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How to help children interact in their community

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HOW TO HELP CHILDREN INTERACT IN THEIR COMMUNITY

Working with kids to help them build social skills is such a rewarding part of my job as an Occupational Therapist. Social skills are about more than just communicating. It’s about building meaningful connections that help children feel a sense of belonging within a community and contribute to their overall sense of wellbeing. This is why I think this topic fits in so well with our yearly theme at Explore and Soar of ‘Community for Wellbeing’. 

Kids are struggling more than ever with social skills – possibly because they live in a world with more screens and less face-to-face interactions. Not to mention that they have also lived through a pandemic and have had to navigate social isolation during their formative years for building social skills! So, this month’s blog post dives into what social skills are, why they matter, and how you can support your child in building them.

What are social skills?

Social skills include a wide range of behaviours and abilities that help children interact effectively with others. This can include fundamental skills like making eye contact, initiating play with another child, sharing and taking turns, or demonstrating joint attention in an activity. As children get older, they start to learn more advanced skills like negotiating rules in games, building long term friendships, empathising with others, and communicating their emotion.

Why are they important?

I think we can all recognise the importance of social skills in making friends. Friendships create the perfect place to learn about relationships and to feel a sense of belonging. Friendships are crucial for a child’s social and emotional development. Playing together allows children to observe, learn from and challenge each other. Social skills are the ‘entrance ticket’ to playing a game of soccer, or making friendship bracelets, or colouring a picture. In this way, social skills can also impact gross and fine motor development. Social skills can also help children academically, especially when you think of all the group projects kids have to do. In essence, childhood development does not happen in isolation. Social development is not only important for the sake of social development but for development in all areas of a child’s life.

How do you respond to your child’s struggles with social skills?

If you are a parent reading this blog because you want to help your child develop better social skills, I want to encourage you to pause for a moment and reflect on how you feel when you see your child struggle in social situations. For example, when you see them playing by themselves at a party or when they come to you and tell you they have no-one to sit with during school recess or lunch? 

I think that simply taking the time to pause and reflect so that you can notice and name what emotions are coming up for you, can significantly shift the way that you show up for your child. Sometimes, it might be that watching your child play alone at a party brings up difficult memories for you of being lonely as a child – but maybe your child is perfectly happy playing by themselves. Or perhaps your deep care for your child makes you jump straight into problem solving mode (“I’ll make a list of all the kids you could sit with at recess or lunch and then maybe I’ll call their mums too…”) rather than just empathising and being there for your child (“That sucks. I remember when I had no-one to sit with too. Can you tell me more?”). 

I believe that when children struggle with anything, not just social skills, the most powerful factor influencing how they deal with and grow in their struggle is how their parent shows up for them. Remember, there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to social development. Some children thrive in social settings, while others need more time and encouragement to feel comfortable. Being patient, offering reassurance, and celebrating small victories will go a long way in helping your child feel more confident and capable in social situations.

Practical ways to help your child develop social skills

Implement a few practical ideas below to help your child develop social skills:

  • For Babies and Toddlers: The foundation of social skills starts early with simple, reciprocal interactions. Playing games like peek-a-boo, singing, narrating your day out loud and asking what they think or even making noises back and forth with your baby helps them learn turn-taking and develop joint attention. By consistently engaging in these types of interactions, your child begins to understand the back-and-forth nature of social communication.
  • For Pre-schoolers: As children grow, they can start to practice more complex social skills. Using pretend play to act out social situations is great at this age. For example, when playing dinosaurs pretend that your dinosaur doesn’t want to share his teddy with your child’s dinosaur. Then let the dinosaur act out how to share. The key element in this scenario is not to go straight into dinosaur sharing perfectly. Model the struggle of different emotions and what may happen if they don’t want to share and then how to learn the skill for success. There are a range of different social scenarios you can act out, such as how to ask to play with a new person at a park or preschool, play dress ups, use of puppets or play different games like ‘Simon says’, musical chairs or ‘hide and seek’. Don’t forget to Practice, Practice, Practice! Here’s some more information on pretend play.
  • For Older Children: Opportunities to play in pairs, or small groups and negotiate group dynamics is really important as children get older. Team sports, social clubs or even group activities at the local library are all great ideas. Try to find something that works with your child’s interests. Just remember starting out small and building your child’s confidence up to move into larger group activities is a great way to help the success. Role playing specific situations also works out well with our older children. For example, if asking to join a group is something they struggle with, help them practice with you or in front of a mirror. Even if they are missing social cues and need help noticing different things in their friends, role playing and being silly during this are great ice breakers for our children. Alternatively if your children are wanting to connect in the online world learn more in our previous blog here.

