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