Strategies for the Sensory Challenged Child and their Families

Feasts, parties, family gatherings, and candy galore can only mean one thing. The holiday season is rapidly approaching! For children with sensory sensitivities this can be an overwhelming and chaotic experience. Below is a list of suggestions to keep this as the happy and exciting time of year that it should be for the whole family.

• While vacation and relaxation are important, it is important that children feel a strong sense of structure and normalcy. Being able to anticipate upcoming events and activities throughout the day is often comforting for the sensory sensitive child.
• a. Sensory diets, brushing protocols, visual and auditory prompts etc. should all continue to be a part of the daily routine. Disorganization can lead to stress and anxiety which will raise the stress levels of both parents and siblings.
• b. Create a calendar or schedule with Velcro pictures or words that you and your children can arrange at the start of the day to give them a sense of control over what is to come.
• c. See an earlier POTS Blog http://blog.potsot.com/?p=154for more ideas about establishing routines.
• Many holiday experiences are novel: sights, sounds and smells can be over-stimulating and result in a ‘fight or flight’ reaction. ‘Fight’ in response to an overwhelming experience may look like aggression, screaming, crying, or combative behavior. ‘Flight’ looks like social, emotional or physical withdrawal.
• a. If you anticipate your child being frightened at an unfamiliar home on Thanksgiving, at a holiday party, or at a birthday party, bring him early so that he can become comfortable in the new surroundings prior to the arrival of people, noise and chaos.
• b. Plan a shorter stay with a clear end-time, your child is more likely to experience success, because he knows that the stressful activity will be over.
• c. Holiday activities, such as crafts or baking, should be broken down into small components with concrete instructions. With repetition, lists, charts, and prompts your child will feel more prepared.
• On vacation days it will be beneficial for your child to have a balance of high energy activities such as a snowball fight and low energy activities such as wrapping gifts or playing holiday games.
• a. If your children need a calming activity, and enjoy fine motor play, set them up with crafts to make holiday decorations or have them look at a photo album from previous holidays to remind them of the fun and exciting upcoming events.
• b. For a more high energy activity, have them create obstacle courses. You can time how long it takes them to complete it and see if they can best their own time.
• c. See an earlier POTS blog http://blog.potsot.com/?p=37for a number of seasonal indoor and outdoor activities geared towards sensitive children, from raking leaves to making Pumpkin Play Dough.
• Delegate! Give your child a job a week before a holiday. For example, one week prior to hosting a Hanukah party have your child make place cards. When the cards are complete and the table is set, have her place them on the table. This project will prepare your child for the guests as well as give her a sense of responsibility.
• Flexibility is the most important factor in having an enjoyable holiday season. This may mean missing out on certain activities that are not suitable for your child or helping your child find a ’safe place’ in a busy home.
• a. A safe place is somewhere quiet and calm, where your child can play, read a book, or simply sit quietly. The safe place should have as few distractions as possible and be away from loud sounds. Search for potential safe spots with your child such as the bottom step of a staircase, or a seat in the kitchen when others are in the dining room. Your child may want to be apart from the crowd for a while, but close enough so that he can see what is going on.
• b. Remember, if tasks take longer or are not done perfectly, it is ok!

For each family the holidays mean something different. No matter how or what you celebrate, it is important to keep the needs of your sensory sensitive child in mind for the whole family to enjoy a fun and memorable holiday season.

For more information on sensory integration visithttp://blog.potsot.com/?cat=6.

In addition, here are some websites that have great seasonal craft and activity ideas for kids:

http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/sensory-integration-activities.html

http://www.amazingmoms.com/

http://www.celebrations.com/jewish-holiday-ideas

START THE SUMMER WITH A SPLASH:

Water play is both fun and beneficial for your child. Water is naturally resistive, which makes it so great for strengthening. Additionally, water provides uniform pressure to the whole body, which facilitates body awareness and sense of body position in space.

These activities and toys are best for younger children or those children who are tentative about entering a big pool since they can be done outside the pool or in a small, child-sized pool. They also strengthen the upper body and challenge fine motor control.

Water Toys:

Sponges: Fill up a container by squeezing water from a sponge. Start with smaller sponges and progress to larger ones. Holding the sponge at shoulder level or higher increases shoulder strength.

• Spray Bottles: Use the spray bottle for target practice by aiming for a particular spot on a wall or plastic easel drawn from chalk or shaving cream. Using a bigger, fuller spray bottle and holding it at or above shoulder level increases the challenge. Use the thumb, index, and middle fingers to squeeze the trigger and the ring and pinky fingers to hold the bottle steady.
• Use a squeeze bottle (like a restaurant-style ketchup squeeze bottle, www.zesco.com) to fill water balloons. Toss the balloon at the target.
• Squirt Toys: To increase hand strength, fill the toys up, and squirt the water while aiming for a target.
• Wind-up Toys: These toys are generally available as bath toys, but are just as much fun in the pool. Use the thumb, index, and middle fingers while keeping the ring and pinky fingers tucked into the palm to prepare the hand for using scissors and controlling pencils and crayons.
• To build shoulder strength, pour water from pitchers to cups, starting with a smaller, lighter pitcher.