Every child grows at their own pace

“Popcorn is prepared in the same pot, in the same heat, in the same oil, and yet, the kernels do not pop at the same time. Don’t compare your child to other children. Their turn to pop is coming.” – Anonymous 

Every child grows at their own pace, and that’s okay! That’s what makes us unique! Our theme at Explore and Soar, ‘Community for Wellbeing’, is not just about helping the children we work with build community, but also about being a part of your parenting community. If you are really concerned about your child’s social skills, reach out to us. We offer individual and group programmes that could support your child. You’re not alone in this journey. 

With patience, support, and a willingness to nurture these essential skills, you are giving your child the foundation they need to thrive in the world around them. Keep showing up, keep supporting, and trust that you are making a meaningful difference in your child’s life — and in the lives of those they connect with along the way.

If you’d like to chat more, please don’t hesitate to contact us today! Call us on 0477 708 217 or email admin@exploreandsoar.com.au

Until next time, 
Ciara

PUBLISHED APRIL 2025

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Emotional Regulation – Community for Wellbeing

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EMOTIONAL REGULATION – COMMUNITY FOR WELLBEING

Familiarising the team

In my role as Clinical Manager, I love to go out and see clients with our team, supporting both our families and our therapists. Over the past few weeks, I have been out and about in some of our local towns meeting and working with clients – some new and some more familiar to me. A couple of our newest clinical team members are also new to these areas so it has been great to familiarise them with some key locations in our towns – such as great parks or coffee shops to work in between sessions.

Strategies I use to regulate my emotions in unfamiliar surroundings

Bringing all this a little closer to home, I started thinking about the many different strategies that I use when I am accessing a place, new or familiar, to be able to support my regulation. It can be overwhelming sometimes, and I use these strategies to avoid becoming flustered or unable to participate in the activity that I want or need to do.

There is a certain level of uncertainty or anxiety that can come from unfamiliar key features within our environment – including but not limited to; knowing where the nearest toilet is, remembering how to get out of the shopping centre, locating my car, where the safest place for me to go is if I feel uncomfortable or worried, knowing how I can describe my location to a 000 operator if there is an emergency.

All of these things are examples of what I do automatically to help me regulate my thoughts, feelings and emotions when I enter a new shopping centre or drive into a new town.

How many strategies or things can you think of that you do in similar situations?

Imagine what it is like for our children when they may already be struggling to understand the world around them due to sensory processing challenges? Or those children that get overwhelmed by lots of noise or lots of people moving around them? As a team, we hear the challenges that our families can face when participating in their community. We hear stories around the daily adaptations parents are making to support their child in co-regulating when out in the community. 

