Clinical insights
Sensory Profile Quadrants Explained: Seeking, Avoiding, Sensitivity and Registration
The four sensory quadrants turn 'he's just sensitive' or 'she never sits still' into a pattern you can actually understand and work with.
Key points
- The four sensory quadrants turn 'he's just sensitive' or 'she never sits still' into a pattern you can actually understand and work with.
The four sensory processing quadrants in Dunn's framework are Seeking, Avoiding, Sensitivity and Registration. Sensory Profile questionnaires describe patterns in everyday sensory responses; results should be interpreted alongside the person's context and other assessment information, not used as a diagnosis on their own.
Two axes, four patterns
Dunn's sensory processing framework sorts responses along two lines: how much sensation a person notices (their neurological threshold) and how they respond to it (passively or actively). Cross those lines and you get four quadrants.
Most people are a blend — a child can be a movement seeker and a sound avoider at the same time. The quadrants are a map, not a diagnosis, and that map makes daily life far easier to navigate.
The four quadrants in plain language
- Seeking — craves sensation. The child who crashes, spins, chews, touches everything. Movement and intense input genuinely help them regulate.
- Avoiding — overwhelmed by sensation and actively escapes it. Covers ears, refuses busy places, melts down at the shops. Reducing input helps.
- Sensitivity — notices everything and is bothered by it, but stays and endures rather than fleeing. Tags, seams, food textures, noises others miss.
- Low registration — misses sensory input others notice. Doesn't respond to their name, doesn't notice a dirty face, seems 'daydreamy'. Needs bigger, clearer input.
Why this helps families
Once a pattern is clear, behaviour stops looking like defiance. The 'naughty' child who can't sit still at dinner may be a movement seeker whose nervous system is crying out for input. The child who refuses birthday parties may be avoiding, not antisocial.
A formal sensory assessment turns these patterns into practical strategies for home, school and therapy — and, for NDIS purposes, documents the functional impact clearly. I complete sensory assessments through play-based sessions on the Gold Coast and surrounds, with parent interviews available by Telehealth.
Sensory needs and NDIS occupational therapy
For an NDIS assessment, describe how sensory needs affect everyday activities such as dressing, meals, learning and community access. Questionnaire results add context but do not, by themselves, establish eligibility or guarantee funding.
References and further reading
Information checked against the official sources above on 9 August 2026.
This article provides general information only. NDIS rules and individual circumstances can change; check current official guidance or seek advice about your situation.
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