Sensory diet or sensory activities to do at home

My OT is dropping the ball on DS's sensory needs again. I think alot of his behavioral issues are related to his sensory issues. She doesnt give us anything to do at home with him and really only spends maybe 10 min each session on sensory. I brought it up to her again today and she kind of brushed me off.

What activities are good for sensory seekers...swimming? karate? gymnastics?

What else can I do with him at home? I always find that after a break when he doesnt have any therapy old habits come back.

Re: Sensory diet or sensory activities to do at home

Vastibular input (likes "movement"):
- swingset/slide
- horseback riding
- Rough play. Upside down
- Gymnastic
- Mini trampoline
- balance beam
- 6V quad (wind on the face)

Tactile sensory:
- Play doh
- bucket with rice
- water/sand table
- finger paint
- mud/mushy thing in a ziplock bag

Re: Sensory diet or sensory activities to do at home

This is our typical day: (cut and pasted from a previous post)


Wake up, eat breakfast - breakfast always starts with crunchy foods - usually cereal without milk. I put it in a cup and let him walk around with it - he'll play or watch some tv. Then I make him a smoothie. Usually banana, orange juice, a handful of spinach and a bunch of supplements (omega 3s, DHA, probiotics and a spectrum formula) He drinks it out of a sippy cup with a small valve so its a lot of oral motor work.

Then we brush teeth with an electric toothbrush. We also "brush" (use the vibration) his outer jawline and near his ears.

Before he gets dressed we do a brushing/compression protocol and I do some massage with a scented lotion on his hands and feet.

We have a trampoline and a ball pit always set up in our living room, so if he's too hyper he goes to play in there.

About 10 minutes before getting in the car I put his backpack on (its pretty heavy already, if it werent I'd add a heavy book) and we sing a song or just march around and fill out his sticker reward chart for following his morning routine.

At school he's the helper and does heavy work by setting up the chairs around the table.

At lunch he gets more crunchy snacks with his regular meal and again is the helper and gets some more heavy work in. If he's too anxious his teacher will give him some playdough right before eating.

After school there's some sort of outside activity - he LOVES his scooter.

Dinner is the only meal at home that I really require him to sit at the table for - but sometimes we'll pull his small table and charis into the kitchen and let him sit there. We use really heavy silverware. If he's especially picky eating, I'll give him a yogurt to drink through a straw first.

After dinner is a bath - we use lavendar epsom salts and he plays with shaving cream in the bath. More massage and brushing/ compression when he gets out.

We read in his bed under a weighted blanket, talk about our day, and then I sing "the quiet song" which is a progressive relaxation routine.

Whew - it sounds like a lot when you write it out, but its really not -- it's just modifying the things you'd be doing everyday anyway. The thing is, IT WORKS. I mean, instantly, really, truly works. I can start a whole other post about how we do homework in a sensory friendly way - but not enough time now.

Please please please feel free to ask me any questions you may have. Another mother took the time to educate me and I would love nothing more than to do the same.

Re: Sensory diet or sensory activities to do at home

The OT that used to work with my son set up a sensory diet.
It is a lot of the activities that have been posted.
My son has free range of a mini trampoline, so he will jump when he needs to.
We do the smoothie and crunchy foods, especially if we see him chewing on his sippy cup straw.
We have the rice/dried beans table.
We do the epson salt baths, with shaving cream, but he doesnt like the feel, but we keep working on it.
Deep pressure massages, and a mini massager, where we do his feet (which he requests for).
when we are outside, he runs around and has access to the swingset.

we are going to make a ball pit, because we have been to parties and he LOVES it.

Re: Sensory diet or sensory activities to do at home

We will be starting parent training in the next week. I am going to express my concerns with the parent trainer and ask her to help me implement a sensory diet since it seems to go in one ear and out the other with my OT. If nothing happens, than I will switch OT's or agencies if need be.

Re: Sensory diet or sensory activities to do at home