Check out some of our go to strategies for supporting emotions:
EMOTIONAL REGULATION & TOOLS TO SUPPORT OUR EMOTIONS

Here are some simple strategies we can use to support our children to regulate with us when we access the community:

  • Ask your child to remember one key feature near the entry to the shopping centre to locate how to get back to your car. 
  • Give your child a role in helping you complete the essential tasks you need to do. I make a list of all the places and things we need to do and they become the chief ticker of the list. 
  • Timing: try to book appointments when you know you have been able to give your child plenty of warning and preparation time or for younger children, after nap times. I have always found if I spring an appointment on my children it normally sours quickly. When I have no choice but to book the unexpected, I need to take the time to explain why it has to be done now. 
  • Snacks: pack some snacks or know where you can access quick food so that the hangrys do not take over. Also make sure you take a drink too!
  • Games and activities: one of my favourite things to do when we go out for dinner is to take a card game, pens and small notebooks with us. A quick game of Spot It or Naughts and Crosses can help to break up and distract them from the waiting time for their meals. It is also a chance to connect with our kids without the pressure of conversation. Another simple game is to count the trucks that go by the window. 

What if there are difficulties with transitions? Check out our previous blog with even more suggestions on supporting emotions in transitions: MASTERING EMOTIONAL REGULATION DURING TRANSITIONS

If you’d like to chat more, please don’t hesitate to contact us today! Call us on 0477 708 217 or email admin@exploreandsoar.com.au

Until next time, 
Lori

PUBLISHED MARCH 2025

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The Power of Play: Supporting Transitions in Your Child’s Development

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THE POWER OF PLAY: SUPPORTING TRANSITIONS IN YOUR CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT 

Did you know that play isn’t just for fun? It’s a powerful tool for your child’s development!? At Explore and Soar, we incorporate play into all our therapy interventions to teach essential skills, including managing transitions. 

Throughout the day, children experience numerous transitions—from waking up and eating breakfast to leaving the comfort of home and adapting to the school environment, to name a few. For many children, moving from one activity or situation to another can be particularly challenging. It can be one of the hardest times of their day, but through thoughtful play, we can help children become more comfortable with these moments and build the confidence they need to handle transitions more easily.

The Importance of Smooth Transitions in Effective Communication

Through play, we are constantly communicating, whether verbal or non-verbal, through words, gestures, or facial expressions. These moments require ‘opening’ the ‘communication circle.’ Children share their ideas, thoughts, wants, feelings, and needs while maintaining a back-and-forth exchange in conversation. Lastly, they need to “close” a communication circle, and when one is finished, they need to transition to the next. This can be challenging, as children may need time to think, can be easily distracted by noise or visual activities, or have different interest points that make this transition time extra tricky.

Therapeutic Strategies

Our Occupational Therapists use play therapy alongside the child’s Speech Pathologists, who help children with communication-based transitions, such as speech and language skills. 

You will see our therapists using a range of strategies to help in directing the communication and play ideas to make this easier for them:

  • Facial Expressions: Use big smiles and animated looks to help children understand emotions and stay connected.
  • Tone and Sounds: Varying our tone—We love to use sound to support transitions throughout our play and hold our clients in the moment with us. We whisper, talk louder in critical moments, or use sounds like “uh-oh” to create excitement or focus.
  • Body Language: Our bodies communicate too! Shrugging, clapping, and arms crossed or waving to show different emotions such as sadness, frustration, or excitement to help children navigate their feelings during play.

Utilising these strategies not only improves communication with our clients but also provides support during challenging times. This approach allows clients the space to work through difficulties together and transition between uncomfortable feelings and enjoyment while playing. This approach is powerful in supporting the development of Emotional Regulation Skills and Social Skills.

The Magic of Pretend Play

Play is a vital part of development. By as early as 13 months, children begin to use functional play themes. Play is an exciting time when a child is learning all about their everyday life activities like sleeping, eating, and bathing. This early play is a sign of your child’s growing memory, as they can remember something they saw or what you did and reenact this. 

As children mature and develop their play skills, they shift from functional to pretend play. This occurs over a period of time, with different skills building upon one another to achieve these skills. This shift to pretend play is paramount as it symbolises that there has been a cognitive shift in their development. They are no longer imitating others but now engaging in activities with intent and a purpose. When children begin developing these skills, they seek solo play or with other children their age, exploring new ways of thinking and creating. (Keep an eye out for an upcoming blog breaking down all information on play). 

