I remember when I first heard about a sensory diet, I was at a workshop my boss had sent me to because it was based on ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). I was so confused on what to add in a sensory diet and also when to do the activities for a sensory diet. I have since done alot of research and done some trial and error to find what sensory diet works for my two younger children. I have also learned that just because something worked today does not mean it will work tomorrow.
So what is a sensory diet?
A sensory diet is activities or accommodations that are done ahead of time to help someone with SPD have an easier time with a task or activity.
The first task that we worked on was having my daughter put on a jacket and having it feel ok and not having to try on 4-5 different jackets to find one that felt right. To do this an O.T. suggested we try heavy work before hand to help stimulate her sensory input which would help the jacket feel not so off. Heavy work is something we use a lot in our house and I will do a separate post on what is heavy work and I'll give lots of examples for you to try.
Sometimes it can be the environment that is a struggle for someone with SPD. For my two youngest children it can be a busy and loud room. To help them deal with the over simulation I supply them with earmuffs to muffle the noise. Here is a link to the ones we own. http://www.fdmt.ca/en/homework-helpers/earmuff-i-1255-3. I will also have a quick out if it gets to be to much for my children where we leave if I notice they are getting to overwhelmed. Artist is pretty good a keeping it together but will do pay the price when we get home. Artist is also old enough to tell me if it's to loud and will ask to go sit in the car.
5 steps for making a sensory diet
1. Make a list of challenging tasks and environments.
2. Choose a sensory activity or accommodation that can you can do ahead of time to help the person with SPD have an easier time.
3. Try the sensory activity or accommodation and see if it works. Sometimes you may have to try the activity or accommodation multiple times before you notice a difference.
4. If the activity or accommodation works that is great keep going with it. If it is not working after trying it 3-4 times then reevaluate and try something else.
Example:
1. Baby Boy getting a hair cut. This is a huge stuggle which results in him screaming, kicking and eventually not letting the hair stylists finish.
2. Use hand massager on Baby boy's head to stimulate the sensory system.
3. Massaged Baby boy's daily for the week leading up to the hair cut and it did not help.
Return to step 2
2. Comb hair with Baby Boy sitting on my lap
3. Baby Boy allows me to comb his hair and eventually sits on my lap and allows me to cut his hair with scissors.
4. We have success! Baby boy will still not allow a towel to be wrapped around him for a hair cut and constantly needs to have the cut hair wiped off or blown off with a hair dryer and it may take multiple days to complete the hair cut but it's still a success because his hair is cut and I didn't get screamed at or kicked.
I would suggest that you keep it simple and only work on one task or environment at a time. If you try to many changes it can become overwhelming and can make the situation worse. So take your time and remember that works today may not work tomorrow but also what did not work today may work tomorrow.
So what is a sensory diet?
A sensory diet is activities or accommodations that are done ahead of time to help someone with SPD have an easier time with a task or activity.
The first task that we worked on was having my daughter put on a jacket and having it feel ok and not having to try on 4-5 different jackets to find one that felt right. To do this an O.T. suggested we try heavy work before hand to help stimulate her sensory input which would help the jacket feel not so off. Heavy work is something we use a lot in our house and I will do a separate post on what is heavy work and I'll give lots of examples for you to try.
Sometimes it can be the environment that is a struggle for someone with SPD. For my two youngest children it can be a busy and loud room. To help them deal with the over simulation I supply them with earmuffs to muffle the noise. Here is a link to the ones we own. http://www.fdmt.ca/en/homework-helpers/earmuff-i-1255-3. I will also have a quick out if it gets to be to much for my children where we leave if I notice they are getting to overwhelmed. Artist is pretty good a keeping it together but will do pay the price when we get home. Artist is also old enough to tell me if it's to loud and will ask to go sit in the car.
5 steps for making a sensory diet
1. Make a list of challenging tasks and environments.
2. Choose a sensory activity or accommodation that can you can do ahead of time to help the person with SPD have an easier time.
3. Try the sensory activity or accommodation and see if it works. Sometimes you may have to try the activity or accommodation multiple times before you notice a difference.
4. If the activity or accommodation works that is great keep going with it. If it is not working after trying it 3-4 times then reevaluate and try something else.
Example:
1. Baby Boy getting a hair cut. This is a huge stuggle which results in him screaming, kicking and eventually not letting the hair stylists finish.
2. Use hand massager on Baby boy's head to stimulate the sensory system.
Return to step 2
2. Comb hair with Baby Boy sitting on my lap
3. Baby Boy allows me to comb his hair and eventually sits on my lap and allows me to cut his hair with scissors.
4. We have success! Baby boy will still not allow a towel to be wrapped around him for a hair cut and constantly needs to have the cut hair wiped off or blown off with a hair dryer and it may take multiple days to complete the hair cut but it's still a success because his hair is cut and I didn't get screamed at or kicked.
I would suggest that you keep it simple and only work on one task or environment at a time. If you try to many changes it can become overwhelming and can make the situation worse. So take your time and remember that works today may not work tomorrow but also what did not work today may work tomorrow.