Adding sensory input
Read deliberate choices to add input, without inferring a sensory need or dominant type.
Four numeric answers: direct sum 0–16 and mean 0–4 to two decimals. Any unscored answer withholds this part only; no total, axis, winner or norm.
What this record describes
- This part records occasions when you deliberately added a sensory feature because you wanted more input. Its four original descriptions cover a gentle sound, comfortable movement, noticeable texture and a visual detail. The question is about the reason for an ordinary choice, not whether you are adventurous, energetic, productive or more capable in a busy environment.
- Sensory seeking is one of four patterns in Dunn’s conceptual framework. Our independently authored items use that idea to organise reflection. Choosing an input does not prove a high neurological threshold, and this page does not measure a need for stronger stimulation. You may seek one kind of input while reducing another at the same time.
Read a concrete situation
- For example, during a quiet independent task you freely add a low background sound because the space feels too empty of input. That is different from playing sound because your job requires checking a recording. The same visible action can have different reasons. Choose an answer only when both the situation and the stated reason fit your recollection.
- A material choice offers another example. You might pick a textured cover because the sensation itself is welcome, rather than because it is cheaper or easier to grip. If you had no comparable choice or do not remember your reason, an unscored answer is more faithful than guessing. The site does not ask you to buy anything or try the material now.
Keep nearby experiences separate
- Adding sensory input is different from seeking social contact, praise, novelty, competition or risk. A person can enjoy a visually interesting personal space and still prefer predictable routines. Another can enjoy novelty yet choose quiet surroundings. The four answers do not form an extraversion, impulsivity or attention-deficit score, and none of those traits should be inferred from the record.
- Nor is this the opposite of every reducing response. You may add movement during a break and prefer fewer scents while working. Those are different modalities, times and purposes. Separate records preserve that mixed picture. We do not subtract seeking from reducing, place you on a single continuum or label the larger mean your dominant sensory type.
Read the four answers and arithmetic
- Four explicit numeric answers produce a direct sum from zero to sixteen and a mean from zero to four. The mean equals the sum divided by four and is shown to two decimal places. The response categories are ordered descriptions, so a difference of one displayed point does not establish an equal difference in an underlying sensory need.
- Choose never only when relevant opportunities occurred and you do not recall the described choice. The unscored option covers no opportunity, uncertainty or declining. Any unscored item withholds this part’s sum and mean, with counts still shown. The site neither imputes a response nor discards the whole questionnaire when another part can be read completely.
Try one reversible environment choice
- A reversible work experiment could offer a choice between two already acceptable personal setups, such as a plain surface and a visually varied one. Keep the task, duration and shared-space agreement clear. Use the option that helps you participate comfortably; there is no obligation to choose the one corresponding to a larger mean or to make the environment increasingly intense.
- If a preferred input affects another person, ask rather than assuming a shared preference. Personal headphones are not a universal solution, and movement needs a suitable, safe setting. No loudness, flashing light, spinning, food tasting, strong smell or touch exposure is needed for this reflection. Keeping an option small and voluntary matters more than matching a profile label.
What this record cannot establish
- The four-week window reflects recent recall and available opportunities. It is not a lifespan assessment or a prescription for a sensory diet. These original bilingual items have not been validated, and repeating them cannot establish a treatment response. A different answer after a schedule change could reflect changed opportunities rather than a changed nervous system.
- The research framework does not transfer the official Sensory Profile’s validation or normative classifications to this short reflection. Neither a larger nor a smaller mean establishes autism, ADHD, wellbeing, self-control or work suitability. Do not use another person’s reported choices to diagnose them or to remove an existing arrangement that helps them participate.
Choose a useful next observation
- For a useful next note, identify the task, input you chose and practical effect you cared about. Did you want comfort, interest or an easier transition into the activity? Keep those questions open rather than declaring the input necessary for your brain. You can keep this note privately; the questionnaire collects no personal examples or sensory recordings.
- Read the reducing-input guide if your preferences differ across settings, and the interruption guide if input draws attention away despite your intentions. These are parts of one reflection rather than separate tests or personality types. Sharing copies all four public guides without your selections or numbers, so another reader can explore the ideas without receiving your private record.