![]() Many have reported improved focus, learning, fewer tantrums, better behavior, calmer feelings, and increased attention among many other positive benefits. The activities are completed throughout the day to release brain chemicals on a regular basis to maintain regulation or organization. The point of the diet is to use specific types of input to the eyes, ears, hands, body, for movement, position in space, smell, and taste. It’s important to remember that no activity should be forced upon anyone so the activities need to be fun.Īn occupational therapist specializes in creating a personalized sensory diet designed to fit a person’s needs. In fact, when using our senses together, we are more likely to learn! (Fifer, Barutchu, Shivdasani, & Crewther, 2013). It’s not a food diet, but a regular set of activities designed to regulate or keep the sensory system organized in an attempt to avoid drastic ups and downs in response to the world around us.īoth children and adults can benefit from regular activities peppered throughout the day. To help with changes and transitions between activities and to make sure individuals keep their emotional state in a state of being ‘ready’ to learn, sensory activities completed on a regular basis are recommended. Remember that some people are seekers in some sensory areas, such as needing movement and making noise with their mouths BUT avoid areas such as avoiding touch and have very limited diets. Some individuals with SPD are "seekers", or need a great deal of sensory stimulation and input, and others are "avoiders", or tend to be super-responsive to any sensory information. One study states that one in twenty children has SPD. Sensory Processing Disorder can occur in any person on its own or can come along with (be co-morbid with) many other disorders such as autism, ADHD, learning disorders, and brain injuries. Children cannot go outside when they want to during their school day so we can help them to become more alert by giving them movement breaks to increase oxygen to the brain. For example, if you feel sleepy during your workday, you may drink a cup of coffee or go outside for some fresh air. This can come when we are either over-stimulated or under-stimulated. If we become stressed or upset when the slightest change occurs, we will not be able to function and can experience a meltdown. Our daily lives are full of changes and unexpected situations that we must deal with. We must wait for them to get to a calmer state so they can truly hear what we are saying. It is for this reason that we cannot teach children or even reason with them when they are having a behavioral issue or tantrum. It’s not until we are regulated and paying attention comfortably that we are able to access learning and higher functions of the brain. Some people with SPD may have difficulty controlling impulses and delaying what they want to do so that they can adapt to their environment. On the other hand, there are people with SPD who crave sensory information and often crash or bump into objects.Įither way, the response to touch does not ‘match’ the situation and as a result, behavioral issues can occur. When someone unexpectedly brushes up against them in a crowded area, a danger signal may be released. Self-regulation is the way we receive messages through our nervous system and then turn them into movements and behavioral responses that fit the situation we are in.įor example, many people with sensory processing difficulties have trouble with touch. One of the jobs of occupational therapists is to help people with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) to regulate their body for optimal function. ![]() We created a table of contents incase you know what kind of sensory toy or tool your kiddo could use! ![]() On the contrary, children and adults with sensory processing disorder may experience pain or discomfort when getting messy, with unexpected touch, during movement, and in noisy situations. For example, when we touch something sticky we simply lick it off of our hands or wash it off. ![]() Many of us process information we receive without thinking about it. Each of us reacts in different ways because we integrate and process the information we obtain from our senses on an individual basis. The current "spinner" craze demonstrates how many of us need to fidget in order to pay attention. Some of us chew ice or hard candy to keep from dozing off in a meeting, others tap their fingers or feet when feeling bored or impatient. Updated by Molly Shaw Wilson MS OTR/L BCPĮvery human deals with stress and responds to information received from the environment differently.
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