What's your Sensory Emotional Personality Style?
The way we process sensations and move our bodies impacts the emotions we feel. The emotions we feel impact how we process sensations and move our bodies. How we sense, move, and feel impacts how we act and interact with others – our personalities.
Use this form to determine your child's or your Sensory Emotional Personality style.
Over the last ten years, Founder – Michele Parkins MS, OTR, IMH-E® - has been collecting data on the sensory-emotion-movement/action-personality connection based on information shared by hundreds of families that have been seen at Great Kids Place. In collaboration with other experts in the field, Michele Parkins and her research team have analyzed this data to ensure the proven efficacy and validity of the Great Kids Place model. The work being done at Great Kid Place – guided by the Sensory-motor Emotional EngageMent Model - is the culmination of this research.
The Sensory-motor Emotional EngageMent Model uses play to address both sensory-motor and social-emotional development. As occupational therapists working within the sensory processing and integration framework, we commonly experience families reporting challenges of emotion dysregulation, inattention, poor social skills, seeking behaviors, and negative emotional experiences (anxiety, frustration, anger, catastrophic emotions); consequently, these presenting challenges are often reported as leading to difficulties in family, school, and peer group participation and relational engagement.
We also see that children with these reported social-emotional challenges have difficulty processing sensation and/or organizing and coordinating their actions. This can look like one or some of the following body-based experiences: more sensitive to or overwhelmed by sensations; less sensitive, unaware of, or slow to respond to sensations in the environment or from their body (including objects and people); seeking sensory input - such as touching or moving all the time; muscle weakness and weak core strength; poor endurance; motor coordination difficulties; and difficulty listening to directions and following through with tasks to their completion. Our research has determined that there is a direct relationship between these reported social, emotional, sensory, and movement-based challenges. Michele has coined the term for these correlations: Sensory Emotional Personalities.
Please note, this quiz is intended for fun and informational purposes only. The results are subjective and open to interpretation. For accurate analysis or guidance, please consult a trained and qualified sensory-emotional professional.
©2024 Michele Parkins
How old is the individual you are completing this survey for?
Please select their gender.
What's your relationship to the person you are completing this survey for?
Select all items that describe the person you are completing this survey for.
Would you like to learn more about bringing emotion and body regulation into your work or home using the Sensory Emotional Engagement Model™? Please indicate your contact information below and select submit or skip to view your results.
Sensory Emotional Personality Style: Anxious Yet Deeply Feeling
Children who are anxious yet deeply feeling tend to be more sensitive to sensory input and/or to their performance or their expected performance of activities/tasks. They tend to respond more than expected and for longer than expected to sensory experiences, often avoiding specific sensory experiences or having big emotional reactions to sensory experiences. When this causes significant challenges in daily life, it can be called sensory hyper-sensitivity or sensory over-responsivity. These individuals can be overwhelmed by motor experiences, often avoiding specific motor experiences or having big emotional reactions to motor experiences/motor demands. When motor experiences become a major challenge in daily life, this can be called Dyspraxia.
Individuals with this profile may be particular about wearing certain clothes, eating certain food, or engaging in certain tasks; they may dislike noisy, busy environments and/or get overwhelmed by movement experiences. They can experience just one or several of these reactions. These individuals also present as anxious, uncomfortable, and stressed, or quick to become anxious, uncomfortable, and/or stressed from a once calm state. Linking these body and emotion-based experiences together, we get someone who can be stressed in new and unpredictable situations or during unexpected changes to situations, apprehensive about participating in new activities, and shy or hesitant in social situations.
These individuals are also deep feelers and may be referred to as highly empathetic or highly sensitive - they are highly attuned to the feelings and experiences of others and their own experiences. They know quickly whether someone "gets them" or not. They often feel deeply for others. When they find their strength of deeply feeling, they can 'read the room' quickly and adjust their responses to the expectations implied by others. Although this adjustment is prosocial and can support them in engaging in social environments, it is not uncommon that they then melt down or need to take an extended break when in the safety of their own home.
More details:
Your Sensory Emotional Personality Style is {result rank #1 percent} {result rank #1 title}, but additional Sensory Emotional Personality Styles include:
{result rank #2 percent} {result rank #2 title}
{result rank #3 percent} {result rank #3 title}
{result rank #4 percent} {result rank #4 title}
{result rank #5 percent} {result rank #5 title}
To learn more about Sensory Emotional Personalities, our model, and sensory processing differences, visit the Sensory Emotional Center of Learning below.
https://sensoryemotionalcenteroflearning.com
Disclaimer: This quiz is intended for fun and informational purposes only. The results are subjective and open to interpretation. For accurate analysis or guidance, please consult a trained and qualified sensory-emotional professional.