However, not all children can easily shift, adapt, and be creative in their play themes with others, often finding it more accessible to play by themselves with their own ideas and internal monologue. This can be challenging in social settings like preschool and peer conversations. This is where Occupational Therapy shines! By using the child’s interests and strengths in play, therapists support children in exploring play themes while building their confidence and skills necessary for play with others. Transitioning from single-play to multiple-person play requires different communication strategies and the ability to connect with the child to support their confidence and skills to play.

Strategies to Develop Play

To enhance play skills, consider these strategies:

  • Interests in Play: Initiate play with themes and interests to engage the child.
  • Creating Challenges: Introduce problems for them to solve together while encouraging collaboration.
  • Predictability: Allows the child to be engaged and develop their play skills while establishing a consistent routine that helps children feel secure.
  • Familiar Environments: Starting play in a safe, familiar space, such as the home loungeroom, helps ease the transition.
  • Humour and Fun: Use playful scenarios to make transitions enjoyable, such as using the child’s toy and self in fun ways, such as getting stuck, falling over, or supporting the child in their play themes and them in transitions. 

Working on these skills as an Occupational Therapist helps support children in having the confidence and skill set to transition into new environments, such as preschool and school when playing with other children with more ease and confidence.

Building Skills Through Pretend Play

If there are set skill sets that your children require additional support for, providing opportunities through pretend play, such as using dolls, teddies or trucks, is a great way to support the comprehension of different transitions, help them encounter potential problems through play, as well as resolving those problems. Pretend play is a gateway to helping our children process what is happening around them, learn from them, and understand what that means to them. Have you ever been playing, and your child has said or done something that has reflected your real life? It’s a natural way for them to make sense of the world!

The Importance of Repetition

As with developing any new skill, learning transitions can be challenging and requires repetition, emotional support, structure and predictability. Providing consistent support and opportunities for your children to practice playing with others is paramount in strengthening these skill sets. 

Another way to support your children with transitions in play is using storytime. Using different visuals and books helps children understand play themes more and a different modality of learning. Repetition through play will help consolidate their knowledge, make them feel confident when something unexpected happens, and help them transition through those changes. 

Remember, all of us are constantly transitioning through changes in our daily lives. Some days, we do it well. Some days, we don’t! This is perfectly normal, and the same is true for our children. If you feel like you need some more tools and strategies in your tool kit, call us so we can help. We’re here to help you navigate this journey together!

Happy Playing!

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If you’d like to chat more, please don’t hesitate to contact us today! Call us on 0477 708 217 or email admin@exploreandsoar.com.au

Until Next Time,
Jess

PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2024

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Nurturing Early Sensory Development: The Critical Role of Suck-Swallow-Breathe Synchrony in Infants

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NURTURING EARLY SENSORY DEVELOPMENT: THE CRITICAL ROLE OF SUCK-SWALLOW-BREATHE SYNCHRONY IN INFANTS

As paediatric Occupational Therapists, one of the fundamental areas that we assess is infants and young children involving their feeding skills. A critical aspect of these skills is the Suck-Swallow-Breathe (SSB) synchrony. This coordination is essential for safe and effective feeding and plays a significant role in a child’s early sensory development. Today, I would like to delve into how SSB synchrony affects sensory development and why it’s crucial for us to monitor this with our clients.

What is Suck-Swallow-Breathe Synchrony?

Suck-Swallow-Breathe (SSB) synchrony refers to the coordinated pattern of an infant sucking, swallowing, and breathing during feeding. This skill is essential for infants to feed safely without choking and to ensure adequate nutrition. The development of this synchrony begins in utero and continues to refine over the first few months of life. 

Proper SSB synchrony supports not just nutrition but also sets the foundation for the child’s future eating habits and speech development. It is the first developmental pattern that requires timing and sequenced movements. Synchrony and its components are so primal that it is easy to take them for granted.

