A Child's View of Sensory Processing

Happy Dads Day!

Jeff is the best dad ever.  Although he works way too much, he still makes time for each of us at the end of the day.  Even if it is only five minutes!

He has a heart of gold and really tries to make us happy and provide for us.

We love you Jeff!

You are the BEST... HAPPY DAD's DAY to our 

FATHER of the YEAR:)

 Weird black bug that was evil looking and scared us all:/

 Jeff and Owen got some remote control cars that climb over rocks.  We took them up the mountain on father's day for a little nature walk.  We had a very memorable time together.
Check out Owen's socks in this photo!  Wow, those look fantastic Owen:)

Sensory Integration

Kaebrie has been doing so much better, all around! Between her preschool, therapy once a week, and my understanding of her we have reached a milestone.

I am able to discern with her behavior of whether it is her anxiety creating bad behavior or her sensory seeking needs.

That is of course not to say that I will always be able to figure my cute Kaebrie out.  But, I do know that I have several tools now that I didn't have before that achieve results.  Which we have never had.

Seems like everything I have tried led me to where I needed to be with her.

She is a true gift! 

I have incorporated lots of sensory type activities into our daily schedule.  Owen loves projects and Kaebrie loves making messes.

Perfect combination!

I got out two cookie sheets and filled them full of shaving cream.

Owen refused to get his hands in.

Kaebrie couldn't keep her hands out:)

I then put some liquid ink into the cream and gave them a stick to mix it around.

I gave them both a piece of card stock and they laid it flat on top of the shaving cream.

The ink made marbled paper.

The kids were thrilled with this project.

Best part was I made dinner while they did it and it was a win win!

 I made a retreat for Kaebrie.

This was a recommendation from her OT.

I got a blanket, pillows, books, IPOD, has natural light, and I created some sensory baggies to put in it.

This is her space where she can collect herself and tune out anything that is making her body react to the environment.  Certain sounds, smells, or activities really bother her and she needs time to seriously wind down.

This has been absolutely PERFECT for her, this week:)

Best part is that it is made special, just for her!

Definitions of Hidden Sensations

The familiar body senses are sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell.  Two less familiar or hidden senses deal with movement and body position.  Three important senses in sensory integration treatment are movement, body position, and touch.

Movement Sense (Vestibular)

-Comes from the receptors in the inner ear

-Detects changes in head position and body movement

-Tells us where our body is in space

-Important for muscle tone, balance, coordinating both sides of the body, and posture.

Body Position Sense (Proprioception)

-Comes from receptors from the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints

-Detects changes in muscle and joint action

-Important for body awareness

Touch Sense (Tactile)

-Comes from receptors in the skin

-Detects light touch, deep pressure, temperature and pain

-Important for protection, moving away from unexpected or dangerous touch

-Important for motor skills

Indian Grandpa

My dad served his mission on an Indian reservation.  He was given a very special costume and he has done ceremonies and school group activities where he dances and talks about the Indian heritage.

Camille asked him to go to her fourth grade class and come in costume and talk about the Indians.

I thought it would be a great experience for my kids to see grandpa doing something like this.

Kaebrie was a bit bewildered by why grandpa all the sudden had long black braided hair.  I think after three weeks she finally put the thoughts to rest and accepted it:)

How many people can say that their dad does such an amazing service?  I'm so glad we got to be there for it.  My dad is so amazing.

My dad

I absolutely love my dad.

He is kind, he is full of life, he has a very funny sense of humor, he will try anything, and he is so talented.  He has set a very loving example of how a father can show support to their children.  

I will always cherish the times we shared when I was younger.

We watched young and the restless

We watched eyewitnit news (that's how I said it)

We went to DI often

We went running together

We have a true spiritual bond

He protected and guided me through my teenage years.

He led me to my soul mate.

He prayed for me.

He always sang "You Are My Sunshine" to me. It made me feel very special.

He taught me about life by going to church and setting a good foundation.

Most importantly, he never stopped loving me.

I was determined a few years ago to write my grandma Bowen's life history for my dad.  It seemed like it was impossible to get it completed.

I am not one to commit to a project and not finish it. 

Finally, I got it done and gave it to my dad for Father's Day.

It was an experience I will never forget and ponder on often.

I never met my grandma. She passed before I was born.  She was an amazing person.

Her and I are alike in a lot of ways.

I gave my dad her history for his father's day gift.

It brought both of us to tears, so I hope that meant it was a success.?

I love my dad! I am blessed to call him mine...