Summer and the Child with Sensory Integration Issues
By Friedy and Roizy Guttmann, OTR/L, Neurodevelopmental Therapists he last bell of the school year has rung. the real thing. Notebooks, folders and binders have been Smart Relaxation stuffed deep in a closet to hibernate. It’s time to One of the great things about camp for children focus on fun, not on homework. It’s summer with ADD and ADHD is that they don’t need vacation! to sit still. Camp is all about constant activity. If While summer vacation can come as a sigh your child with ADD is off medication for the of relief from the grind of school (and its summer, be especially careful with her sensory accompanying challenges), for the child with regulation, or you will have an awful time resensory processing disorder, summer brings its regulating her come back-to-school time. own challenges. Don’t let her veg in front a video as soon We wanted to share with you some of the as she returns from day camp. Give her some more common issues our parents run into food. Then encourage her to do some physical during summer vacation, and our tips on how activity (counter-intuitive, we know, but that’s you and your child can have a smooth, positive how the body works). If she needs screen time summer experience. to relax, limit it to 20 minutes. Camp Trips New experiences are challenging for children In the Car with sensory integration issues. Even if they’re “Mommy! David doesn’t feel good! He says very excited and looking forward to camp, the he’s gonna throw up!” actual transition can be overwhelming. How Car rides are the bane of existence for any do you ease your child into the experience? parent who has a child who gets motion Smart Preparation sickness easily. The very sound of a rustling Preparation is the key. The more preparation plastic causes you to tense your muscles. Will your child has, the more comfortable he will he get it all in the bag? be. Here’s our motion sickness prevention Get the names of his counselors in advance. and cure. Motion sickness is an issue of the Ask if you can reach out to them and apprise vestibular system – the sensory system in them of the situation. If so, contact them and let charge of balance and spatial orientation. As them know about your child’s sensory issues. If long as all elements involved in the system (the your child needs or would benefit from sensory eyes, the inner ear) agree on what’s going on, diet exercises over the course of the day, explain the body feels fine. But if the inner ear is sure that and coach your counselor on how to help. you’re moving, but the eye does not (because When you’re speaking to the counselor, ask you’re reading, or looking at the inside of if your child could speak to them briefly just the car) – these mixed messages make your to say hello and be familiar with them coming stomach churn. into camp. A phone call is good. Video chatting How do you solve the issue? JUMP. works even better. Have your child get out of the car every 45 See if you can go down to the camp in advance minutes and jump on solid ground for one so your child can get used to the physical minute. Jumping resets the vestibular system. environment. This is extremely helpful even if 45 minutes is an average. If your child needs the campgrounds are empty at the time. Just to jump more frequently, do so. When my being familiar with the external environment daughter was a baby, on long trips down to – where the pool is, where the bathrooms are Baltimore, we would pull over to the side of the – will go a long way toward making your child highway every 20 minutes and jump up and feel comfortable when he steps off the bus for down with her. The older she got, the longer we
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June 10 - July 17, 2018
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