Just Right Sensory Break Activities
Introducing a sensory break when you notice your child is moving from the green zone into the orange can help distract them and hopefully regulate them back into the green, Just Right zone.
Ideally these activities should be used proactively through the day, before a change of state into the orange or red occurs, to help your child stay alert and calm at the right times. Building this kind of daily activity plan can help even things out when used frequently and repetitively.
Most of us have things we do when our state of regulation changes; have you ever experienced sudden sweaty hands, tapping your foot without realising it, pacing a room, jiggling up and down on the tips of your toes?
These are all common responses to stress, anxiety and excitement; our body's way of regulating that intense emotion while you wait for your interview or an important piece of news or for a party to start!
Through observing your child you will see what kinds of behaviours they use to regulate themselves, this could be anything from flapping hands, clapping, jumping, playing with spit, hitting their head, playing on a swing, rolling on the floor etc.
Take time to notice the things your child is doing; what was happening before they did it? What does the behaviour provide?
What this might look like
Example:
Jess rolls all over the floor after lunch; she often struggles to focus in the afternoons, banging her head in frustration.
After Jess has been sitting down for lunch, the rolling movement provides pressure all over her body. Jess is seeking proprioceptive feedback; to feel her body and limbs in space, to be aware of her body, posture and balance.
Jess has naturally found an activity which helps her regulate by rolling on the floor, if this is safe and in an appropriate space there is no problem with this behaviour for a few minutes if this brings Jess's body-awareness back to a green state (calm). However, if this is needed for much longer you may need to help provide the pressure that Jess is seeking, in a different way.
Banging her head is giving Jess a sense of where her head is in relation the environment but this is obviously not safe; how can we provide the pressure Jess is seeking before she gets to head banging in the afternoon (red zone)?
Every day Jess will be offered 2 x 10 minute (20 minute maximum) proprioceptive activities from the list below, one in the morning and one after lunch. Jess's carer might experiment with different levels of pressure and different activities from the Proprioception list below, before finding out what works best for Jess. Once they find activities that help to give Jess the proprioceptive feedback she was seeking, they can be practiced daily and built on, developed and changed over time with Jess's changing needs.
Activities can be 'snuck into' the routine too, such as deep pressure morning cuddles, big wake up squeezes all down legs when getting dressed (suitable if your child requires help with dressing), moving a heavy (but safe) box from the lunch seat before being able to sit down.
Identifying what might help
You can use the lists below, (created by Brighton & Hove's CAMHS Learning Disability Service) to help you identify what your child might be seeking in their behaviour and create ways to add this into their day. We are doing lots of work like this in school for all our pupils. Sharing what works at home and likewise understanding what we use in school can be a great way for us to work together.
If you have any queries or comments you can discuss with your class teacher or email Kate: KateLlewellyn@hillpark.brighton-hove.sch.uk or call us on the school number to discuss.
Please always remember:
* Never force an activity
* Always check the child's comfort
* Always check your pressure
* Stop immediately if you see ANY negative changes/reactions, and discuss with school.
Proprioception
Purpose of proprioception
- Muscle tone
- Posture and balance – position of body and limbs in space
- Grading of movement
- Body awareness
Sensory seeking behaviours
- Flapping hands
- Banging into objects/people
- Poor spacial awareness
- “squashing” self with objects/furniture
- Requesting “squeezes”
- Climbing on furniture- seeking the pressure from being lifted down
- Bangs head/limbs on self and/or objects
- Stamps feet
- Puts pressure on joints e.g. clicking fingers, turning in on ankles
- Appears uncomfortable in own skin
- Appears awkward/clumsy in gross and fine motor activities
- Poor grading of muscle force
- Decreased muscle tone or stiffness
- Tendency to lean or look for support
- Poor motor planning and body awareness
- Accident prone
- Chews on objects
Activities to help with proprioception problems
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Deep pressure and massage
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Use full length mirrors so individual can see how their body is moving
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Heavy work – carrying boxes, bags and objects
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Pushing and pulling
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rolling on/being squash with a peanut/therapy ball
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Pushing self on scooter board – sitting/lying down
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Exercise bike
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Stretching therabands/lycra
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Climbing
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Bouncing on the trampoline
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Crawling/pushing a therapy ball through resistance tunnel
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Kneading putty/playdough
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Stepping up and down on a bench
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Weighted therapy/Compression garments
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Wrapping in blanket/duvet/sleeping bag/lycra
Vestibular
- Purpose of vestibular
- Posture
- Arousal/attention
- Emotional responses
- Gravitational/postural security
- Balance
Sensory seeking/avoiding behaviours
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Bounces up and down
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Constantly moving
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Struggles sitting for prolonged time
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Spins
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Rocks
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Shakes head frequently
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Enjoys vibration in ears
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Does not move head
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Does not like feet off the floor
Activities to help with vestibular problems
Under responsive
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Movement activities before seated work
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Supportive seating
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Move 'n' sit/disco cushion when seated
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Structure movement into lessons
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Activities requiring different body positions
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Trampoline
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Spinning
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Running
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Activities that change the head position
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Scooter board
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Being on a swing
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Vibration around the ear area
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Balance boards/cushions
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Spinning chairs
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Bouncing/rolling on therapy or peanut ball
Over responsive
-
Do not force individuals into movement situations
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Do activities that involve slow rhythmical/predictable movement
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Individual may work better in different positions (lying down)
Tactile
Purpose of the tactile sense
- Protection and survival – Fight or flight
- Knowledge of near space
- Body knowledge - who are you? How are you shaped? What can your body do?