For more information, visit our websites below.
https://greatkidsplace.com/our-model/
Sensory Emotional Personality Style: Unaware Yet Deep Thinker
Individuals who are unaware yet deep thinkers tend to be unaware of or less sensitive to sensory input and opportunities - processing slowly or having a delayed response, minimal or no response to input from the environment and/or from their body. When this causes significant challenges in daily life, it can be called sensory hypo-sensitivity or under-responsivity. These individuals can have decreased body awareness and can often seem impulsive as they move with little regard for their surroundings. They can respond less than expected to getting hurt, bumping into things, or knocking things over with decreased awareness of this occurrence. They may not respond to their name being called or need directions provided to them multiple times. These individuals can appear as if they are in their own world, often daydreaming, tuning out during conversations, or missing social cues from others. They seem inattentive, not paying attention to their surroundings and the impact of their actions on others.
At the same time, these individuals - while seemingly daydreaming - often fall deep into thought. Deep thinking becomes their strength. They may ask big questions, with hours of pondering behind them. They can even use this strength to support their body awareness. We notice children who have tapped into this strength to support their actions use thinking to guide their actions to find success - they watch their movements closely; they take extra time to think about how to move their body to follow a direction and then move. Yet others have thought about the way their body feels when they get more input and will move and touch more often than expected to get more input to their body, which also helps guide their actions to find success. Others with this profile are completely content staying in their thoughts and not engaging in the exploration of various sensory opportunities. These individuals likely represent the great thinkers of our world, the theorists and conceptualists.
More details:
Your Sensory Emotional Personality Style is {result rank #1 percent} {result rank #1 title}, but additional Sensory Emotional Personality Styles include:
{result rank #2 percent} {result rank #2 title}
{result rank #3 percent} {result rank #3 title}
{result rank #4 percent} {result rank #4 title}
{result rank #5 percent} {result rank #5 title}
To learn more about Sensory Emotional Personalities, our model, and sensory processing differences, visit the Sensory Emotional Center of Learning below.
https://sensoryemotionalcenteroflearning.com
Disclaimer: This quiz is intended for fun and informational purposes only. The results are subjective and open to interpretation. For accurate analysis or guidance, please consult a trained and qualified sensory-emotional professional.
For more information, visit our websites below.
Sensory Emotional Personality Style: Confused Yet Full of Wonder
Individuals who are confused yet full of wonder present as confused about the input and information they receive - having difficulty interpreting the just right way of doing things and fine-tuning sensory input or discrimination/perception of sensation. There is often a mismatch between their actions and the expectations of a situation. Overall, they often have difficulty organizing their body to do what they are asked to do. They have difficulty finding the right pacing and timing of actions, often moving too fast or too much, using too much force and too little force. They can have difficulty with balance and accurate placement of their body and or can choose inefficient ways of doing things.
These individuals are surprised or embarrassed if what they try for a task does not work, though you knew it would not work or maybe even tried to convey this to them. They are disorganized and confused about how things go together or how they should happen after they make an initial attempt that does not work. They may have a limited emotional range, having trouble feeling the "in-between" and often responding in catastrophic ways, i.e., very mad or not mad at all, rather than getting a little mad. Socially, their comments or ideas shared do not fit into the current conversation, and their stories get stuck in details to the point where the whole story is lost, and he/she forget what they are saying or have a hard time getting to the point.
At the same time, these individuals can be full of wonder - wondering how things fit together, how to best accomplish a task, and how things work. They may ask many questions to learn how things work and fit together. When they find their strength of wonder, they can spend a lot of time tinkering and experimenting with things, like little inventors or engineers, and then engage in telling others about their experiments using great details.
More details:
Your Sensory Emotional Personality Style is {result rank #1 percent} {result rank #1 title}, but additional Sensory Emotional Personality Styles include:
{result rank #2 percent} {result rank #2 title}
{result rank #3 percent} {result rank #3 title}
{result rank #4 percent} {result rank #4 title}
{result rank #5 percent} {result rank #5 title}
To learn more about Sensory Emotional Personalities, our model, and sensory processing differences, visit the Sensory Emotional Center of Learning below.
https://sensoryemotionalcenteroflearning.com
Disclaimer: This quiz is intended for fun and informational purposes only. The results are subjective and open to interpretation. For accurate analysis or guidance, please consult a trained and qualified sensory-emotional professional.
For more information, visit our websites below.
Sensory Emotional Personality Style: Needy Yet Compassionate
Individuals who are needy yet compassionate tend to present as frequently needing support to their body. They can present with low endurance or, quite the opposite, can move often with momentum in an 'all or none' fashion. They are either up and going or low and slow. They can be difficult to get up and going, but once they are, they go, go, go until they crash. The need for support could be due to low endurance, decreased body awareness, and/or a poor ability to plan and organize their actions in a well-graded way. When this need significantly impacts daily life, it is likely due to significant weakness in muscular strength or core strength, resulting in an inability to remain still or seated for expected periods of time and minimal strength to complete needed tasks. This can be referred to as postural disorder, low tone, and poor core strength.