Suck-Swallow-Breathe Synchrony Involves Three Main Components

  1. Sucking: This involves creating a vacuum in the mouth, which draws milk or formula from the bottle or breast. Effective sucking requires good muscle tone and coordination of the lips, jaw, and tongue.
  2. Swallowing: Once the liquid is sucked into the mouth, it needs to be swallowed. This process requires the soft palate to lift and close off the nasal passage, ensuring the liquid goes down the esophagus and not into the respiratory tract.
  3. Breathing: Infants must coordinate their breathing around the sucking and swallowing actions. They typically breathe in through the nose between sucking and swallowing sequences.

Early Developmental Factors Impacting Suck-Swallow-Breathe (SSB) Synchrony

Several factors during early development can impact the normal development of SSB synchrony:

  1. Prematurity: Premature infants often have underdeveloped muscles and nervous systems, making it difficult to achieve proper SSB synchrony.
  2. Neurological Disorders: Conditions like cerebral palsy (a disorder that affects movement and muscle tone) or developmental delays can interfere with the neurological control necessary for effective SSB.
  3. Structural Anomalies: Issues like cleft lip or palate, tongue-tie, lip tie or other anatomical variations can disrupt normal sucking and swallowing patterns.
  4. Respiratory Issues: Chronic respiratory conditions or frequent respiratory infections can disrupt the delicate balance required for SSB synchrony.
  5. Sensory Processing Disorders: Children with sensory processing challenges may struggle with the textures and sensations associated with feeding, impacting their ability to maintain SSB synchrony.
  6. Primitive Reflex Activation: Primitive reflexes may not activate with the Suck-Swallow-Breathe synchrony, impacting coordination. This often occurs with latching onto the breast or bottle prior to the sucking reflex commencing. 
  7. Birthing Experience: Every child enters into the world differently. Their mother’s experience and their own can, on occasions, be high-stress, or medications administrated at the wrong time can initially impact the baby’s energy levels or alertness to engage in latching to the breast and coordinate the Suck-Swallow-Breathe synchrony.

The Connection Between SSB Synchrony and Sensorimotor Development

SSB synchrony is deeply intertwined with an infant’s sensorimotor and cognitive development. It involves multiple sensory systems and motor responses that enhance neural pathways crucial for later skills, including:

Speech and Language Development: The muscles and neural mechanisms involved in SSB are the same as those used in speech. Efficient SSB synchrony helps strengthen these muscles and neural connections, facilitating clearer speech articulation and language processing skills as the child grows. Early difficulties in SSB can indicate potential speech and language delays, prompting early intervention.

Regulation of State: SSB synchrony contributes significantly to a baby’s ability to regulate physiological and emotional states. This regulation is crucial for attention, learning, and interaction. Feeding times provide not only nourishment but also comfort and security, aiding in the development of self-regulation skills that are vital for emotional and cognitive growth.

Postural Control: Feeding involves more than just the mouth; it requires head and neck stability, trunk control, and, eventually, the ability to sit up independently. The repetitive act of feeding while maintaining SSB synchrony encourages muscle development and coordination, paving the way for improved postural control, which is essential for all future motor tasks, including walking and fine motor skills.

Feeding and Eating Behaviour: The development of SSB synchrony is directly linked to feeding success. Infants who master this coordination are likely to experience fewer feeding problems. As children grow, efficient feeding supports the exploration of different textures and types of food, fostering positive eating behaviours and preferences that contribute to healthy growth and development.

Ego Development: Ego development, or the formation of a robust sense of self, begins in infancy. SSB synchrony supports attachment and trust by allowing effective feeding and interaction with caregivers. Each successful feeding reinforces the infant’s sense of mastery and autonomy, which are critical components of healthy ego development.

