Would you share your dc's "Sensory Diet"?

[rafiki]

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[Mommee & Baba]

Yes it's VERY individual.

 

Here is a great printable list to start. http://sensorysmarts.com/sensory-diet.pdf We do ALOT of these activities.

 

My dd8 has really bad oral sensitivities. She has to have majority of her foods puree'd or she is unable to even eat. She also always has to chew gum, suck on a mint or she will suck on her fingers.

 

I just recently had to toss out her surgical tubes that she was chewing on as they needed to be replaced. She really enjoyed her vibrating toothbrush but the bristles took a beating. I just bought her this and she really enjoys it and I've noticed a huge DECREASE in her constant need to have gum. And it's not like a freezer teether where their teeth could puncture it. It's rubbery and soft. She really likes it. They also have a grape one too, but she got to pick out which one she wanted.

 

Also I got 2 different textured fabrics and sewed them together leaving an opening. This allows my dd8 to climb inside it like a huge bag and roll around and play in it. She loves this! She said it's like she's an animal hiding her her home.

 

We also take my ds's full size bed and we pull the mattress partially off the bed and angle it. Then we all pile pillows and blankets at the bottom of the mattress. Then the kids climb the "mountain" and roll down it. This keeps them all occupied for HOURS!

 

My dd8 does get so over-excited that she lashes out and doesn't realize it's not fun. She gets so hyper and excited when playing that if I don't catch her when I see her "peak" that she will start kicking and hitting and not realize it.

 

I made my dd8 a weighted blanket. This is a VERY rewarding item for her. She snuggles it at night, on the sofa when watching tv, when she's on the computer or when she's eating. I also take it in the car if the road trip is atleast 30min.

 

My dd LOVES mixing things. She loves to stir. So I will make up batter for pancakes and she wants to stir it first before I let the Kitchen Aid do the rest.

 

My dd is REALLY sensitive to smells. Whenever we go into a car dealership or store that has ANY smell I have to spray some lavendar/orange essential oil water mixture on my hands and rub it under her nose otherwise she will have a meltdown and panic.

 

I'm almost always walking by her and pushing on her firmly on her arms, shoulderblade or squeezing her with a brief hug. She enjoys this.

 

She bounces on an exercise ball when watching tv, eating dinner or even doing school work. She loves to get messy. Her food gets all over her hands and face and if I let her play outside she finds a way to create mud or wet sand and gets it everywhere. She loves silly putty, bendaroos and clay. Play-doh is fun for her but it doesn't appease her like the others do. She is constantly hugging, cuddling and swarming our dogs.

 

She can't wear certain clothing or shoes. We just get her what is comfortable for her as frustrating as it can be at times.

 

She loves to play in the water. She also enjoys jumping on a trampoline.

 

She however doesn't like to be lifted up and can't swing very high at all.

 

We are still learning what to do and not to do. It's going to be a battle sometimes and other times it'll fall into place. She has changed so much on certain things she did like to now not wanting it at all.

 

Thankfully I have dh on board now though too. Before he had a hard time accepting that something was wrong and I was trying to handle it all on my own. I also had to find a way to explain to my other children what was going on. I don't want to lie to them but I don't want them thinking their sister is getting extras. They just had to learn that this is what SHE needs in order to operate on a daily basis.

Edited July 18, 2011 by mamaofblessings

[rafiki]

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[peacefully]

I am no longer doing our OT homework, but we did it for over a year and they included a lot of sensory diet activities. Ds has never been what one typically thinks of as a SPD kid. He's low register, low tone and low activation. He does not really sensory-seek or avoid. He doesn't have meltdowns about sensory issues. So with that background...

 

We did the Wilbarger protocol (aka brushing) every two hours.

 

Ds did lots of breath work - blowing bubble mountains in a bowl, blowing bubbles through a tiny little bubble maker, doing blow races across our living floor, picking up pom-poms with a straw by sucking, etc.

 

Daily heavy work activities multiple times a day - trampoline, hauling heavy watering cans in our garden, working with our wheelbarrow, wheelbarrow walking from room to room (we did this as a silly transitional activity - "let's get our snack by wheelbarrow walking!").

 

Core muscle exercises with a light playground ball.

 

Swinging on a Twizzler (a gadget like a freely rotating trapeze bar).

 

Playing on a zip line.

 

Playing with silly putty, play dough, goop, gak and other weird feeling materials.

 

Various pincer-grasp activities.

 

I know i'm forgetting several activities, but that was the basic gist.