These individuals need help more than others and can be seen as lazy at times. They have difficulty keeping up. They cry or whine more often than others, but can also be very silly and funny, engaging in 'silly' movements - running around giggling and crashing. This represents that swing from low and slow to up and going, as mentioned above. They can be fearful of things that their peers are no longer afraid of, i.e., going into another room alone, in the dark. They often do not feel brave enough to separate from their caregivers to do for themselves. They tend to be a 'watcher' rather than an active participant, taking a sedentary role in activities.
At the same time, these individuals are highly compassionate. Having often needed help themselves, they are wonderful helpers to others that they see are in need. They are often the first to offer to 'take the job.' They also care very deeply for others, often showing a lot of affection.
More details:
Your Sensory Emotional Personality Style is {result rank #1 percent} {result rank #1 title}, but additional Sensory Emotional Personality Styles include:
{result rank #2 percent} {result rank #2 title}
{result rank #3 percent} {result rank #3 title}
{result rank #4 percent} {result rank #4 title}
{result rank #5 percent} {result rank #5 title}
To learn more about Sensory Emotional Personalities, our model, and sensory processing differences, visit the Sensory Emotional Center of Learning below.
https://sensoryemotionalcenteroflearning.com
Disclaimer: This quiz is intended for fun and informational purposes only. The results are subjective and open to interpretation. For accurate analysis or guidance, please consult a trained and qualified sensory-emotional professional.
For more information, visit our websites below.
Sensory Emotional Personality Style: Scattered Yet Intentional and Passionate
Individuals who are scattered yet intentional and passionate often have difficulty coming up with ideas, planning the sequences of action needed to do an activity, executing actions, and/or adapting plans for action (particularly when things do not go as expected or when there is a change to a plan). They have difficulty making quick adaptations in the moment. This leads to challenges in transitions and following multi-step directions. This often leads to difficulty in play/interactions with peers and in interactions with adults - particularly when peers have their own ideas and adults have their own agenda. When this causes significant challenges in daily life, it can be called Dyspraxia.
Since it is difficult for these individuals to plan and execute their ideas or things that others are asking them to do, they can look very scattered in their approach, are often frustrated, and can give up when things get tricky or hard. They can tend toward perfectionism or be unmotivated to try things that don't come easily on the first try. They can have a decreased sense of confidence. On the other hand, they can be overly persistent with their own idea (even when it's unsuccessful). They can enter activities saying things like "I got this" or "This is easy." Sometimes, this is helpful to them, and other times, it results in an even bigger emotional reaction when they are not successful with that task.
Individuals who are scattered yet intentional and passionate can tend to move from one thing to another in a scattered-looking way or seemingly seek sensory input. They can resort to purposeful crashing, bumping, swinging, twirling type actions as they struggle to plan and/or execute multi-step activities smoothly. This can look like seeking input for fun, or it can present as explosive and frustrated actions. These individuals can be very good at practiced motor skills - such as catching, kicking, throwing, etc. - and then fall apart when asked to participate in a novel activity, particularly when asked to do tasks initiated by others. They can also have difficulty with all motor skills.
Individuals who are scattered yet intentional and passionate often use their strengths to overcome their weaknesses in ideation, motor planning, and adaptation. Their strengths are intentionality and passion for what they can do. They can talk around a task provided to them until they find a way to do it in a way that they can do it. They can intentionally request familiar things (foods and clothes included). They passionately engage in a few preferred play ideas and activities (activities that they are successful with!). They intentionally become the directors of their world - telling other kids how to play the games, telling teachers how they want to solve the math problem, and telling parents in which order to complete the bedtime routine. They intentionally excuse themselves from novel experiences - responding, "I don't know" when asked what they would like to do, saying "no thanks" or "I don't like that game" when offered to play a new game, or on the more common side of things, walking or running away when something new occurs in play or social interactions particularly when it is unexpected.
When individuals with this Sensory Emotional Personality™ find their strengths in intentionality and passion, they can be organized and persistent around a specific task. They can use self-talk to talk themselves through how to do activities to find success. They are leaders and organizers, taking control of situations. They are highly social, presenting as woo-ing those around them with charm and wit.
More details:
Your Sensory Emotional Personality Style is {result rank #1 percent} {result rank #1 title}, but additional Sensory Emotional Personality Styles include:
{result rank #2 percent} {result rank #2 title}
{result rank #3 percent} {result rank #3 title}
{result rank #4 percent} {result rank #4 title}
{result rank #5 percent} {result rank #5 title}
To learn more about Sensory Emotional Personalities, our model, and sensory processing differences, visit the Sensory Emotional Center of Learning below.
https://sensoryemotionalcenteroflearning.com
Disclaimer: This quiz is intended for fun and informational purposes only. The results are subjective and open to interpretation. For accurate analysis or guidance, please consult a trained and qualified sensory-emotional professional.
For more information, visit our websites below.