What’s inside this article: A review of common types of sensory issues in children, a sensory checklist that allows you to identify your child’s sensory needs, and a list of sensory diet activities to view based on your responses.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.
A sensory diet is a carefully designed set of sensory activities created by an occupational therapist to support an individual’s sensory needs and help with sensory processing challenges.
In other words, it’s a prescription for individualized sensory activities based on your child’s needs, just as a medical doctor would prescribe medication.
I know it’s not possible for everyone to access a pediatric occupational therapist for them to evaluate and work with their child to develop a sensory diet.
This guide and checklist do not replace the work of an OT.
But, parents can use this checklist at home to get a better picture of their child’s sensory profile and then match them with activities or sensory equipment that may be helpful.
This may be beneficial if your child has a sensory processing disorder or frequently experiences sensory overload.
Types of Sensory Issues in Children
An estimated 1 in 6 children experiences sensory issues with at least one of the sensory systems. This doesn’t mean that they all have a sensory processing disorder, but problems with sensory integration can be quite common in childhood.
Plus, 98% of children with autism have sensory issues. It’s one of the hallmark symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
There are four types of sensory issues that children can experience
- Sensory Modulation – The brain either over-responds or under-responds to information
- Discrimination and Perception – the brain struggles to interpret sensory information or giving meaning to the information
- Vestibular Bilateral Functional Problems – Problems related specifically to the vestibular system and coordinating the two sides of the body
- Praxis Problems – Praxis means how the body plans and executes motor movements that it has not done before
The sensory checklist focuses on identifying and providing solutions specifically for sensory modulation challenges.
Sensory Modulation
Efficient sensory modulation means you can regulate the degree to which various sensory inputs influence you. When children have sensory modulation challenges, they cannot regulate this.
If their brain over-responds to sensory input, they’ll display sensory avoidance behaviors. This is because they will experience this sensory input very intensely and it’s often uncomfortable, leading to overload.
If their brain underresponds to sensory input, they’ll display sensory-seeking behaviors. They will seek extra sensory stimulation in an attempt to balance and regulate their senses.
Children can have a combination of sensory seeking and sensory avoiding difficulties. These difficulties can vary depending on the sensory system or the type of sensory input received. For example, a child could be a sensory seeker for soft touch but avoid firm touch.
The Sensory Checklist
This Sensory Checklist is from the book Raising a Sensory Smart Child by Lindsey Biel.
The checklist makes various statements related to each of the sensory systems that you must answer: “seeks,” “avoids,” “mixed,” or “neutral.”
Once you’ve answered all the statements, you’ll have a good idea about what types of sensory challenges your child is experiencing. Then, you can refer to the list below to find sensory diet activities for your child’s unique sensory profile.
Sensory Diet Activities
Toggle through the lists below to find sensory diet activities and solutions depending on your answers on The Sensory Checklist. You can also read the full articles about how each sensory system works.
Generally speaking, you should spend about 10 minutes doing sensory activities every few hours, and the positive effects last until the next activity.
Auditory
To learn more about the auditory system, visit: The Auditory System: How it Works and Signs of Auditory Processing Issues
If you mostly answered “Seeks”
• Offer toys that provide plenty of auditory input – shakers, drums, musical toys, echo microphones, etc.
• Use songs to enhance learning new skills – songs about ABCs, shapes, colors, etc. may help solidify new learning concepts.
• Read sound books or use a leapfrog reader.
• Play music in the background
• Let your child sleep with a fan, music, or white noise if they prefer.
If you mostly answered “Avoids”
• Keep the environment quiet. At school, consideration should be made for group sizes, seating arrangements, etc., to minimize stressful stimuli for your child.
• Give advanced warnings about loud sounds whenever possible – vacuuming, flushing a toilet, fire drills, etc.
• When it’s not possible to keep the environment quiet, use headphones or decibel-reducing earplugs.
• Offer gum or crunchy snacks, or play light music as a distraction from irritating background sounds.
• Put a sticky note over the automatic flush sensor in public bathrooms
Visual
Learn more about the visual system, visit: Visual Sensory Processing
If you mostly answered “Seeks”
• Help keep sensory needs met by providing lots of opportunities for visual stimulation
• Use LED and color-changing lights.
• Introduce your child to optical illusions
• Decorate your home with mirrors, photos that have colors and patterns, etc.
• Use visually stimulating toys such as Kaleidoscope, View Finder, Spin Tops, Fidget Spinners, etc.
• Play I-Spy games, connect the dots, coloring, painting, etc.
If you mostly answered “Avoids”
• Keep clutter to a minimum.
• Do not create too many visual stimuli in your home — for example, lots of photos on the walls, lots of colors, etc.
• Dim/cover lights
• Work on developing sensory integration with games, such as rolling a ball back and forth on the floor, tossing a bean bag, matching games, color sorting games
• Give breaks from visual input when needed.
• Use guided reading strips
Touch
Your responses to this section may have been a little more varied. That’s because six different types of sensory receptors sense different types of touch. So, you may have mixed responses because your child may be a seeker of some forms of tactile input and an avoider of others.
Try different sensory strategies to find what works best.
To learn more about this system, visit: The Tactile System: How it Works & Signs of Problems
If you mostly answered “Seeks”
• Create opportunities for messy play with sensory bins, water tables, sandboxes, etc.
• Texture touch boxes
• Use touch-and-feel books, tactile fidget toys, slimes, putty, etc.
• Offer opportunities for your child to experience many different textures. For example, at the park, get your child to feel the tree bark, grass, rocks, etc., and talk about those experiences.
