My George. He's such a sweet heart, but he is a pretty intense person to live with. We are slowly untangling his needs and his triggers, and he has all the markers for
sensory integration. Isn't it a wonderful thing, then, that my youngest sister, McKay, happens to have a degree in and work with childhood sensory processing stuff? She and I have been on the phone and back and forth as she has coached me and let me vent and validated my experiences and anxieties.
If you know anything about sensory integration (or sensory processing), you know that some of us are seekers (need more sensory input), some of us are avoiders (need less sensory input), and some of us are a combination. My George is like Seeker-zilla. With McKay's help, we are building a "sensory diet" for my little boy. I asked her to please throw me a bone and send me a quick list off the top of her head, so I had something to work with while we were getting something more solid put together, and this is what she sent me:
Since he's a seeker, you want to do all you can to make him work for himself. Have him help with chores so he feels good about himself (pushing clothing into dryer, pushing chairs into the table, moving books, vacuuming; anything he can do that will work his muscles and will help direct him to positive activities.
You might want to get a bucket with a lid you can fill with things that will meet his sensory needs while you need to keep him busy. Things like rice, oats, dirt, sand, bird seed (my favorite), along with fill-and-dump type toys to pair it with. We often put other things in there, like numbers and letters to embed learning in play.
Go buy some shaving cream (cheap stuff) and let him paint himself and the bath tub (great fun for more than just George, especially if you fill a bucket with the cream, color it with something then paint with it) then let him wash it with buckets.
Finger painting with anything you find in the house, flour and water Kool-aide, chalk and water, anything messy but not too bad for you to clean up later.
If you put hair gel into a Ziplock bag (put duct tape on the top for extra security) and let him play with it for fun or over a book or picture, or put fun feeling items in with the gel. The stuff you make with cornstarch and water is great! Also if you mix glue and borax is fun.
Have you've ever heard of water beads? Google ‘em, they are used in floral decorations; they are great for putting in the bucket, and they dry up if spilled and crushed into the carpet (learned from experience).
If you can get your hands on any samples of AstroTurf or odd feeling carpet and let him walk on it barefoot.
Do bucket races; have him race someone through the house pushing a full tote or something; also crawling races, commando crawl races, hop, wheel barrel walk, jump up stairs; have the other kids race him around....
Put a backpack on his back with about 5 pounds in it.
Wear an Under Armor shirt waaaay too small for him.
Wrap up in blanket tight and let him wrestle out.
If you still have that cool swing in your house, spin him in it.
Put a pile of clothing or something far enough away from the couch and tell him to jump on it over and over.
Have him try to do head stands up against the wall.
Make him some kind of punching bag another person can hold that he can punch.
Let him push the cart at the store.
Balloon tennis: blow up a balloon and tell him to keep it in the air as long as he can without it touching the floor. DONT let him bite it! Worst choking hazard EVER! But it’s great in a pinch; keep one in your purse for emergencies.
NOTE: Generally, rhythmic movement is calming while erratic movement is arousing. (So pair them back to back to get him up and bring him down)
Avoid fluorescent bulbs in your house as they can make kids more irritable.
Chewing on hard or chewing things will help calm him. Keep one in your purse for emergencies.
Teach all your older kids joint compression (I think I told you already but if you have questions call, do you have Skype? I can show you and your other kids some time)
Give him a flashlight and put him in a closet.
Different colored glasses that make things look different.
Give him lots and lots of warning when doing things and routine changes. Consider making a picture book of common places you go and let him look at it in the order of the day (or week) so he knows what to expect visually.
Part of me feels really good about knowing what to do next. Part of me cringes at all the potential for mess and noise. (maybe I'm an avoider?) All of me is thrilled to have a list of goodies for my boy. Thanks so much, KayKay!
