Take a deep breath, walk away, clean out a drawer, watch tv, eat a tub of ice cream. These are all ways to calm down. So why do we expect that a child will magically calm when they are told to calm down? It is such an open ended activity that means something different to each person. One of the reasons why therapy is a critical intervention is to help teach both the child and family what a calming activity might look like for that particular child.
We want quick fixes for everything in today's world. We want to make it ok by giving a child headphones and a fidget. We want to make the world more accessible by showing sensory friendly movies where the lights are up and the sound is not as loud. We want to put a swing at an ABA center and say that we are accommodating a child's sensory needs.
There are many pieces of sensory equipment that look fancy and we think, wow it would be cool if my child could use that piece of equipment. Truth be told, that might not be the piece of equipment that best suits your child. Staying regulated, calm, and organized looks different for different people. This is what an Occupational Therapist with knowledge in the field of sensory integration is trained to do.
Whether your child is a sensory seeker and has difficulty sitting still for long periods of time, under responsive to sensory input and needs the nudge to explore and get input, or over responsive and finds light touch or loud noises painful, an Occupational Therapist can help.
You see, those colorful swings each serve a different purpose and are great for those sensory seekers, but those headphones are not going to fulfill a need for someone who seeks out sounds. In today's world of quick fixes, we need to realize that some things take time and do not come in one size fits all packages.
The next time you hear yourself telling someone to calm down, challenge yourself to have a conversation with them instead about what is calming to them. My personal favorite is a good reality television show with my dog snuggled up on my lap, while playing Candy Crush on my ipad.
We want quick fixes for everything in today's world. We want to make it ok by giving a child headphones and a fidget. We want to make the world more accessible by showing sensory friendly movies where the lights are up and the sound is not as loud. We want to put a swing at an ABA center and say that we are accommodating a child's sensory needs.
There are many pieces of sensory equipment that look fancy and we think, wow it would be cool if my child could use that piece of equipment. Truth be told, that might not be the piece of equipment that best suits your child. Staying regulated, calm, and organized looks different for different people. This is what an Occupational Therapist with knowledge in the field of sensory integration is trained to do.
Whether your child is a sensory seeker and has difficulty sitting still for long periods of time, under responsive to sensory input and needs the nudge to explore and get input, or over responsive and finds light touch or loud noises painful, an Occupational Therapist can help.
You see, those colorful swings each serve a different purpose and are great for those sensory seekers, but those headphones are not going to fulfill a need for someone who seeks out sounds. In today's world of quick fixes, we need to realize that some things take time and do not come in one size fits all packages.
The next time you hear yourself telling someone to calm down, challenge yourself to have a conversation with them instead about what is calming to them. My personal favorite is a good reality television show with my dog snuggled up on my lap, while playing Candy Crush on my ipad.