- Posture and balance
- Motor planning
Sensory seeking/avoiding behaviours
- Fidgeting
- Stroking
- Exploring items with hands/feet/mouth
- Enjoys messy play
- Overreacts to unexpected touch
- Difficulty standing in line
- Dislikes clothing/labels
- Difficulty sitting in groups
Activities to help with tactile problems
Under responsive
- Brushing or scrubbing with materials e.g. a bath towel/paintbrushes/pastry brushes
- Fidget toys
- Using different materials for work resources e.g. sandpaper letters/finger painting/using fingers to write in sand
- Varied touch activities (light and firm pressure)
- Messy play with hands and/or feet (dry and wet)
- Messy play with different temperatures e.g. ice play/warm porridge
- Tactile panels
- Massage
- Vibration
- Massage rollers
Over responsive
- Do not approach from behind
- Use firm pressure
- Avoid light touch
- Individual should control touch
- Forewarn is about to touch them
- Do not place individuals in the middle of large groups
Visual
Purpose of vision
- Posture
- Attention
- Tells us about environment
- Safety
- Feedback about ourselves and activities
Sensory seeking/avoiding behaviours
- Looking at shiny objects
- Flicking fingers
- Enjoys flashing lights
- Does not like bright lights
- Prefers dark rooms
- Covers eyes
- Wears peaked caps/has hood up/likes to wear sunglasses
- Dimming lights
- Prefers working under different coloured lights
Activities to help with visual problems due to sensory dysfunction
Under responsive
- Highlight area of attention
- Remove visual clutter
- Bright colours
- Clear boarders
- Visually moving activities
- computers
Over responsive
- Avoid fluorescent lights
- Offer a peaked cap/clothing with hoods
- Reduce visual distractions
- Allow time to retreat from bright environments
- Avoid flickering and flashing lights
- Forewarn about bright environments
Auditory
Purpose of auditory
- Attention
- Survival
- Information about environment
- Social and communication - Underpins speech and language development
Sensory seeking/avoiding behaviours
- Putting on loud music
- Shouting
- Loud vocalisations
- Banging objects
- Cannot block out back ground noise
- Sensitive to certain sounds
- Covers ears /wears ear defenders/has their hood up
- Creates own noise to cover background noise
- Challenging behaviour so they can leave situation
Activities to help with auditory problems
Under responsive
- Allow them to use headphones for sound
- Short and clear directions
- Gain eye contact before giving instruction
- Give strong auditory cues - Clap
Over responsive
- Reduce auditory stimuli
- Speak in eye line
- Visual instructions
- Quiet corner
- Wear earplugs or headphones or listen to music through headphones
- Forewarn individual
Taste and smell
Purpose of taste and smell
- Smell helps set up the system to eat
- Breathing through mouth when eating compromises smell so you focus on texture and taste
- If other senses such as tactile or visual are not working properly you may use smell as a point of reference
- Tells us about environment
- Feedback about ourselves and activities
Sensory seeking/avoiding behaviours
- Picky eaters
- Can taste/smell individual ingredients in foods
- Difficulties with being in public places
- Gagging
Activities to help a child with taste and smell problems
Under responsive
- Strong flavoured foods
- Deep pressure to lips
- Chewing
- Vibration
- Sucking, blowing, making noises and whistling
- Crunchy foods
Over responsive
- Deep pressure to lips
- Chewy tubes
- Neutral gum
- Vibration
- Forewarn about smells and tastes
- Bland tasting food
Interoception
Purpose of interoception
- Hunger
- Thirst
- Tired
- Feeling Pain
- Temperature (Feeling hot or cold etc)
- Using the bathroom
- Any other internal sensations
Hyper-responsive
- Over-responsive or hypersensitive
- Extremely sensitive to this input
- Sensation of hunger, thirst, or bathroom needs can cause them to be extremely anxious
- Change in temperature or even hearing their own heartbeat can be extremely distracting
- Some of the sensations they feel could even be extremely painful
Hypo-responsive
- Under-responsive or hyposensitive
- May not realise the need to use the toilet
- Not realise they are hungry
- Not realise they are thirsty
- Not realise they are in pain or the sensation of pain feels completely different to them, like a tickle
Activity to help with Interoception
- Mindfulness activities and meditation
- Yoga for kids
- Heavy work activities
- Alerting activities
- Creating a sensory diet to address sensitivities (Occupational therapist who is familiar with sensory processing)
- Repetitive and rhythmic vestibular input (such as swinging, rocking etc)
- Visual prompts, cues or communication devices to identify body functions and feelings
- Verbally labelling emotions and responding appropriately to encourage functional responses
- Social stories
- Muscular system (Hands, feet, arms, legs, whole body)
- Breathing (feeling breathing)
- Temperature (feeling temperature)
- Pulse or touch (feeling pulse, feeling firm versus light touch)
- Wall squats
- Core muscles
- Stretching
- Muscle focus
- Balloon breathing
- Hydration (drinking water)
- Help child to communicate wants, needs, emotions, and feelings by first recognising them.
Interoceptor behaviours
- Difficulty with toileting (bedwetting and accidents)
- Hydration or food intake (never feel thirsty or hungry/always thirsty/hungry)
- Not recognising/communicating feeling hot/cold, pain etc.
- Regulating emotions
- Internal sensory input - hearing their heart beat.
- Loud voice (use sound to cover up unwanted sensory stimuli)
Purpose of Interoception
- Connect to and understand their own bodies and emotions.
- Self‐management and self‐regulation.
- Developing emotional reactions and the skills to be in control of those reactions.
- Meaningful way of interacting – it enables students to develop a sense of belonging.
- Decreasing behavioural challenges.