• Engage in play that provides tactile input to the whole body – ball pits, swimming, playing in sprinklers, etc.
• Include touch when learning new concepts—for example, feel differently shaped blocks while teaching shapes or get them to draw the alphabet with their finger in the sand.
If you mostly answered “Avoids”
• Encourage oral-motor play before meal times, such as blowing bubbles, chewing on oral toys, etc.
• Chewing on ice before a meal may decrease sensitivity to food textures
• Remove all tags from new clothes; shop for clothes that are soft or seamless.
• Massage the limbs before dressing your child, or encourage them to do this themselves if they’re older. Using deep-pressure massage may help your child tolerate clothing better.
• At school, have your child line up at the end of the line and have a coat hook at the end of the row. This is helpful because it will be less likely they’ll get bumped into and touched by others.
• Schools should modify art activities so there’s less tactile input. For example, provide a rolling pin and tools with Play-Doh instead of using only their hands, or provide paintbrushes instead of finger painting activities.
Smell and Taste
Smell and taste are grouped because they’re so closely related to each other. They’re both known as “chemical senses” because the sensory receptors receive messages from the molecular particles when they come in contact with them.
Learn more about how the sense of smell works here: The Olfactory System. For more information about the sense of taste, visit: The Oral Motor System & Gustatory System
If you mostly answered “Seeks”
• Use essential oils in your home – many oils and blends have specific benefits – Read Essential Oils for Autism.
• Use scented Play-Doh, markers, stickers, etc.
• Make a sensory bin using whole coffee beans as a fragrant filler
Make”Sensory Sniff Jars”.
• Paint with spices.
• Give them a scented stuffed animal for bedtime.
• Scented fidget toys.
• Cook and bake together. Use fragrant ingredients so your child experiences a variety of aromas.
• Scented Play-Doh: I love this recipe for making a vanilla-mint dough.
• Crunchy snacks like raw vegetables, pretzels, crackers, etc.
• Use an electric toothbrush.
• Imitate faces in the mirror.
• Offer toys for chewing. For example, chewlery, or chewy wristbands for kids who like to chew on their clothing.
• Offer foods with intense flavors. For example, sour candies or spicy foods
• Offer gum or chewy candy as an alternative to teeth grinding and biting.
• Give them a straw to drink applesauce, thick smoothies, milkshakes, or other thick snacks/beverages
If you mostly answered “Avoids”
• Respect your child’s odor sensitivities, although odors don’t bother you, it is authentic and distressing
• Avoid strong perfumes, colognes, candles, scented waxes, etc.
• Use mildly scented or unscented cleaners, laundry detergents, hand soaps, etc.
• Make sure your child’s school allows them to move away from other students during lunch if the smell of their food bothers them.
• Avoid mixing odors – for example, burning a vanilla-scented candle while also preparing a stir fry with Asian seasonings.
• Blow bubbles, play with whistles.
• Use a three-sided toothbrush so brushing takes less time.
• Offer drinks in a water bottle that has a bite valve
• Provide snacks that are soft, or bland, depending on the child’s preferences
• When cooking, use smaller amounts (or none) of seasoning/spices for their portion because they may be able to taste these more strongly than you can.
• Use a sticker chart for trying new foods.
• Sucking on ice just before mealtime may help with some kids who are extremely sensitive to flavors by numbing the taste buds slightly.
Proprioception
Learn about proprioception and how the proprioceptive system works here: How Does the Proprioceptive System Work?
If you mostly answered “Seeks”
• Heavy work activities – such as pushing, pulling, lifting, tug-o-war, face the wall and push as hard as possible, gardening. Get 57 heavy work activities to try here.
• Stretching activities – Yoga, animal movements, Simon Says
• Movement activities – Keep active – trampolines, running, playground, sports, jumping jacks, swimming etc. Seekers need lots of time to be active including moderate to intense physical activity
• Deep pressure – weighted blankets. resistance tunnels, massage, bear hugs
• Visit 35 Proprioceptive Input Activities for Sensory Seekers to get ideas
If you mostly answered “Avoids”
• Both over- and under-responsive children benefit from additional proprioceptive input but respect your child’s preferences. If they ask you to stop an activity, do so right away.
• Focus on calming activities versus active ones – for example, gentle rocking movements instead of spinning, walking on a smooth, even surface instead of running or walking on uneven grounds.
• Weighted blankets, lap pads, weighted vests, ankle weights, etc. can help build proprioceptive awareness.
• Deep pressure massage
• Allow extra time for learning new movements, teach in a 1:1 environment where they can feel safe.
Vestibular
The vestibular system is one that I focus on a lot. When it’s dysregulated, the vestibular system usually causes behavior problems. When this is the case, parents often misunderstand their child’s behavior. Learn how it works here: The Vestibular System
If you mostly answered “Seeks”
If you mostly answered “Avoids”
• Respect your child’s preferences. If they ask you to stop an activity, do so right away. Don’t force them to participate in activities that involve changing their head position a lot.
• Try using gentle, slow rocking, bouncing on your lap, or turning in one direction slowly and rhythmically.
• Don’t force your child to participate in activities that will cause overstimulation. An over-stimulate vestibular system can cause behavioral issues that can last for hours.
• Various yoga poses require a change in head position in a way that’s calming and relaxing. This may help your child become more comfortable with vestibular input over time. Try some of these kid’s yoga poses.
• Roll slow and rhythmically on a therapy ball.
Sensory processing is a spectrum and varies from one person to the next. It can also change depending on your mood, how you slept, and which environment you’re in.
Hopefully, this guide has helped you gain a better understand of your child’s sensory needs and find helpful sensory diet activities to improve self-regulation.
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