For children with sensory processing issues, navigating the world can be overwhelming. A sensory diet, much like a nutritional diet, provides essential sensory input to help children function at their best. This article explores sensory diets, their importance, and provides visual schedule examples to incorporate into a child's daily routine.
Understanding Sensory Diets
A sensory diet is a personalized plan of sensory activities designed to help children with sensory processing issues stay focused, calm, and organized throughout the day. These activities are tailored to meet each child’s specific needs, providing the right type and amount of sensory stimulation. Sensory diets can include various activities that stimulate different senses, such as touch, movement, sight, sound, and smell.
Children with sensory processing issues might seek out or avoid sensory input, affecting their ability to focus, learn, and interact with others. A sensory diet provides the right balance of activities to help regulate the sensory system, leading to improved attention, behavior, and emotional regulation.
The Importance of Sensory Diets
A well-regulated sensory system is essential for learning. Incorporating a sensory diet into your child’s daily routine can make a difference in their ability to navigate their sensory world.
Creating a Sensory Diet
Identifying Sensory Preferences
Before creating a sensory diet, it’s crucial to understand your child’s sensory preferences. Consider the following questions:
Read also: Regulation Through Sensory Input
- What types of movement does your child enjoy or dislike?
- What type of proprioceptive input (heavy work and deep pressure) does your child enjoy?
- What types of tactile input does your child enjoy or dislike (e.g., soft vs. coarse materials, being tickled)?
- What types of auditory input does your child enjoy or dislike (e.g., loud noises, crowds)?
- What types of visual input does your child enjoy or dislike (e.g., bright lights, sunshine)?
- What types of tastes and smells does your child enjoy or dislike?
Determining Sensory Thresholds
The sensory threshold is the point at which an individual responds to sensory stimuli. Some may need only a small amount of input to react, while others need more.
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and control one’s emotions, as well as to identify emotions in others. During a specific activity, verbalize how the activity makes you feel. Ask your child questions, such as, “Can you see how I’m feeling?” Talk about facial expressions and body language cues. Then, start identifying your child’s emotions during activities. A simple comment such as, “It looks like swinging makes you feel happy; you’re smiling while you do it!” Next, ask your child questions about how they feel during specific activities. During challenging moments when your child is upset, it’s important to give them space before talking about emotions. Additionally, be sure to avoid any shaming for their emotions. Try something like, “I noticed you seemed very angry; you were yelling very loud."
Implementing the Sensory Diet
Start by meeting your child’s sensory threshold, providing them with the sensory input their body is craving or seeking. Sensory diets are personalized, and what works for one child may not work for another. Some children may benefit from a morning sensory diet to help them feel awake and ready for school, while others may benefit from an afternoon sensory diet to help them feel calm after a busy day.
Sensory Diet Examples
Here are some examples of sensory activities that can be included in a sensory diet:
- Swinging: Swinging provides excellent vestibular input, which helps with balance and coordination. Encourage your child to swing back and forth, side to side, and in circular motions. For an added challenge, try having your child reach for objects or toss a ball while swinging.
- Jumping on a Trampoline: Jumping on a trampoline offers significant proprioceptive input, which can help your child feel more organized and grounded. This activity can be an excellent way for your child to burn off excess energy and improve their balance and coordination.
- Weighted Blankets: Weighted blankets provide deep pressure input, which can be incredibly soothing and help with relaxation and sleep. The gentle pressure can help your child feel more secure and calm.
- Therapy Ball: A therapy ball is a versatile tool for providing both vestibular and proprioceptive input. Have your child sit on the ball and bounce gently, roll back and forth, or lie on their tummy and roll the ball under their body.
- Obstacle Course: Creating an obstacle course is a great way to provide various sensory inputs. Use pillows, chairs, tunnels, and other household items to create a path for your child to navigate.
- Sensory Bins: Fill bins with rice, beans, sand, or other textured materials, and hide small toys or objects for your child to find. Encourage your child to use their hands to explore the different textures and search for hidden treasures.
- Play Dough: Kneading, rolling, and shaping play dough can be calming and tactile-rich. Provide your child with various tools, such as rolling pins, cookie cutters, and plastic knives to enhance the experience.
