Image Credit: Dollar Photo Club | Leah-Anne Thompson | text added
We’ve been working hard over the last year to bring you monthly posts about sensory processing and how the sensory systems relate to child development.
Each month, we’ve written a post about one of the sensory systems from our point of view as pediatric therapists and our friend Dayna, from Lemon Lime Adventures, has written a post about the same sensory system from her perspective as an educator and a mom of a child with sensory processing disorder.
Today, as a part of an even bigger series with over 40 other bloggers called Decoding Everyday Kid Behaviors, we’ll discuss sensory red flags – behaviors related to sensory integration that might indicate that it’s time to get some expert advice to help support your child’s sensory needs.
We all have our own unique preferences and aversions when it comes to the way perceive the sensory information in our surroundings. But for some children, these preferences and aversions can become problematic, leading to difficulty participating in everyday activities and routines.
-Extreme reactions (crying, screaming, running away) or significant difficulty with tolerating sudden noises, specific noises, crowds, and/or loud noises
-Startling easily, becoming agitated in noisy environments
-Distracted by all sounds
-Covering ears even at the anticipation of a sound or in uncertain/unfamiliar environments
-Difficulty responding to and following directions presented verbally
-Making constant noises (singing, humming, clicking)
-Not responding when name is called
-Constantly moving, fidgeting, spinning around
-Fearful of movement (e.g. stairs, playground equipment, swings)
-Uncoordinated, clumsy, bumping into things, falling, difficulty learning new motor tasks
-Slumping, slouching, leaning on desk or on walls when walking in the hallway
-Difficulty with maintaining balance when walking and during gross motor play
-Coloring/writing with heavy pressure or not enough pressure
-Pushing others, playing aggressively
-Doing everything with 100% force, not grading the force of movements adequately
-Crashing/falling on the floor constantly throughout the day
-Difficulty with body awareness (runs into objects/others)
-Appearing tired or sluggish (slumping and leaning)
-Easily distracted by surrounding visual stimuli (e.g. posters or art on the walls, activity in the room).
-Difficulty visually focusing on a task like coloring a picture or completing a worksheet
-Not noticing surroundings unless things are pointed out
-Staring intently at objects or becoming fixated on visual stimuli (e.g. fans, lights)
-Arranging objects in a specific way repeatedly (e.g. lining objects up, stacking objects up)
-Very reluctant to trying new foods, extremely picky eater
-Extreme resistance to oral sensory experiences like brushing teeth
-Refusal to use utensils to eat
-Choking or gagging during eating or brushing teeth
-Constant biting, chewing on, or mouthing hands, clothing, fingers, toys, and other objects
-Constantly making mouth noises (clicking, buzzing, humming)
-Stuffing mouth with food at mealtimes
-Difficulty with chewing or drinking from a cup or straw
-Avoiding getting hands or face messy
-Avoiding activities like fingerpainting, play dough, and eating messy foods
-Extreme reactions or tantrums during toothbrushing, bathing, haircuts, dressing
-Difficulty tolerating certain clothing, textures on skin (e.g. tags on clothing)
-Needing to touch everything and everyone (e.g. craving hugs and closeness with others, fidgeting with objects, seeking out textures and touch experiences)
WHEN TO GET HELP
It’s time to get some help if your child is experiencing any of the behaviors described above (or behaviors in multiple sensory areas) to such a significant degree that it impacts his or her ability to:
-Interact with others
-Participate successfully at school
-Go out in public
-Tolerate basic self care and grooming experiences (bath/shower, brushing teeth, getting dressed)
-Attend family and other social events
-Eat a healthy diet and maintain a healthy weight
-Get an adequate amount of sleep
Talk to your pediatrician about getting a referral to an occupational therapist who is trained to evaluate children’s specific sensory needs, provide therapeutic intervention to address them, and give you strategies and suggestions to use at home.
All children process the sensory information they encounter in their own unique ways. Every child needs exposure to a wide range of sensory experiences for healthy development. We can support the sensory needs of all children through engagement in playful sensory activities and through exposure to materials that appeal to all of the sensory systems.
The Sensory Fix Toolkit from Project Sensory was originally created for a child with Sensory Processing Disorder, but it is the company’s mission to help ALL CHILDREN get the sensory tools and experiences they need to be successful in school, at home, and in the community.
The Sensory Fix Toolkit is a portable kit full of materials to provide a child with sensory experiences throughout the day. It comes with a year’s worth of downloadable printables too!
Our favorite part of Project Sensory? For every 20 kits they sell, they’ll donate one Sensory Fix Toolkit to a classroom in need! We LOVE the idea of bringing sensory activities and supplies into all classrooms to make sure that kids are getting the movement and tactile experiences they need to be successful as well as tools for calming and self regulation.
Right now, on the Project Sensory website you can download a great FREE printable list of 100 Sensory Activities for Home or School. You’ll find some great ideas to get kids moving, looking, listening, and touching – perfect for sensory breaks in the classroom or for fun at home!
You can also participate in the Sensory Awareness Challenge, a fun way to try a new sensory activity every day for the month of October!
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