Cultivate & Motivate Blog
Learnings and Tips & Tricks
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Are Weighted Blankets Effective?
Over the years, there has been much anecdotal experience of users who purport that a weighted blanket helped to relieve physical pain, improve sleep, and reduce anxiety.
Understanding Weighted Blankets
Weighted blankets have been recommended by professionals for years to help children with calming, relaxation, and sleeping for years, but recently they have entered the mainstream, which has lead to a proliferation of different types of blankets.
Tips for Dressing
Dressing is a transition that is especially difficult for children with sensory-based motor disorder or sensory-defensive children. SBMD children have trouble with dressing due to motor planning challenges that limit their ability to sequence (put steps in the correct order).
Calming Bedtime Strategies
Bedtime can be a stressful time for parents and young children. Sensory children have some unique challenges that interfere with the bedtime routine.. Below are some things to try that may help your sensory child during this process:
Is it Sensory or Behavioral?
Emotional outbursts and aggressive behavior in sensory children can be sensory or behavioral, but which is it? Sometimes a child’s emotional outburst or aggression is purely sensory related such as the case when a child reacts to loud noise, crowds, scratchy clothes, hair washing, or touch from another child.
SPD Conflict
Dr. A. Jean Ayres, an occupational therapist and developmental psychologist, first described what was known as "sensory integration dysfunction" in 1972. Dr. Ayres likened sensory integration dysfunction to a neurological "traffic jam" that prevents certain parts of the brain from receiving the information needed
The 12 Point Plan
Sensory difficulties can result in anxiety, frustration and anger which all contribute to meltdowns, defiance, and stubborn behavior. When a child is in a constant state of stress, learning is difficult.
School Tools
There are many differences between medical and educational pediatric occupational therapy. It is important to note that educational pediatric occupational therapy is not a substitute for medical therapy.
Understanding Transitions
Sensory children often face transition issues that interfere with daily functioning at home, performing at school, or interacting with adults and peers. These children have trouble with transitions with greater frequency, more intensity, and longer durations than typical children.
Will She Outgrow It?
Sensory-based motor disorder is the second type of Sensory Processing Disorder. Children with sensory-based motor problems have trouble balancing, moving and performing unfamiliar tasks or activities, or a combination of these.
Sensory Modulation Disorder
Modulation disorder is one of the three types of sensory processing disorder (see more on sensory modulation disorder on the "Types of SPD" page). Sensory over-responsivity (SOR) is one of three sub-types of modulation disorder (the other two are sensory under-responsivity and sensory seeking/craving).
Central Auditory Processing Disorder
Children with CAPD hear sounds typically but have difficulty processing and interpreting what they hear. In other words, this isn’t a disorder of the auditory organs within the ear, but rather a brain disorder.
Is it Really ADHD?
Each year, thousands of children are unnecessarily medicated for ADHD, as symptoms are commonly confused with other disorders. Three types of disorders are frequently misdiagnosed as ADD/ADHD: sensory processing disorder, visual disorders, and auditory processing disorder.