Lets back track a moment and explore what sensory processing means.  It obviously incorporates input from your five senses (vision, hearing, touch, taste, smell) but it also incorporates sense of movement and body position (vestibular system).

People who have challenges may be hypersensitive and aggravated by some types of sensory input e.g. they may find some types of touch or sound really disturbing.  Others may be “sensory seeking” where they are continually seeking various input to make sense of and interact with their world e.g. they may be moving or fiddling a lot of the time.  In treating the vast array of sensory issues we may come across, occupational therapists use a range of sensory techniques.  And they work very well in helping the sensory systems become more organised and regulated, and in helping a person function better in their daily lives.

Because of my passion for down-to-earth, natural strategies I began to question some types of activities/inputs that were commonly chosen in therapy.  I believe everything we do should be good for the whole person.  So I made slightly different recommendations to other OTs.  For example, a common recommendation for people who seek oral sensory input is to chew gum.  Now I know that chewing gum isn’t actually that good for your digestive system.  It gives your stomach a message that food is coming, digestive enzymes and acid are secreted but the food doesn’t come.  So over time the body produces less of those important enzymes/acids in response to chewing and we end up creating digestive issues.  There is no way I could join in with recommending chewing gum as a strategy!

Likewise, many therapists recommend a range of highly processed, very fake junk foods to improve sensory tolerance of textures of food for children who have sensory issues with eating.  I know that this food is just terrible for our gut health so I can’t standby while we make harmful recommendations!

So I considered sensory input and therapy from a different perspective.  I considered natural, healthy foods and their sensory input in making my recommendations.  And I broadened this to seeking out natural, back-to-basics input in regards to other types of sensory play.

I intentionally source materials that feel earthy, have a beautiful texture, are handmade, and have vibrant but natural colours.  For example, one of the most popular activities in my sessions is using modelling beeswax.  It is made from beeswax so it has a light honey scent.  And it feels real and lovely to play with. It’s so different from the usual theraputty.

Things children touch should be real, as close to nature as possible because we are wanting to ground them.  We are wanting them to reconnect with nature, with other people and with themselves.  Although enticing, screens, plastics, and brightly flashy items don’t bring that grounding and connection.  Now I’m not saying we need to eliminate those things from our lives or even from our therapy sessions.  But we need to be intentional about our choices.  When we are using screens we need to be in the mode of “voluntary attention” and intentionally active.  When we engage with plastic we can be mindful of the textures and colours we choose so that materials feel good to our fingertips, and so that the colours are those that really resonate with us.  When we are looking at flashy/noisy things we can notice how that feels compared to more earthy tones.  It’s time to think of the whole person when we think of sensory input.

It’s time to think of the textures that remind us of love… a crocheted toy might remind us of crocheted baby’s blankets and grandma…sounds of wood on wood remind us of the noises of a walk in the forest… walking on sand and playing with rocks reminds us of a special time at the beach…  Providing these types of materials for our children when we are wanting to meet their sensory needs will go far in grounding them, settling them and reorganising their sensory processing systems the way nature intended.

A comment by a client earlier this year about my garden inspired me to take a few steps to revive the neglected areas with sensory processing in mind, and so The Whole Child has a sensory garden which can be incorporated into sessions.  There is a balance stepping stones area with wishing stones.  There are brightly coloured flowers to discover, scented herbs in the vegetable garden, and different textures of stones, wood, stepping stones and grass to walk on.  I’ve had enormous amounts of fun with my own children and with children in sessions out there.

Making the effort to make sensory input special and natural values children in a very deep way.  It says to them “you’re special enough for me to go the extra mile, to think outside the square, and to explore natural, loving ways of meeting your sensory and developmental needs”.

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The anonymous OT  gives a great breakdown of how an OT considers a child’s pencil grip in the context of their overall pencil skills.  But right now you have a child in front of you and they are holding their pencil in the strangest fashion… and you want to know if you should change it and how you can change it.

Well first of all, trust your child.  Research has shown that simply changing a child’s pencil grip doesn’t seem to impact on handwriting speed or legibility.  And if you start paying attention to the pencil grips you see adults use around your daily life, you’ll see that a very wide range of unusual grasp patterns are used by adults who are able to write functionally and well.  So, as a general rule of thumb, it’s not so much how a child holds their pencil, but it’s more important how well they can control the pencil.

How can you encourage your child to develop their pencil control?  Here are a few simple tips:

1.  Draw with small pieces of broken chalk or broken crayon.  This requires the child to use their finger tips only to control the drawing tool.

2.  Doodling patterns are fun to decorate drawings.

3.  Colouring in is actually a great pencil control activity.  If a child is frustrated with the quality of their work you can outline the edge with a really thick nikko.  Or to make it a fun activity with some tactile feedback you can outline the edge with aquadhere glue.

4.  Strengthen the finger tips.  My favourite medium is Steiners Modelling Wax.  It is resistive so children are required to work hard for their results.  Steiner schools use it instead of playdough to build strong fingers.  It is reusuable and lasts well.  I prefer it to the theraputty that OTs traditionally use as it is made of beeswax.  So it has a natural feel and mild honey scent.  And it can help children concentrate while listening to a story, or listening during a class teaching session.  I have to admit I absolutely love the feel of the wax myself and love making little creations.

5.   Holding a small rubber in the palm of your hand with the ring and little fingers while drawing or writing.  This helps the child stabilise the little finger side of the hand, as part of developing pencil control is learning to have very fine movement with the thumb side, while the little finger side stays still.

