Calming Sensory Space...AKA the Safari Room!

 

I created this calming sensory space for my grandchildren, and they LOVE it! They call it the Safari Room. It is a small space under our staircase that I previously used for storage.

I painted a safari mural with lots of animals and added several stuffed animals. The shelves were already there, and that worked out perfectly, because we now use them as a bookshelf. I found the cute leaf rug and safari table and chairs on Amazon, and I made the pillows myself.

This is the perfect space to read and book, chill out, or take a nap!

Gravitational Insecurity Activities

Children with gravitational insecurity typically respond to movement activities by overreacting emotionally.  Why?  Their vestibular system is not functioning properly. These kids are extremely afraid of heights, falling, and they resist having their feet leave the ground. For this reason, children with gravitational insecurity children prefer to stay low to the ground.  They are typically lying down or sitting and doing their best to avoid movement.

How can I help my gravitationally insecure child?

1. It may be helpful to physically guide your child during play activities such as climbing, sliding and swinging. You can swing with your child in your lap, and this might provide just enough security to prevent a fearful response.
2. Encourage your child to participate in climbing, crawling, and jumping activities that are within his comfort zone.
3.  Demonstrate movement activities such as this for your child, “watch me to this, or do it just it the way I do this.”
4. Introduce new movement activities gradually and a little bit at a time.
5. Encourage water play in the pool that includes movements such as twirling, jumping, and flipping.  The water might make your child feel more secure.
6. If your child has extreme responses to movement, I recommend pursuing occupational or physical therapy. 

 freedigitalphotos.net by dvrcan

Interoception: The “Other” Sense

Of course, occupational therapists are familiar with the traditional senses: vision, hearing, smell, touch, taste. We are also knowledgeable about the vestibular and proprioceptive senses, but there’s an “eighth” sense that may not be as familiar to us…the interoceptive sense. This sense takes the sensory input from certain internal organs and shares the information from those organs with the central nervous system. The interoceptive system regulates body temperature, thirst, hunger, heart rate, digestion, and bowel and bladder functioning.

For a child with sensory processing problems, it’s possible that the interoceptive system is impaired. Consider the following issues that are often present in individuals with sensory processing challenges:

-       Difficulty regulating body temperature

-       Stomach issues (constipation or diarrhea)

-       Challenges with potty training (may not be able to feel when bladder is full)

-       Feeding issues (decreased awareness of fullness or hunger/thirst)

-       Respiration and/or heart rate sensitivities (too fast, too slow, or problems transitioning from being sedentary to exertion)

If your child has a sensory processing disorder and struggles with several of these issues, consult with your occupational therapist. There are therapy techniques and adaptive strategies that may be effective in addressing these challenges.

Sensory Diet Activities

When a proper sensory diet is put in place, it helps a child with sensory processing issues function better on a daily basis. Typically, I recommend that a child carry out two to three of the sensory activities below approximately every two hours throughout the day. Please consult with your child's occupational therapist for recommendations that are appropriate for your child's sensory needs.

-      Lying under a weighted blanket

-      Wearing a weighted vest (as recommended by an occupational therapist)

-      Jumping on a trampoline

-      Jumping on overstuffed pillows
-   Climbing through homemade obstacle courses

-      Carrying heavy objects- i.e. Helping put away heavy groceries

-      Wheelbarrow walking

-      Tug-of-war games

-      Popping bubble wrap

-      Rolling self up in a blanket like a burrito, then rolling back out

-      Sit-ups

-      Push-ups on the floor, or against a wall while standing

-      Spinning on a sit-n-spin

-      Stomping feet/clapping hands (have the child follow your pattern)

-      Tossing/rolling a weighted ball back and forth

-   Sitting on a therapy ball and bouncing

-   Tummy down on a therapy ball rocking forward and backward 
     
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Weighted Blankets

 

This article was originally written for Pediastaff.com

Have you ever felt a sense of relaxation when someone gives you a big hug? Sleeping under a weighted blanket is like getting a big, warm hug all night long. Weighted blankets provide deep pressure/proprioceptive input to an individual’s joints, muscles, and bones. In many cases, the input is calming and leads to improved sleep. Weighted blankets have been used successfully with individuals who have sensory processing disorders.

When selecting a weighted blanket for a client with sensory processing issues, the treating therapist should carefully consider the client’s specific sensory needs. There are no “official” research-based guidelines for selecting the weight and size of a blanket, but based on feedback from occupational therapy practitioners, 10% of the individual’s body weight is often effective when using weighted vests or lap pads. The treating therapist may want to start with 5 to 8% and make adjustments based on the reactions and/or feedback from the individual. If the client is nonverbal, it may be necessary to get feedback from the parents. For safety reasons, it is critical that the user be physically capable of independently removing the blanket. Most importantly, a weighted blanket should never be used for restraint purposes. If the user does not like the sensation of the blanket, use of the blanket should not be forced.