Eye-Hand Coordination: While not immediately apparent, the coordination required for effective SSB synchrony can also influence eye-hand coordination. As infants reach and grasp for the bottle or breast, they develop fine motor skills alongside visual tracking abilities, setting foundational skills that later translate to tasks such as writing, typing, and other manual activities.

Occupational Therapy Interventions: How Do We Support This? 

In Occupational Therapy, we use a variety of strategies to support the development of SSB synchrony.

Building Awareness Through Oral Motor Exercises 

C Stretches: This is a facial massage technique that provides tactile input to the cheeks, chin, and lips to activate muscles to assist with oral motor awareness, planning, exploration, developmental structures, calming, and regulation.

ARK Z Vibe: This vibratory oral motor tool can help build oral tone and improve speech, feeding, and sensory skills. The vibration provides a higher level of sensory stimulation to increase awareness and attention to the lips, tongue, cheeks, and jaw. This tool will support the ability to work through ineffective sensory processing capacities, helping the nervous system sort, filter, and organise information.

Suck and Breath Exercises:

Suck Exercises:

  • Using straws, crazy straws, or coffee stirrers for drinking (Consider the diameter and texture of the straw to best fit). 
  • Drinking from sports bottles and small plastic cups with lids and holes for straws.
  • Moving small bingo chips with a straw from one place to another.
  • Sucking in on a piece of theraband or bubble gum over lips, sucking on a sucker/lollipop, pacifier/dummies or finger and creating a loud pop as it is pulled out.

Breathe/Respiration Exercises:

  • Blow bubbles in water.
  • Playing games with the tongue, such as making lip sounds, raspberries or tongue-clicking.
  • Blowing cotton balls, paper wads, and ping pong balls over obstacle courses.
  • Bumper cars: Blow ping-pong balls around a tub of water with a straw or a long piece of tubing.
  • Use toys that offer resistance to respiration.

Why Early Detection Matters?

Goal-Based Face-to-Face Intervention: 

The development of Sucking, Swallowing, and Breathing synchrony is more than just a feeding skill; it’s a cornerstone of early sensory development and has profound implications for a child’s growth and comfort in their environment. Identifying issues with SSB synchrony early can prevent future complications, such as feeding difficulties, speech delays, and sensory processing challenges. Early intervention leads to better outcomes and can significantly improve a child’s quality of life.

As paediatric Occupational Therapists, it’s our role to ensure that this skill develops appropriately, providing the foundation for a healthier, more integrated sensory experience for the child.
Through early intervention and targeted strategies, we can help support not only your child’s ability to eat and grow but also their overall ability to experience and interact with the world around them in a positive way.

Take the Next Step: Contact Us

If you notice any feeding difficulties or have concerns about your child’s Suck-Swallow-Breathe synchrony, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team. Early intervention can make a significant difference. Contact us today to schedule an assessment and give your child the foundation they need for a healthier future.

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If you’d like to chat more, please don’t hesitate to contact us today! Call us on 0477 708 217 or email admin@exploreandsoar.com.au

Until Next Time,
Maddie

PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 2024

REFERENCE: Oetter, P., Richter, E.W. & Frick, S.M. (1993). MORE: Integrating the Mouth With Sensory and Postural Functions. Farmington, MA. Therapro, Inc.

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Sensory Defensiveness: What is this Oversensitive and Overwhelming feeling?

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SENSORY DEFENSIVENESS: WHAT IS THIS OVERSENSITIVE AND OVERWHELMING FEELING?

Spring is upon us, but that also means we are now heading full steam ahead into some of the busiest months of the year. Term 3 is almost over; Term 4 is just around the corner, which means so is Christmas! Just the thought of that alone is overwhelming to me.

The feeling of overwhelm is sometimes linked to being a negative feeling – of being stressed or frustrated that we can not do all that we want to do. But really, we should reframe that feeling of overwhelm into a positive: What can we do to lessen our load? How can we slow down or ask for help? Maybe take a moment of mindfulness.

