Sensory Integration Ideas
bluedominoes creates safe lead-free art supplies that children enjoy and parents approve of. bluedominoes' Activity Dough and Finger Paints are the first art supply products to receive approval from the Celiac Sprue and acceptance by the Feingold Association. Our playdough and finger paints are gluten free, artificial color free, bromine free and heavy metal free. Have fun and play safely.Sensory Integration Ideas
by
Stacy Thompson, PhD.
The inability to receive and understand the information from your environment and integrate it can have implications for a child and the whole family. The majority of us, when we hear, see, feel, taste, or smell something, can sense it as it is; however, some children may see it much bigger or smaller or just differently and it may be aversive to them. For example, what is a soft and relaxing nice lullaby to some children may be like fingernails on a chalkboard to a child with sensory integration dysfunction. Sensory integration dysfunction interferes with typical daily interactions. Children with autism as well as children with other disabilities can have sensory integration issues. In addition, some young children have difficulty regulating their senses and are over- or under-stimulated. There are things parents can do to help children regulate themselves.
Parents of children who are over-stimulated easily might appeal to only one sense at a time like only talking to the child and not touching him/her at the same time or expecting him/her to look at them when they are being spoken to.
Those who are under stimulated need the opposite. When speaking with the child, it becomes important to hold him/her and/or make eye contact. Children who have low registration need a great deal of stimulation to notice something in the environment. For example, parents can add cinnamon to yogurt or add some organic essential oils to Activity Dough to add more dimensions to eating and playtime.
Other children are sensation seeking and need intense sensory experiences. These children might appreciate sand in their Activity Dough as it adds another sensory dimension to their play.
Children who are sensation avoiding, love routine and have difficulty with changes, including new foods and textures. Parents and caregivers can be slow on adding new foods to their diet and new sensory toys to their play. For example, add only one color of Activity Dough at a time so as to not overwhelm them.
Finally, those who are sensory sensitive may be hyperactive, distractible, and have difficulty remaining on task needing predictability. Parents need to provide plenty of warning about changes and keep things in their environment as predictable as possible.
It is important to remember that all of us have sensory issues but have learned our own strategies to deal with them. Children are learning how to adjust to their own sensory issues and the more aware we are of the possible problems the more proactive we can be in helping them adjust. It is important to provide experiences such as different textures, scents, and foods and watch for their reactions like shutting down if they are overwhelmed or not being interested if they are not stimulated enough. If they don't seem interested add more to their play that would appeal to the senses. Adding different spices to foods helps them to get familiar with them but also provides more sensation for children who are not stimulated enough. Also, one can combine sensations like being barefoot on different textures such as carpet, grass, cement, or tile. If they appear overwhelmed, take away from the sensory input, such as scents or textures. Remember, some of this is experimenting and watching your child's reaction. It is a learning process.
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- Winner of Dr. Toy's Best Picks for New Children's Products 2009 Award
- First art supply product certified by the Celiac Sprue Association and accepted by the Feingold Association
- Free of the eight most common allergens including wheat and soy
- No Artificial Colors
- LongPlayLife™
- Superior product integrity that exceeds all industry testing standards
- Safe Art products are made from all-natural and organic ingredients and lists the ingredients
- Manufactured in the USA and patent-pending
- Green from start to finish: Eco-friendly, BPA and phthalate free packaging
- Winner of San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Most Innovative Product Award