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Consultant psychologist Dr Bijal Chheda has outlined seven behaviours — from classroom fidgeting to after-school exhaustion — that may indicate a child is experiencing sensory overload rather than misbehaving. She stresses none of the signs is diagnostic on its own and persistent patterns affecting learning warrant professional advice.
Behaviours often read as classroom misbehaviour — fidgeting, uniform battles, meltdowns over small setbacks and after-school exhaustion — may instead be signs of sensory overload, according to Dr Bijal Chheda, Consultant Psychologist and Founder of Nos Curare, in guidance published by MadeForMums. Dr Chheda sets out seven signs parents can look for, while cautioning that none of them, on its own, means a child is experiencing sensory overload.
The seven signs Dr Chheda identifies are: struggling to focus in the classroom despite concentrating well at home; finding the school uniform physically unbearable; constant fidgeting; meltdowns that seem out of proportion to their trigger; particular difficulty with school assemblies; repeated complaints of tummy aches; and being completely drained after the school day.
Several of the signs are explained by how a child’s nervous system responds to sensory input. Dr Chheda says prolonged sensory overload can leave a child in a heightened state of alert, so an out-of-proportion meltdown at home may follow hours of coping with an overwhelming environment. Equally, she says fidgeting movements send signals from muscles and joints to the brain that can help some children regulate themselves and concentrate, rather than signalling that they are not listening.
Dr Chheda also points to practical adjustments once triggers are identified: removing an irritating clothing label or adding a softer layer under the uniform, allowing noise-cancelling headphones or a quieter space during assemblies, and giving a child quiet time to decompress after school instead of immediately asking about their day. For repeated stomach aches, she suggests gently asking what was happening before the pain started, to spot patterns tied to particular environments such as a noisy classroom or busy lunch hall.
Why Misread Behaviour Matters at School
The guidance matters because behaviours driven by sensory overload are frequently treated as fussiness, defiance or poor attention, which can lead to responses that make things harder for the child rather than easier. Dr Chheda’s framing shifts the question from “how do I stop this behaviour?” to “what is triggering it?” — for example, asking exactly what feels uncomfortable about a uniform rather than assuming the child simply hates it.
The advice also carries an cautionary message for parents: attention difficulties, meltdowns, physical symptoms and tiredness all have multiple possible explanations. Dr Chheda notes that persistent attention problems can stem from ADHD or specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, and heightened sensory sensitivity is common among autistic children. Concerns should therefore not automatically be attributed to sensory overload, and persistent or worrying symptoms — including stomach pain — should be discussed with an appropriate healthcare professional rather than assumed to have a sensory cause.
What Sensory Overload Looks Like
Sensory overload occurs when the sights, sounds and physical sensations of an ordinary environment — for a child at school, background chatter, constant movement, bright lights and amplified sound — become overwhelming. According to the guidance, it does not always look obvious from the outside: a child who manages an ordinary school day may absorb hours of strain and only release it at home, or express it through physical symptoms rather than words.
The seven signs are aimed at parents of school-age children, and the guidance sits within broader awareness of sensory processing differences among children, including those who are autistic or have ADHD. The report does not present new clinical research; it is expert commentary offering a framework for parents deciding when to look beyond the behaviour itself.
“There are several ways sensory overload can show up at school, including some signs parents may not immediately connect with their child’s senses.”
— Dr Bijal Chheda, Consultant Psychologist and Founder of Nos Curare
Limits of the Seven-Sign Checklist
Dr Chheda’s own guidance is explicit that none of the seven signs automatically means a child is experiencing sensory overload. Concentration difficulties, meltdowns, stomach aches and tiredness can each have multiple causes, and the report does not provide diagnostic criteria, prevalence data or a clinical study underpinning the framework.
It also remains unclear from the guidance alone how parents should distinguish sensory overload from other explanations — it advises professional input for ongoing patterns but does not describe how such an assessment would work. The report is expert commentary rather than peer-reviewed research, and it was published by a parenting publication, not a clinical body.
Steps for Concerned Parents
For parents noticing a recurring pattern affecting their child’s learning, wellbeing or ability to cope with school, the guidance recommends two steps: speaking to the child’s school to see whether teachers observe the same triggers, and seeking advice from an appropriate healthcare professional — particularly where autism, ADHD or persistent physical symptoms such as stomach pain may be involved.
Identifying specific triggers, the guidance suggests, is the practical starting point: once a parent knows whether a noisy assembly, a scratchy label or an unpredictable routine is driving a behaviour, targeted adjustments such as headphones, clothing changes or a predictable after-school routine become possible. Whether those adjustments help, and whether further assessment is needed, will determine the next stage for each family.
Key Questions
Does fidgeting mean my child has sensory overload?
Not necessarily. Dr Chheda says fidgeting can be an instinctive way some children regulate themselves and concentrate, but movement that regularly interferes with learning may have other causes and is worth discussing with a professional.
Are these seven signs a diagnosis of sensory overload?
No. The guidance states explicitly that none of the signs automatically means sensory overload, since similar behaviours can have multiple explanations, including ADHD, dyslexia or unrelated physical causes.
What should I do if my child keeps complaining of stomach aches before school?
The guidance suggests gently asking what was happening before the pain began to look for patterns, while also noting that persistent or worrying stomach pain should be discussed with an appropriate healthcare professional rather than assumed to be sensory-related.
Can sensory overload be linked to autism?
Dr Chheda notes that heightened sensory sensitivity is common among autistic children. Concerned parents are advised to speak to a healthcare professional about their child’s wider development and whether further assessment may be useful.
What practical changes might help at school?
Suggested adjustments include removing irritating clothing labels or adding a soft layer under the uniform, noise-cancelling headphones or quieter space during assemblies, and quiet decompression time after school.
Source: rss
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