Picky eaters can be referred to as children who only eat certain foods, avoid other foods, and are often unwilling to try new foods.
What can cause picky eating?
Genetic, sensory, physical and/or environmental factors can cause picky eating.
Picky eating and ASD
Autism is often associated with food aversions, food sensitivities and ritualistic eating.
A child may be responding to sensory aspects of food. i.e: strong flavours, smells, textures or colours.
Eating is a social skill which children with ASD may have more difficulty understanding, so the child may not know mealtime expectations.
Supporting healthy eating habits for children with ASD
Rule out physical problems: Make sure your child’s doctor screens for and addresses any issues
Ease into mealtime: Many children with ASD may experience anxiety when it comes to mealtime so it is important to promote relaxation. Providing a verbal warning that indicates to your child that mealtime is coming up shortly can also help them shift their focus and prepare mentally for the upcoming mealtime.
Have mealtime together at the table: Consider using the same table for all meals and have family members sit in the same chairs.
Support your child’s posture: Poor posture which can lead to discomfort. If you see your child is slouching, leaning or wriggling, try placing a rolled up towel around their back and hips to provide support. For foot support, place a stool under their feet to provide extra stability.
Concentrate on the food, not the behaviour: Try to ignore challenging behaviours and divert attention from the negative behaviour with a conversation about the food. This can involve questions to get the whole family involved in “food learning”:
What sound does this food make when you chew it?
What other foods do we eat that are the same colour?
Learning to regulate our emotional responses, especially during times of stress, can be difficult. Most children have some natural ways of self-regulating but may also need to learn appropriate ways to respond when experiencing anxiety. Calming strategies can help a child to work through strong emotions. When calming strategies are practiced regularly throughout the day, the possibility for use at times of anxiety is increased.
Breathing Exercises
Breathing exercises can help to remind your child to stop and count out deep breaths when they are upset.
You can also use visuals as a non-verbal reminder, posting them in a quiet area or where the exercise is most likely to be practiced.
Blowing Out Birthday Candles – Have your child hold up one hand; their fingers are the “candles”. Count out the five “candles” together. Then blow out each “candle” with a long breath. Curl your finger down slowly while you are blowing.
Blowing up Balloons – Pretend to pull a balloon out of your pocket and encourage your child to do the same. Cup your hands together and hold them in front of your mouth. Take a deep breath and as you exhale slowly expand your hands as if inflating a balloon. When you are finished take a deep breath and slowly close your hands back together as you exhale to “deflate the balloon”. Repeat this five times.
Grounding Techniques
Grounding techniques can help kids identify negative thought patterns in order to self-regulate during stressful situations.
ABC Around the Room: Look for things starting with each letter of the alphabet, can go as long as they want.
Favourite Colour: Have your child pick a colour and name everything in the room that is that colour.
5-4-3-2-1 Senses: 5 things you see 4 things you hear 3 things you smell 2 things you can touch 1 thing you taste
5-4-3-2-1 Sights 5 colours I see 4 shapes I see 3 soft things I see 2 people I see 1 book I see
Visualization & Imagery
Visualization and imagery are techniques that focus on encouraging a child to focus on a happy thought, memory, or story to take their mind off worrying as they breathe.
Let your child use their imagination to go to a place that makes them feel calm and secure!
Have them sit or stand in a position that is comfortable for them, close their eyes and imagine whatever they would like!
If your child finds this challenging, or you would like to use guided visualization, there are full scripts for multiple visualization options can be found at: https://connectability.ca/category/kids/
You can read through the script to your child as they have their eyes closed and imagine they are in a new, more calming space!
Physical Activities
Having your child move their bodies in different ways may help relieve stress and tension to achieve a feeling of calmness.
Sticky Hands – Pretend to have “sticky” hands and then press them together. Now push hard for 20 seconds. Now tell your child to slowly allow their hands to come apart and see if they can feel the stickiness. Repeat this sequence two or three times.
