Sensory integration is the way in which your child takes in and processes the sensory information in their environment. It is important to allow your child to explore a variety of different sensory inputs throughout their day, especially through play based activities. Here are a list of a few ways to incorporate sensory strategies into your child’s day.
*Incorporate a variety of food textures and tastes such as crunchy, chewy, salty, and sweet.
*Add a variety of smells into your child’s day. Use an air diffuser with scents such as peppermint or lavender.
*Include various sounds such as music that can be slow and calming or fast and alerting.
*A variety of different visual stimuli is also very important. Incorporate different colored lights or games with a variety of visually pleasing colors. If your child is hypersensitive to visual stimuli you can reduce the amount of visual input they receive.
*Tactile play can be incorporated in various different ways. Your child can participate in games and crafts that consist of a variety of textures such as soft, hard, sticky, or cold.
Sensory input can be incorporated in so many different ways! Make it fun and let your child be free to explore!!
Article written by Stephanie Dougherty, OTR/L
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