Activities to Do With Children With Sensory Motor Problems

If your child becomes afraid, alarmed or distraught at touching particular textures or hearing particular sounds, you may have a child with sensory processing disorder (SPD). The same can be true of the reverse. A child who intensely seeks sensation and has perhaps taken to falling, hitting, banging and scratching as ways to get it may also have SPD. As a parent, teacher, family member or caregiver, you can make a difference. Children can overcome SPD with focused, safe exposure to all five of their senses through careful integration activities.

Figure It Out

• Before you can choose any activity, you need to understand your child. That means gaining insight into his senses. Identify the noises, lights, visuals, textures, smells and tastes that either send him into fight or flight, or have him obsessed. If you know of a few sensory triggers, explore other similar senses. For example, if soft textures repel your child, give him squishy, hard, scratchy, dusty and smooth textures to see what happens with each. There may be more going on than initially meets the eye. You will need this information to figure out which activities are safe and beneficial.

Motion

• Motion, particularly vestibular motion activity, is the heart of SPD therapy. Swimming, running, crawling, rolling, jumping, pulling and pushing are all positive for fostering the neurological development that overcomes SPD. Trampolines and swimming are particularly good vestibular activities. The SPD Foundation suggests figuring out which activities your child likes best and using them as rewards. For example, if your child likes dragging a weighted wagon behind him, make it a game you do after school or if he eats all his vegetables. Generally, a positive association with the activity is useful. At the same time, with sensory-seeking children, the issue usually isn't getting them to do something vestibular as much as it is protecting them from harming themselves. Create safe environments such as playing on mats or playing ball in a swimming pool where falling isn't an issue.

Firm Touch

• Firm pressing or a whole-body hugging sensation helps calm an overstimulated child who may be panicked or unnerved by his sensory disorder. Weighted blankets and beanbags can help create this effect. So can playing a game of "sandwich." Have the child lie down between two large pillows or cushions. Push down gently on the top cushion and increase the pressure so long as the child is comfortable and tolerant. Check constantly, especially the first few times you do this. Some children tolerate and even want more pressure than you would expect. Give it to them so long as it's safe. The firm pressure will bring relief to sensory induced aggravation.

Identifying Games

• Having children identify items in different ways can capture their interest and work on their ability to distinguish with each sense. For touch, blindfold a child and have him pick different shaped objects out of a bag. He should feel them and try to identify them. Basic shapes such as spheres, eggs and pyramids can work, or you can choose toys and objects such as a toy car, or toy dog figure -- items with which he should be very familiar. Sorting shapes and objects by color, size and purpose can be good for visual issues. Have him sort objects by texture. When he eats, ask him to identify food tastes without looking, either specifically by food item such as chocolate or banana, or by type -- sour, sweet, salty. Do the same with smells. These help a child get in better touch with his senses and learn more about the objects in his world.