Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
13 results found in Sensory Processing.
- Cutaneous Perception (Cutaneous Sense, Cutaneous Feedback, Tactile Perception)
- The sensory experience derived from receptors beneath the surface of the skin that respond to temperature, pain, and pressure. In the context of assistive technology, cutaneous perception enables user…
- Dysregulation (Emotional Dysregulation, Sensory Dysregulation)
- Dysregulation is a state in which a person's emotional, sensory, or physiological response exceeds what they can manage given the current context - typically manifesting as distress, overwhelm, shutdo…
- Hyperacusis (Decreased sound tolerance)
- A hearing condition in which everyday sounds are perceived as uncomfortably or painfully loud, even at volume levels that are tolerable for most people. Hyperacusis involves a reduced tolerance for th…
- Hypervigilance
- A state of heightened alertness and sensitivity to potential threats in one's environment, commonly associated with PTSD, anxiety disorders, and trauma. Hypervigilant individuals may constantly scan f…
- Kinaesthetic Perception (Kinesthetic Perception, Kinaesthesia, Kinesthesia, Proprioception)
- The sensory awareness of the position, movement, and force of body parts, derived from receptors in muscles, tendons, and joints. In the context of haptic technology and accessibility, kinaesthetic pe…
- Kinesthetic Perception (Kinesthesia, Kinesthetic Sense, Kinesthetic Feedback)
- The sensory awareness of body position, movement, and force through receptors located in muscles, tendons, and joints. In assistive technology, kinesthetic feedback is a component of haptic interactio…
- Misophonia (Selective sound sensitivity syndrome)
- A neurological condition characterised by strong negative emotional and physiological reactions — such as anger, anxiety, disgust, or fight-or-flight responses — to specific trigger sounds, often repe…
- Noise sensitivity (Sound sensitivity, Auditory hypersensitivity)
- A condition in which sounds that most people find tolerable are experienced as disproportionately distressing, overwhelming, or physically painful. Noise sensitivity exists on a spectrum from mild ann…
- Sensory Adaptation (Habituation, Olfactory Fatigue)
- Sensory adaptation is the diminishing response of a sensory system to a constant or repeated stimulus over time. Classic examples include no longer noticing a steady smell, becoming accustomed to ambi…
- Sensory Saltation (Cutaneous Rabbit Effect, Tactile Saltation)
- A perceptual phenomenon in which a series of rapid taps delivered at discrete locations on the skin are perceived as a continuous movement or hopping sensation across the surface between the tap point…
- Sensory overload (Sensory overstimulation, Overstimulation)
- A state in which the brain receives more sensory input than it can effectively process, leading to feelings of overwhelm, distress, anxiety, or shutdown. Sensory overload is particularly common among …
- Sensory processing (Sensory integration, Sensory modulation)
- The neurological process of receiving, organising, and interpreting sensory information from the environment (sight, sound, touch, smell, taste, proprioception, vestibular input) to produce appropriat…
- Spatial sensitivity (Personal space sensitivity, Proxemic sensitivity)
- Heightened awareness of and discomfort with the physical proximity of others or objects, particularly common among autistic individuals and people with anxiety or PTSD. Spatial sensitivity involves st…