Sensory diet program Some children regularly seek out opportunities to get extra sensory stimulation to ‘feed’ their system what it needs to function at its best. Their brain needs more sensory input to help them maintain a calm and alert state where they are able to concentrate and interact effectively with their environment. Although their system needs this extra input, they have difficulty regulating the type and amount of input that will best suit their needs, and as such may often choose inappropriate ways of getting the input that their brain needs. A sensory diet will help to provide them with appropriate sensory input. What is a ‘sensory diet’? Our brain, through our senses, needs a balanced diet in order for us to be able to make sense of and function in the world we live. This is a sensory diet. We need to experience a variety of sensations each and every day in order to keep our brain energised, organised, alert or calm. With a regular, balanced sensory diet we are better prepared to respond appropriately to the demands of the world we live in. When children are having difficulties with self-regulation, adults may need to assist them to find the right type of activities to attain the appropriate level of alertness for their situation. In order for children to focus their attention, their bodies need to be in an appropriate state of “calm alertness”. If they are not in an appropriate state of calm alertness, their attention may be directed towards the wrong cues. A balanced sensory diet will help children maintain appropriate levels of alertness. A balanced sensory diet helps organise a child’s senses so that they can carry out activities to the best of their ability. After being introduced to particular sensory activities by parents or teachers, children may begin to use these activities themselves when they need to change their alertness levels. For changes to occur in a child’s sensory system the sensory diet must be carried out consistently and as directed. Changes usually take between 6 - 8 weeks to occur but once they do they can greatly improve the child’s attention and functioning. Implementation of a sensory diet The following is an example of a sensory diet. The activities can be adapted depending on their suitability for the child. The activity ideas described here include opportunity for increased vestibular and proprioceptive input, which have a calming effect on our nervous systems. Remember the intensity of the work and the duration of the effort often needs to be a lot higher and longer than we imagine. Activities may appear simple on the surface, but can have a long lasting effect on behaviour. For example, it has been reported in research that even five to ten minutes of an activity that involves the whole body in heavy muscle and joint movement can have an effect lasting up to two hours. A sensory activity may then need to be redone. Therefore these “top ups” need to be scheduled for certain times of the day, depending on the child’ child’s timetable and the activities that are being performed. Key points 1. Children will benefit from participating in sensory diet activities a minimum of five times per day. For example: before school, at transitions times during the school day (e.g. when starting the first lesson, after morning break, and after lunch) and then once in the afternoon/evening at home. It is recommended to spend approximately 10 minutes doing the activities at each of these times and to ensure that you finish with a ‘heavy work’ activity. 2. Children may need sensory diet “top ups” throughout the day, particularly if they have not slept well, if there has been lots of sitting down during the day, or if they seem particularly active, disorganised or distracted. At these times they may only need to do something from the program for two minutes, or alternatively a short movement break such as running an errand for the teacher. A general sensory diet Activity Instructions Jumping Jump and touch a point on the wall 10 times, have a rest, then do 10 more Jump on a mini trampoline Yoga 1. 3. Pulling 2. Try to hold very still in these positions for 5-10 seconds: 1. “Dog” pose 2. “Bridge” pose 3. “Table” pose Pull on a stretchy rope (e.g. tug of war) or a stretchy band tied to the wall. Pull and hold for 10 seconds, then pull even harder for another 10 seconds. Rest and then try again. Pushing Strong man - lock hands with a partner and have a push-o-war. Or push against the wall as hard as he can, holding for 10 seconds. Wall push ups - stand arm’s length away from the wall, with hands at shoulder height, keep back and legs straight and bend your arms to do push ups. Do 10 (slowly), have a rest and do 5 more. Wheelbarrow Walk as far as you can doing ‘wheelbarrow walks’. Count how many ‘steps’ you can do and see if you can keep doing more and more. Activity Catching Instructions Try playing a throwing and catching game but with something heavy, such as a medicine ball, weighted ball, or a small heavy bean bag. Try catching and throwing in different positions, such as throwing with two hands over the head or lobbing high in the air. Large ball activities Lie on your tummy over a large ball or the arm of the sofa. Try and stay really still in the position for 10 seconds. Try to walk a few steps forward and a few steps backwards on your hands. Try doing an activity or game (e.g. a puzzle, drawing or board game) in this position. Bouncing Sit on a large therapy ball or inner tyre tube with your feet flat on the floor. Bounce up and down on the ball in a rhythmical manner. ‘Hamburger squash’ Child lies on the floor while an adult adds different layers (toppings) on top – cushions, blankets, lap weights etc. Once the ‘burger’ is made, adult squashes it down then after a count of 20 see if child can climb out. ‘Hot dog roll’ Roll child tightly in a blanket or duvet with arms straight down against body like a hot dog. Encourage the child to kick and roll out of the blanket. Theraputty or playdough Squeezing, squashing, rolling, poking, pinching and modelling with putty, plasticine or playdough all provide good calming input. Chewing Chewing gives good calming input. Try chewy tube as well as chewy snacks for break times. Deep pressure Remember deep pressure is very calming. You might like to try: Pushing down through child’s shoulders and holding for 10 seconds Big bear hugs Massage Heavy blankets on the bed or around the shoulders.