Stretching – Have your child do simple stretches such as touching their toes and reaching up to the sky on their tip toes. Have your child lie on their backs and make letters with their bodies. Try “X” (spread out their legs and arms) and “T”, (put their legs together while keeping their arms stretched out). Be creative and add your own! Remember to move slowly from stretch to stretch.
Tense and Relax – Have your child form their hands into fists and bring their shoulders to their ears. Count to five and then relax. Repeat five times. Try using props such as “squeeze balls” to help exaggerate the motion. If comfortable, have your child tense up into a small ball and squeeze for the count of 5 and then relax.
Copy a Friend – Have one child be the leader and one child be the follower, acting as a mirror to their friend.
Changing their Environment
A soothing environment can be good for both the child and the caregiver! Consider how your surroundings may increase or decrease stress.
Noise level – is your area particularly noisy, or are there any unpleasant sounds? Consider using headphones, or moving locations.
Brightness – is your area particularly bright or colourful? Does your child have any challenges with particularly harsh visual information?
Position – is your child in a comfortable position that supports their access to the activity?
Other sensory considerations – any smells or cues that may be adding stress to your child’s experience in that moment? How you can modify the environment to reduce the exposure?
Positioning
Trying out different ways to hold or carry your infant may help to find a position that is most comforting or soothing for them during development.
How positioning can help:
Increases the child’s awareness of their body
Encourages the child to learn how to calm themselves down
Helps with the development of vision and hearing
The basic principles of positioning: Try to use slow, gentle movements whenever positioning the baby.
Try to keep the baby’s arms and legs close to their body. This will help them feel stable and in control.
Try to use positions that encourage: bringing their arms and legs closer to their body, hands near their mouth, both sides of their body in the same position, and have them looking downwards.
Encourage the baby to lie on their tummy or side.
Imaginative or Creative Thinking
Creative or imaginative thinking can help your child better understand stressful situations and practice solutions.
Personal Stories – Describe a situation in detail with a focus on important social information such as what others might think, feel or do to show how to cope with it. They are effective teaching tools as they can be personalized to a child or group.
Story Books – Story books that highlight social situations can be used to promote conversation, understanding of emotions and empathy. It’s a great way for the child to identify with characters in stressful situations and to understand how they cope.
Role Play – Gives children an opportunity to explore a situation, concept or social skill through play and to find different ways to handle stressful situations. The experience can be enhanced by using puppets, dress-up, or toys.
Problem Solving/Brainstorming – Talking about concerns in a group of peers can provide opportunities for a child to express ideas, ask questions and arrive at possible solutions in a safe environment. It’s a great way for a child to learn from and to build positive relationships with their peers. The caregiver’s role is to establish a warm and supportive environment for this process and to emphasize the importance of listening.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness encourages a child to guide their attention to the present moment using various strategies.
Walking Meditation – Using the feelings in the feet and legs as meditation objects while walking. This is a good strategy if a child is restless or anxious to sit still.
Mindful of Sound – Focusing your attention on different sounds as they happen. This is a good strategy if a child is easily distracted by their inner thoughts and feelings.
Body Scan – Explore feelings in different parts of the body. This is a good strategy for children who need an alternative to focusing on their breath.
Positive self-talk may help to increase your child’s self esteem and, therefore, the ability to manage their anxiety.
“I Can” Flower – Start by handing out paper flower petals to the child. In the center of the circle put the core of the flower with the words “I Can” on it. Have the child say something they can do, write it on their petal and then have them add it to the flower. You can adapt this activity by using photos or providing examples. To expand the activity, try using different themes, such as “I can” to help at home, “I can” with my friends.
“I Can” Project – Give the child a personal box and allow them to identify a goal they would like to work on. If needed, goals can be broken down into smaller steps. As the child practices the steps, help acknowledge their achievement by writing it down on a small piece of paper and then put the paper into their box. For example, a child is working on snipping with scissors. At each step of learning the task write down the success, such as “I can cut on the line,” and help them put it into their box.
