The Sensory Diet - Treatment for Sensory Integration Disorder

If you child has symptoms of Sensory Integration Disorder your doctor may refer you to a trained occupational therapist for an evaluation. She may ask you questions about his behavior, eating habits, or developmental concerns in her evaluation. She may use a standardized questionnaire to evaluate your child for sensory dysfunction.

The Sensory Diet

What on earth is a “sensory diet”? No, this is not a diet of only certain foods or certain calories. A sensory diet is a term used to describe sensory activities that are used to treat kids with Sensory Integration Disorder. Your occupational therapist will create a “menu” of activities to do with your child. She will have you perform these activities in a particular order to create a sensory “meal” or “snack”. Just like nutritional diets, the sensory diet is designed for your child’s sensory needs. Your occupational therapist will create a plan of activities for you to do throughout the day.

Proprioception activities- Proprioception has to do with body awareness (being aware of where your body is positioned in relation to other parts of your body). Receptors in the muscles and joints help to coordinate movements even without vision. Proprioception activities would include things like

  • Pushing and pulling activities
  • Squeezing toys or popping bubble wrap
  • Wrapping your child in a “burrito” by rolling him up in a blanket

Vestibular activities- Vestibular input has to do with your sense of movement and balance that is processed in the inner ear. Vestibular activities include:

  • Rocking in a rocking chair
  • Swinging on a swing at the park
  • Running, jumping or skipping

Tactile activities- Tactile activities include any activities that involve the sense of touch, texture or temperature. Some tactile activities are:

  • Messy play such as playing with shaving cream, finger paint, or play dough
  • Reading and touching textured books
  • Tracing shapes on to your child’s back and letting him guess what shape

Auditory activities- Auditory activities include hearing and listening. Some auditory activities might include:

  • Playing with instruments, such as imitating a rhythm with a drum or tambourine
  • Playing listening games to see if your child can guess the sound
  • Listening to music or songs

Visual activities- Visual activities involve making eye contact, processing what is seen with the eyes and interpreting visual input. Some visual activities might be:

  • Stringing beads
  • Matching games such as matching cards or matching words to cards
  • Picture games, finding pictures in a picture book like the “eye spy” books

Smelling and tasting activities

  • Play a guessing game with scratch and sniff stickers. See if he can guess the smell without looking.
  • Add a new texture to a food your child already likes. For example if your child likes yogurt, try adding some crunchy granola to his yogurt.
  • Play a guessing game with foods your child likes to eat. Put two or three foods and have him try them blindfolded.
4.04
Average: 4 (25 votes)
 

4 comments

Most recent See All

By Din_C on 12/09/10 at 10:46 am

Worrying, but interesting.

By Din_C on 12/09/10 at 10:43 am

There was a spell with my oldest son when I felt like this!

By alisha66 on 12/09/10 at 3:45 am

The inability of the to integrate the information from the body is called the sensor processing disorder. In medical language it is called a neurologica  ...

4 comments so far » read more

Sign in to leave a comment!

Today on JustMommies

Top Ten Gender-Neutral Baby Names

Looking for creative, gender-neutral baby names for your coming arrival?

Gearing Up for the Dog Days of Summer With Inhabitots' Favorite Canine-Related Stories

The sultry dog days of summer are nearing, so we've rounded up Inhabitots' favorite canine-related stories!

Biddy Belly Giveaway (Sponsored)

Hello JM mommies and mommies-to-be! We have a really great giveaway to tell you about. Robin Tacchetti, a Physical Therapist and mom of three, created the Biddy Belly...

Honda Helps Staten Island Little League Team after Devastating Hurricane (Sponsored)

The furious winds of Hurricane Sandy have long since subsided, but the devastation in Staten Island is still a reality for many families. That's why Honda, a longtime supporter of Little Leagues, decided to give $50,000 to Staten Island's Little League...

Article Tools

Print this article

Email this article

RSS

Bookmark and Share
P