The blanket should fit evenly on top of the mattress so that no weights are hanging over the edge of the bed. This could cause the pressure provided by the blanket to be uneven. The blanket should NEVER cover the individual’s head, and parents should always provide supervision when using a weighted blanket with their child.

The effects of weighted blankets vary. Many parents have reported that the first night of use resulted in a good nights sleep for their child. However, it may take two to three nights to observe improvements in sleep. If no changes are noted at that point, the treating therapist may want to consider increasing the blanket’s weight. As stated previously, there is no evidence-based research on weighted blankets, but anecdotal reports from therapists and clients are generally positive. For someone with a disorganized nervous system, a weighted blanket may be the perfect solution for a good night’s sleep.


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Calming Activities

Proprioception is the awareness of joint and body position. It helps us know where our bodies are in space along with the tactile and vestibular systems. There are “receptors” that receive body position information located deep within our muscles, joints, ligaments, tendons, and connective tissues. These receptors transmit information about motion or position in space to the brain by sensing subtle changes in movement, position, tension, and force. When our proprioceptive system is functioning properly, we make consistent, automatic changes in our body position as needed to stay upright and maneuver the environment safely. This system should work in sync with the other sensory systems, but problems with proprioceptive functioning can lead to big problems.

Individuals with Poor Proprioceptive Processing sometimes exhibit these signs:

• Inability to maintain stationary positions (stay seated upright in a chair) 
• Frequently bumps into items/people in the environment  
• Stands to close or far away from others  
• Unable to apply the appropriate amount of pressure when writing, holding utensils, etc.  
• Clumsy- poor motor planning  
• Playing to rough/Over-activity

Proprioceptive Activities: Proprioceptive input is calming for children and improves muscle/joint awareness. Give your child jobs that involve big muscle groups such as carrying books, laundry, groceries, as well as push-pull activities.

• Pushing or pulling wagons, heavy “wheeled” toys  
• Climbing ropes  
• Jumping- on beanbag chairs, playing on couch cushions/making forts, etc. 
• Wheelbarrow walks  
• Wrestling  
• Tug-of-War  
• Punching bags  
• Pushing others on a swing  
• Swimming  
• Deep pressure given between mats or blankets (“make a sandwich- add lettuce, pickles, cheese)  
• Position your child on the stomach and roll a large therapy ball over him or her, then flip over and do the same (do not put pressure on the stomach)  
• Have your child close their eyes and get into different positions by instructing, “put your finger on your nose, etc.”  
• Sitting in a beanbag chair with heavy blankets or light weights in lap  
• Tossing a weighted ball while sitting on a therapy ball  
• Chair Push-ups  
• Using a hole punch on index cards or file folders  
• Popping packaging bubbles  
• When teaching your little one a new skill that involves motor planning, provide extra proprioceptive input through the use of light wrist or ankle weights.  
• Guide your child through an action, teaching the “motor pattern” providing light resistance to increase the awareness of body position.  
• Gentle but firm massage

photo by num_skyman @ freedigitalphotos.net

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The Tactile, Vestibular, and Proprioceptive Systems

Welcome to Pediatric Occupational Therapy Tips!
I’d like to talk a little more about sensory processing disorders. Yesterday, I answered the question "What is a sensory processing disorder?"  For this post, I plan to share more information about a few of the senses that most of us don’t know that much about. I’ll start with the sense of touch….

Tactile System: The tactile system is the sense of touch. This is the sensory system that helps us learn about our bodies and our environment. It is important in the development of a child’s body scheme (the internal map of our body and how we use our body to interact with the world around us). This system is composed of two subsystems: (1) discriminatory- allows us to know where we are being touched, (2) protective- lets us know if we are in contact with something dangerous. Tactile input is very important for the development of fine-motor skills, visual perception skills, and articulation of sounds.

The Vestibular System: The vestibular system is the sensory system that responds to accelerated and decelerated movement. It is through the vestibular system that we learn directions and are aware of our body position in space. This input helps us to form a basic reference for all sensory experiences. This system has interconnections with many parts of the body and influences many different functions, for example muscle tone, postural control, balance, eye and neck muscles.

The Proprioceptive System: Proprioceptive information is sensations from muscles and joints. Proprioceptive input tells the brain when and how muscles are contracting and stretching and how joints are being compressed or stretched. It helps us to know where our bodies are in space and how they are moving. Proprioceptive input provides a calming effect. It works along with the vestibular system.

            With sensory processing disorders, one, two, or all three of these sensory systems might be involved (as well as any of the other senses). An experienced therapist can evaluate and determine which systems are involved, allowing for more specific treatment planning, which leads to more effective treatment! In my next entry, I’ll share a variety of sensory activities that are alerting, calming, etc. Cheers!

Photo by David Castillo Dominici @ freedigitalphotos.net

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