“When in Doubt. . .Prop it Out”
Friday, July 24th, 2009
“When in Doubt. . .Prop it Out” -Meryl Samuels Turner, OT, ASD Nest Program, New York Department of Education Self-regulation is the ability to control one’s activity level, level of alertness, and one’s physical and emotional responses to sensory input. The well-regulated child will go though most of his school day in a quiet alert state, without being distracted and inattentive, and be able to transition between active and tabletop activities. One of the most effective ways of promoting self-regulation is through proprioceptive input. Resistive activities (proprioceptive activities) that also provide some movement through space (vestibular input) are “grounding” and organizing because they incorporate “heavy work”. Proprioception is our “position sense.” It is the unconscious awareness of sensations coming from one’s joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments. A strong proprioceptive sense is required to have a good sense of where one’s body is in relation to other people and objects in the environment, which enables us to participate in the activities that comprise our daily life. Build proprioceptive activities into your daily routine to facilitate calming and organizing for your sensory compromised child. These are general suggestions of how to infuse proprioceptive activities throughout the day. If your child is receiving occupational therapy, ask your child’s therapist which activities will be most effective for your child. AT HOME * At night, place a heavy blanket over your child for sleeping * Morning o Stretch o Give slow back rubs or massages followed by joint compressions o Wake up bear hugs: Ask your child to give you a long, tight bear hug. Ask if you can hug him too, applying deep, continuous pressure o Jump on the bed o Making beds o Pull up bar as exiting room o Make a tunnel out of your legs and give a tight squeeze when your child comes out of his room o If your child does a deep touch pressure or “brushing” program, prepare for dressing with brushing o Mouth rinsing o Use an electric toothbrush o Jump on a trampoline o Jumping jacks o Carry knapsack to front door