In our day-to-day lives, we encounter multiple sensory experiences each and every second of every minute. Sit for one minute and notice the world around you:

  • What can you hear? 
  • What can you feel?
  • What can you smell? 
  • What can you taste?
  • What can you see?

Our brain’s job is to take in all of this information and automatically sort, filter and organise that information to produce a meaningful and purposeful response in the way we move, feel or react. This is Sensory Integration. When we see difficulty in the processing of sensory information, we start to look at why this may be happening – is it difficulty with modulation or discrimination of the senses?

When we have difficulty with modulating sensory information, we may only need a small amount of information before our system becomes overwhelmed. Or we may need a large amount of information before our system even notices what is going on. Our own tolerance levels at that point in time will also impact upon our responses. We have expectations of what our response to certain sensory experiences will be – like a hug from a loved one; we expect it to feel good, not painful, or the smell of a BBQ cooking makes us hungry and excited to eat, not fearful.

But sometimes, our body links different sensations to negative experiences. And when these experiences occur, our brain goes into survival mode – fight, fright, flee or freeze. When we react to sensory input in such a way, it is called Sensory Defensiveness.

What is Sensory Defensiveness?

Sensory Defensiveness is an extreme response to sensory input from the world around you when the sensory stimuli are generally considered not threatening or harmful. This could be an aversion to touch, dislike of certain textures or foods, or poor tolerance of bright lights, loud noises or certain smells. Such defensiveness creates a roadblock to being able to do the things that you or your child want to do. It can lead to big emotions, stress and anxiety, as well as behaviour patterns such as avoiding situations or an increased need for control.

So how can OT help with Sensory Defensiveness?

OT can help by creating an individualised sensory diet to work on providing the right sensory information, in the right amount, at the right time, to allow your child to do the things they want and need to do.

Activities may include things such as:

  • DPPT – brushing protocol
  • Auditory interventions 
  • Heavy work ideas 
  • Roughhousing 
  • Oral motor strategies

Please get in touch with us if you want to know more or have any questions. We highly recommend talking with an OT about this, as everyone experiences their sensory world differently. We are here to help and work with you in supporting your child and family.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon. Contact us on 0477 708 217 or admin@exploreandsoar.com.au

Until next time,
Lori

Related Blog Posts –

Discover a treasure trove of valuable information in our diverse collection of blogs on our website. Take action now and explore the insights you’ve been seeking. Dive in!

  • Mindfulness for Parents and Carers – Discover practical tips and insights to enhance your well-being. Take a mindful journey with us – read the full article now!
  • Unpacking Sensory Processing Disorder – Unlock a deeper understanding of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). Explore valuable insights and strategies to support individuals with SPD – start reading now for knowledge and empowerment!
  • Auditory intervention – Delve into the world of Auditory Intervention. Explore the significance of sound in sensory development and discover innovative strategies for positive outcomes. Start your auditory exploration today.
  • Roughhousing – Explore how playful physical interaction can nurture growth and connections. Join the fun and learn more here.

References

Ayres, A. J., Robbins, J. (2005). Sensory Integration and the Child: Understanding Hidden Sensory Challenges. United States: Western Psychological Services.

Bhopti, Anoo & Brown, Ted. (2013). Examining the Wilbargers’ Deep Pressure and Proprioceptive Technique for Treating Children with Sensory Defensiveness Using a Multiple-Single- Case Study Approach. Journal of Occupational Therapy Schools & Early Intervention. 6. pg 108-130. 

Kinnealey, M., Oliver, B. & Wilbarger, P. (1995). A Phenomenological study of Sensory Defensiveness in adults. American Journal of Occupational Therapy. 49(5). pg 444-451

 Stagnitti, K., Raison, P. & Ryan, P. (1999). Sensory defensiveness syndrome: A paediatric perspective and case study. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal. 46. pg 175-187. 

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

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