These games are best for children who feel comfortable in the water. For those children who love the water, playing water sports is a fun way to incorporate eye-hand coordination, upper body coordination, and overall strengthening and endurance into summer play. Simply walking through water can enhance the sense of body position in space and balance!

Pool Sports & Games:

Water Volleyball:

• For younger children, try the Giraffe Volleyball Pool Game (www.toysrus.com)
• For older children, try Swimways Poolside Volleyball Game (www.toysrus.com)
• Water Basketball:
• For younger children, try Kool Dunk Basketball Pool Game or Water Basketball with Ring Toss Game (www.toysrus.com)
• For older children, try Pro Water Basketball Pool Game (www.toysrus.com)

• Water Bull’s Eye: Floating Target Pool Game (www.toysrus.com)
• Water Tag
• Belly Board: Lie on a kickboard belly down and use your arms to propel through the water to build upper body strength.
• Pool Races: Run across the pool as fast as you can. Or, try straddling a pool noodle and race across the pool by using your arms to paddle.

Play safe: Remember to always apply sun block regularly, especially after playing in the water.

For additional water play ideas, tips on easing your child into the water, and an explanation of the sensory benefits of swimming, read our blog “Water Fun for Everyone!” (posted on July 15, 2008).

Blog written by: Aviva Goldwasser, MS, OTR & Chaye Lamm-Warburg, MA, OTR, Director POTS

COORDINATION GAMES FOR EVERY AGE

These days the warm weather keeps us outside longer. Whether you’re at a playground or playing in your own backyard, there are lots of fun games that you can play that can help improve gross motor coordination, balance, bilateral integration, eye-hand coordination, and core strength.

Hopscotch: Use the hopscotch in the playground or draw your own with chalk. It is a challenge to hop and balance on one foot and it requires smooth coordination. For beginners, draw a hopscotch board with smaller squares so that it is easier to hop into all the boxes and skip the square with the chalk in it. Start with a small piece of chalk and then use a full piece of chalk to make the activity more challenging. Smooth, continuous hopping and jumping throughout the game is the highest level of performance.

Frisbee: Tossing a Frisbee is good practice for eye-hand coordination. When catching a Frisbee, begin with a larger Frisbee that is easier to catch and move toward playing with smaller ones.

Hula hoop: It looks easier than it is and is a great way to improve the stability and strength of the core muscles in the trunk. For an added challenge, try catching a ball or racing down the block while hula hooping. Alternatively, play “leap frog” by arranging a series of hula hoops on the ground and hopping like a frog from one hoop to the next.

Jumping Rope: Jumping rope is a wonderful form of exercise. It requires the upper body and lower body to work together in addition to challenging balance and rhythmicity. Other games with a jump rope include: (1) When playing in a group, arrange the jump rope in a straight line and label one side “dry” and the other side “wet”. Have one person call out “dry” and “wet” in random order and all players need to jump from one side to the next without touching the rope. (2) Have one person hold the jump rope low to the ground and shake the rope quickly from side to side so that it looks like a rattlesnake. All players need to hop over the rope without it touching their feet. (3) Play Limbo with the jump rope and see how low you can go before losing your balance.

Bean Bag Toss: Choose “targets” around the backyard and toss bean bags at them to improve eye-hand coordination. Keep it challenging by starting further away from the target. Start with larger targets that are easier to hit and progressively move toward smaller targets.

Balloon Bop: This game is good for a younger child or children who are afraid of having a ball flying at them because the balloon travels much slower than a ball. Play alone or with a friend and see how long you can keep the balloon in the air before it touches the ground. Try using round and long balloons (www.orientaltrading.com).

Chalk Bull’s Eye: Draw a bull’s eye on the back or side of the house with chalk. Use a ball or bean bag to aim for the center. Score 10 points for hitting the center, 5 points for the middle circle, and 3 points for the outer circle. See who can earn the most points. Alternatively, make the bull’s eye using shaving cream or funny foam and use a water gun, spray bottle, or super soaker to “melt” the foam. Using a heavier, fuller water gun or spray bottle will help increase upper body strength. Standing farther away from the target increases the challenge of hitting the bull’s eye.

Blog written by:

Aviva Goldwasser, MS, OTR

Chaye Lamm-Warburg, MA, OTR, Director POTS