Reach Your Child's Potential with Professional Insights
Children with sensory processing disorder/differences (SPD) are often at the mercy of their environment. Our goal as their parents, teachers and therapists is to provide the sensory experiences they need in order to stay well regulated. Sensory input can alert us (examples: roller coaster, coffee, rock music) or help calm us (examples: rocking, massage, soft [...]
If you think your child has possible sensory issues or Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), then you need to get your pediatrician to refer you to an Occupational Therapist (OT)–preferably an outpatient/clinic based therapist that is qualified in Sensory Integration therapy. That therapist can give you (the parent/caregiver) a questionnaire to fill out to gather information [...]
Last month in The Under-Responsive Side of SPD, Part 1, I talked about the sensory modulation continuum and the specific needs of children with “isms” that are under-responsive to sensory input. This month, I’d like to provide you some answers to common questions about meeting the needs of our sensory under-responders. Q: How often do [...]
Do you have a child who loves to crash, jump, bump, run, whirl and spin? A child who simply WILL NOT sit still?! Chances are you have a “sensory seeker”! Or do you instead have a child who is very “laid back,” sluggish, sedentary, tends to be a t.v./computer kid? In that case, chances are [...]
Thomas: Thomas was five years old when he first came to occupational therapy. His parents described him as being a ‘good child’. He had never gotten into any trouble. Thomas had never gotten out of his bed by himself. If he was put in his room, he stayed there. Thomas tended to be quiet and [...]
During my years as a school-based occupational therapist, I consistently observed the following: younger kids, like preschoolers through third-graders, love coming to O.T. Often their peers will ask me why they don’t “get to go” to O.T. and the kids on my caseload feel special to be receiving this extra attention. As they get a [...]
As a parent of a child with sensory issues, I have spent the past few years pouring through books, websites and recommendations for a simple at-home system that our family can use to consistently empower our son to select appropriate activities to regulate his sensory system. While my research has led me to discovering a [...]
I think all of us who work with kids with sensory processing issues feel helpless at times in meeting the needs of tweens and teens. In fact, one of the most common questions I get is “What works for teens with sensory issues who aren’t willing to do any sensory activities?!” I wish I had [...]
Research the topic of Sensory Processing Disorder and before long, you will discover that there are actually more than the 5 senses we learned about in preschool. We all know about the standard 5: sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. Proprioceptive Sense If you know very much about Sensory Processing Disorder, you have probably heard [...]