Sometimes it is helpful for an OT to come and have a look, as we are trained in detailed observation of all aspects of handwriting and pencil control.  Specific activities can help develop particular movements, or overcome specific challenges with writing and pencil control.

The post What a strange pencil grip! appeared first on The Whole Child Pty Ltd.

First of all take a deep breath… and make a decision that you will take the pressure off yourself and your child.  In the same way you wouldn’t force a child to walk when they were just learning to roll over, there is no need to pressure a child to draw.  You want to gently lead them with fun, shared joy, and enjoy each stage as they progress.

Here are some activities to enjoy together through this time:

1.  Collect sheets of cardboard from appliance shops and make easels.  Drawing on a vertical surface puts the hand in a position where the wrist is extended (bent back) and the arches in the palm are supported.  The fingers are then in a better position to be able to control a tool like chalk, crayons, markers or even a paint brush.  Remember the grasp pattern for painting is really different to drawing so try not to limit vertical drawing only to painting opportunities.

2.  Taking it one step further… I love to find a little, low table and tape some paper on the underside of it.  Then I take turns with a child drawing pictures or writing on the paper.  It can become a fun game.  Boys who hate drawing often love this activity, and pretend they are underneath a car fixing it.  You can draw things for each other to copy, or draw shapes or pictures to colour in.  Or do some rainbow writing under there.

3.  Rainbow writing is one of my favourite activities with a child.  You simply trace over a shape or letter in lots of different colours.  It’s a fun way to work on letter formation, but is great as an early drawing activity because at the end the child has a really cool picture that you have worked on together.

4.  Water colour crayons and spray bottles.  One of my children was allergic to drawing until he was about 5 years old!  He hated it and avoided it at all costs.  This was one of the activities that inspired him.  He loved doing rainbow writing with cool water colour crayons, then spraying it, and watching it melt.  But he also just loved drawing really big pictures of aliens and then shooting them and watching them melt (a great activity on those big sheets of cardboard you kept).  The spray bottles are also helping develop grip strength and preparing a child for learning to use scissors.

5.  Driving cars on roads in the sandpit… drawing doesn’t have to look like drawing.  Sometimes it can look like driving cars around in the sandpit.  If you don’t mind a bit of mess you can lay out one of your big sheets of cardboard, and dip old toy cars into paint and drive them around.

6.  Drawing with sticks in the dirt and sand is also a fun way to encourage drawing.  There is lots of feedback and resistance when drawing this way.  Large sticks use a paint brush style grip, and smaller rocks will use a more refined grasp.  And wet sand feels different to dry sand or dust – so vary it.

The main thing is that you have fun together.  This is about sparking an interest, not pressuring a child to hold their crayon in a certain way or draw particular pictures or shapes.

I would really love to hear your experiences about your child.  Have they avoided drawing and writing?  What fun activities have you tried to encourage them to draw?  What led to breakthrough for your child?  You never know,  your child’s experience may be just the key another parent is needing to help their child develop a fresh attitude about drawing.

Want to read more about what do do about a child’s pencil grip?

Would a bOble help my child have fun while they draw?

The post Help! My child hates anything to do with drawing! appeared first on The Whole Child Pty Ltd.

bObles were designed by a Danish paediatric physiotherapist who believed that children’s furniture shouldn’t look like miniature adult furniture. She was also stuck inside in wet weather for an extended time with her own young children… and bObles were born. They are very popular in Denmark, but have only recently made their way to Australia.

Her intention was to make furniture, but once again I find myself saying “bObles are so much more”. bObles are designed so that children will be active rather than sitting still. I have to be honest and say one of the most common referrals I receive in my practice is related to children who “can’t sit still”… and bObles actually allows them to move, wiggle, balance and rock while sitting. They encourage development of flexibility and core strength, and somehow it feels like you are having more fun doing what you are doing, just because a bOble is involved.

A couple of studies have looked at whole classes of children using worm bObles as seats. One study found improvements in fine and gross motor skills in the children using the worm. Another project found that a teacher who had a class with children with worm bOble seats had to prepare an hours extra work per day as children were much more able to concentrate. She said it did take a while for her to get used to the class looking like a sea of worms – as they seemed to be moving around constantly. She allowed them to use it when they were at their seat or on the carpet, so children used it very creatively – sometimes sitting on it sideways, sometimes rocking on it, sometimes laying over it backwards. But the teacher then realised that somehow, whether it was the movement, the rocking or the way they could sit in different creative positions… somehow they were actually concentrating more, getting more done, and having more fun with their own worms. And they each grew quite attached to their worms over time too!

In my own family my 1 year old has progressed from crawling to walking to climbing and rocking with bObles. My 4 and 6 year old love swapping dining chairs for various combinations of bObles. My 9 year old and 11 year old enjoy making obstacle courses to challenge themselves (and challenge their mother). And I even find myself switching my office chair for a few bObles if I have a big day of paperwork ahead of me.

For our family some experiences with toys and activities have been very unsatisfying – the kids are bored or the toys are broken far too quickly. But there are some things that have lasted really well, that are used constantly, and that I’m always borrowing from my own children to use in therapy sessions. And bObles are definitely in that category.
Is your child having difficulty with pencil paper tasks? Read more about pencil grip or fun ways to encourage pencil paper skills.

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