- Water Play: Playing with water can be very soothing and engaging for children. Set up a water table or use a large container filled with water and add toys like cups, spoons, and small boats.
- Music: Music can provide auditory input that helps regulate mood and focus. Create a playlist of your child’s favorite calming or rhythmic songs and play it during quiet times or transitions.
- Chewing Gum or Crunchy Snacks: Chewing gum or crunchy snacks like carrots, apples, or pretzels can offer oral sensory input that can be calming for some children.
- Hugs: Giving your child firm, deep-pressure hugs can help them feel secure and grounded.
- Jumping Jacks: A quick round of jumping jacks can provide proprioceptive input and help with energy regulation.
- Fidget Toys: Small fidget toys can help children focus by providing constant, subtle sensory input.
- Sensory Brush: A sensory brush on the skin can provide tactile input and help with sensory regulation.
- Balance Board: Standing on a balance board can enhance vestibular input and improve balance.
- Nature Walks: Walking in nature provides a variety of sensory inputs from different environments and can be very calming.
- Visual Timers: Using visual timers can help children understand time and transitions, providing visual sensory input.
- Pleasant Scents: Pleasant scents like lavender can provide olfactory input that may help with relaxation.
- Stretching Exercises: Simple stretching exercises can provide proprioceptive input and help with body awareness.
- Blowing Bubbles: Blowing and popping bubbles can be a fun way to provide visual and tactile input.
Visual Schedules
Visual schedules are essential tools for helping children understand and follow their sensory diets. These schedules use pictures or symbols to represent activities, making it easier for children to anticipate and participate in their sensory routines.
Read also: Autism and Sensory Needs
Types of Visual Schedules
- Picture Schedules: Take photos of sensory activities. Print them out and laminate them. The photos can be added to a pocket in the front of each sensory bin or container.
- Clip Schedule: Use clothes pins to clip onto a schedule list of activities.
- Paper Strips with Velcro: Create strips of paper with sensory diet activities written out on strips of paper. Laminate the strips for sturdiness. Attach a self-sticking Velcro tab to the back of the laminated strip. The schedule of activities can then be attached to a felt board or schedule board with Velcro tabs. Once the activity is performed, the child can drop the strips into a cup.
- Sensory Diet Binder: Create a sensory diet binder using page protectors.
- Visual Supports: Dry erase boards, Velcro board, flip picture schedule, felt boards are all ideas. Use visual supports in the simplest way possible with reduced visual distractions. A single color is best.
- “First, Then” Strategy: Simplify directions by breaking down tasks into the simplest form.
- Keychain Schedule: Create a schedule that can go with the child. These can be clipped to belt loops, jackets, binders, necklaces, or backpacks.
- Special Interest Schedulers: Use the interests of the child as a motivator and as a scheduler.
- Apps and Technology: Use a screen as the motivating tool that can help kids transition through their day.
- Communication Center: Create sensory diet activities with visual images or words and made into magnets that are stuck to the refrigerator.
Additional Tips for Implementing a Sensory Diet
- Observe and Adjust: Keep track of how your child’s affect changes. Are they more focused? Adjust the activities and frequency as needed based on your child’s responses.
- Make it Fun: Ensure that the activities are enjoyable and motivating for the child.
- Consistency: Frequency is important to help the child’s sensory system maintain that “just right” state while also not getting overloaded.
- Positive Language: If your child is able to, incorporate specific explanations for why you’re trying a sensory diet. Be sure to use positive language.
- Collaboration: Work with an occupational therapist who has a solid understanding of sensory processing issues.
- Monitor for Overstimulation: Always watch for signs of overstimulation and negative reactions.
- Modify Activities: Activities must be individualized for each child and modified frequently to meet changing needs.
Resources
Several resources can help in creating and implementing sensory diets:
- Sensory Diet Templates: Use sensory diet cards with visual images of various sensory diet activities.
- Sensory Diet Daily Journal Worksheet: Use this worksheet to keep track of how your youngster feels before and after each activity.
- Books: Explore books related to Sensory Processing Disorder.
- Online Tools: Utilize online tools like the Brainworks Sensory Diet creator to make specific Sensory Diets.
Read also: Examples of Sensory Diets for Toddlers