during cleaning?
• If the windows are wound down, what smells from the environment can be smelt? 
• Is there food in the car (eg. takeaway, fast food, snacks, groceries, raw meat/seafood)?
• Has anyone removed their shoes in the car?
• Has it rained recently and is anything in the car wet?
• Has anyone in the vehicle recently shampooed their hair?
• Is there used sporting equipment in the car?

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A child may have different reactions in different vehicles as they may be triggered by sensory stimuli in one vehicle which they do not experience in another vehicle.  Different children may respond to the same sensory information in different ways.  This means that siblings travelling in the same car may have completely different reactions to the environment that they are in .... which makes parenting even harder! 
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These sensory considerations for travelling in a car may also be applicable to other vehicles such as buses, trains and boats. There will be a follow up article in the coming weeks with some sensory solutions for the car! Stay connected so you don't miss it! Find Your Kids OT on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and/or subscribe to receive blog posts via email!

Are you doing a road trip these holidays?
Have you considered the sensory triggers when travelling in a car? 

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