Sensory Problems
We live in a world of SOUNDS, LIGHTS, SMELLS, TEXTURES, TASTES that are processed through our senses.
According to Wikipedia:
Sensory integration is necessary for almost every activity that we perform because the combination of multiple sensory inputs is essential for us to comprehend our surroundings.
Understanding Sensory Problems
There are three main types of SID. Some children/adults have an increased or decreased response to sensory stimulation. This causes them to seek out sensory stimulation in non-typical ways. I was working with a child once and we accidentally head butted. I was stunned and a little out of it. It took me a few seconds to realize he was laughing. Then he grabbed my head and leaned forward to do it again! Agggh, no thank you. He had no idea that head butting was not a good feeling for me. All he knew was 1)it felt good to him, 2)he wanted more, and 3)it must have felt good to me too.
Children with this type of SID will run into walls, furniture, and people. They may .
Other children/adults with sensory processing disorder exhibit a sensory based motor disorder. Their brains do not process movement normally, including visual perceptions, lack of understanding of where their body is in space, distance of objects, recognition of their movement speed, etc. These kids maybe labeled 'clumsy,' physically awkward, or the opposite of graceful.
Type 3 sensory integration dysfunction occurs when the patient has a sensory discrimination disorder, which is characterized by postural control problems, lack of attentiveness, and disorganization.
I am pretty sure my child has Sensory Processing Disorder, Now What?
1. Create a Sensory Diet
- Find out what sensory input your child is seeking.
- If you have an Occupational Therapist, request a Sensory Integration Evaluation. If you do not, use a checklist found in books on Sensory Disorders(listed below).
- Schedule sensory breaks or exercises into your daily routine.
Your Occupational Therapist can help you determine then needed sensory input and provide you with activities to meet those needs. If you do not have an OT, then The Out of Sync Child is an excellent Resource that I have used in my classroom. I have also heard good things about Raising a Sensory Smart Child: The Definitive Handbook for Helping Your Child with SensoryProcessing Issues by Lindsey Biel and Nancy Peske.- Create a Sensory Tub for your child. Help your child recognize when he/she is becoming over/understimulated. Offer the tub for simple, independent activities.
2. Build Movement into EVERY Part of Your Day!!
- While reading books or telling stories, help your child act out the stories adding as much deep pressure, stretching, and squeezing as possible.
- While walking out to get the mail stomp, 'Let's pretend we are dinosaurs.'
- Secret Mission: Army Crawl to the Bedroom without being seen.
- Heavy Work (I do not mean to give your kid a cinder block or a sledge hammer!)
- Make a special weighted backpack for your child to wear when transitioning activities. Take a handful of books and put in the backpack. You only need enough wait to apply even pressure. Do not put college text books in a preschooler's backpack. If you are going to the grocery store, but your child often gets overstimulated, have him/her wear the backpack.
- Take a milk crate or small tote and fill with toys. Every other day or so, have your child take the toy tote from the living room to the bed room and switch out totes.
3. Gain Understanding for you and your child.
Explain that their bodies need extra help focusing their brains.
The following books are all written in first person from the perspective of a child with Autism, Sensory Integration Dysfunction, or Sensory Processing Disorder.
Paperback
$14.25
Paperback
$10.17
Paperback
$15.61
I am going to stop here for now. But know, that this is a passion of mine. So please ask questions, share success stories, or sensory blunders. And I promise, this will be a returning topic.
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