Does Science Matter?

It was 8:10 p.m. on a school night, and I was battling to get my son to bed. Every step of our bedtime routine felt like climbing a mountain. He was distracted, frustrated, and constantly delayed. I still clung to the idea of a 7 p.m. bedtime, though he was older now, and the summer holidays had shifted our schedule. But my son? He was the master of delay tactics.

The. Master.

I’ve learned that the best way to handle this is to go with the flow. So, I sat at the end of his bed while he flicked his torch on and off exactly 30 times. He rearranged his teddies, opened the curtains to check how dark it was outside, rubbed cream on a non-existent sting, and inspected his foot with his torch to make sure his verruca hadn’t returned. After what felt like an eternity, he was finally ready. I tucked him in and said, “It’s time for sleep now.” And then, as if on cue, he asked:

“Can I ask you a question?”

As much as I wanted him to drift off, I always look forward to these moments. His bedtime questions are often fascinating—and let’s be honest, that’s why I’m writing about this. So, I told him he could ask. He hesitated for a moment and then said:

“Does Science Matter?”

I paused, unsure of where this was going. “What do you mean?” I asked.

“When you were at school, did science matter? Because I don’t want to be a scientist, so does it really matter?”

He had obviously been doing science at school today and it was bothering him. As much as I wanted to debate with him how important science was I was also aware of the time so I said…

“Yes science matters. Science explains why we need to sleep. To get our energy back for the next day. So it’s time for sleep.”

Yes….that’s me winning right there as he went straight to sleep. And I went and got my cup of tea and sat in the quiet thinking about how much science actually mattered at this point in time for my son. It was like he knew and somehow ended up asking questions that were so relevant for him. It amazed me every time

I always loved science in school. But lately, science has taken on a whole new meaning for me. It all started with a webinar hosted by a lovely occupational therapist I follow on social media. The topic? Sensory issues. My son, as I’ve come to understand, experiences the world differently, and I was eager for answers. Scientific answers. I’m the kind of person who needs a plan, and for that, I needed to understand the why behind my son’s sensory needs.

Before that webinar, I thought we only had five senses: touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste. But no—there are actually eight.

Tactile: Touch

Visual: Seeing

Auditory: Hearing

Olfactory: Smell

Gustatory: Taste

Proprioception: Body awareness

Vestibular: Balance and movement

Interoception: Internal sensations (like hunger, thirst, or the need to use the bathroom)

And within each sense, you can either over-register or under-register sensory input. Some children seek out sensory stimulation, while others avoid it because it overwhelms them. As the webinar progressed, I realised that this science held the answers I’d been seeking. I needed to understand my son’s sensory profile.

Soon after, I arranged for a local occupational therapist to assess my son using the Motor ABC assessment. The resulting report—a nine-page sensory profile—described my son perfectly. But for your sake, here’s the summary:

Over-registration: He over-registers sensory input like noise, touch, oral, and visual stimuli, often finding them uncomfortable.

Under-registration: His proprioceptive and vestibular systems under-register input, meaning he craves more movement and physical sensations, like constant motion and crashing into things.

Armed with this information, I could finally put a plan in place. My first step? A mini trampoline. Since my son craved movement, I hoped this would help regulate him before and after school. When it arrived, he was over the moon, bouncing and shouting, “This is the best toy ever!” But to me, it wasn’t a toy—it was a tool, a vital part of his sensory toolkit. The next morning, he was up at 6:30 a.m., bouncing before school, and he walked in happy. Truly happy.

Next up was the sensory den, this was a black out pop up tent and I was hoping this would provide the calming input he also needed. I bought lights to go in it which would appeal to him. Our house was fast filling up with big pieces of equipment. We had a spare room attached to our garage and I was seriously considering making this into a sensory room for my son. The bar would have to go somewhere else….don’t tell my husband!!

And so you see science does matter to my son, and me. The science that I craved for provided answers and enabled me with a plan I could do. It provided me with some science that I could go to school with. But ultimately it provided me with some science to explain to my son about who he was and what he needed in life. And that was worth it’s weight in gold. Worth it’s weight in gold.

So yes son, science mattered. Science mattered so very much.