Tips on Setting up a Calming Routine
Setting up a calming routine is a shared process involving the child and caregivers!
Here are the first things to consider:
Take an inventory of the calming strategies your child is already using and together select the ones that work well.
Start with strategies that are familiar to your child and are appropriate for their developmental level. This may help build on their existing resources and increase the likelihood of success.
Once your child is familiar with practicing the strategies, together you can introduce new ones.
Collectively choose the best times for your children to practice these activities. Calming strategies are best introduced during the least stressful times.
Try to make the activities fun by including props and visuals, such as pillows, squeeze balls, and pictures or other objects that the child enjoys.
Remember to practice self-compassion! These calming strategies will take some time to fit into your daily life.
Sleep is essential to a child’s overall wellness and development and plays an important role in supporting their functioning in everyday activities. Well-rested children are better able to focus at school, manage their emotions, regulate their behaviour, and make healthier food choices. Inadequate sleep is associated with many negative consequences including challenges with their mental health, school performance, increased risk-taking behaviour, and may impact their self-esteem.
2-3% of school aged children and 80% of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience sleep difficulties. Some of these difficulties include early awakenings followed by difficulty falling back asleep, trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, sleeping alone and having nightmares.
Below are some strategies that may help to improve a child’s sleep!
Monitoring a child’s sleeping patterns:
Children or parents can record the child’s sleep habits over a 24-hour period for at least 2 continuous weeks to try and identify day-to-day challenges with sleep and the variability of their sleep schedule. This will help target strategies to better improve their sleep.
This can be done using a chart, checklist, journal or another method that works well for you and the child!
Things that you may consider tracking include what time they go to bed/get up in the morning, hours of sleep, how many times they got up in the night etc.
Behavioural strategies
The aim of behavioural strategies is to help develop good sleep habits and avoid, replace or extinguish behaviours that prevent the child from sleeping well at night.
Below are some tips you can implement to help your child sleep better at night:
This point is extremely important! Children should be engaging in activities during the day, in their bedroom and before bedtime that help to promote sound sleep. For example, being active during the day outside of the bedroom may help children sleep better at night and reading a book or taking a bath before bed may be more calming closer to bedtime. Developing proper habits such as having a consistent bedtime routine will also help to regulate sleep.
Limit activities in the child’s bedroom that are incompatible with sleep. For example, overly stimulating activities such as hide-and-go-seek, to prevent conditioning that associates their bedroom with these stimulating activities.
Limit the time in bed to match desired sleep duration. Try and avoid performing other activities other than ones that promote sleep or sleep itself in the child’s bed. This way, they are only in bed for the amount of time they should be sleeping.
Example strategies
Self-soothing strategies: relates to the emotional regulation process of a child and provides them strategies to learn to calm themselves down independently
Bedtime basket: activities to do before bed while the child becomes drowsy enough to fall asleep
Activities should be calming
Activities should focus on decreasing bothersome stimuli (e.g., lights, sounds)
Bedtime buddy: security object included in the child’s bedtime routine (e.g. special doll, stuffed animal, blanket)
5 B’s Bedtime Routine: collaborate with the child to create a visual schedule to prepare them before bedtime.
Bedtime bite: provide a healthy snack before bed only to be eaten in the kitchen
Bath: washing up and getting the child into pajamas for bedtime preparation
Brush teeth
Bathroom: provide one last opportunity to go to the washroom to avoid extra bathroom requests later
Books: reading time before bed; choose a specific number of books or set a timer to mark the end of reading time – this can also be included in their bedtime basket to eventually promote independent reading before bedtime
Create a sleep-conductive space
This may include keeping the child’s sleep space dark, quiet, comfortable, and cool – Try to limit interruptions, you may need to consider using blackout curtains, eyeshades, earplugs or devices that create white noise.
Relaxation & Mindfulness Strategies
Relaxation and mindfulness techniques help children bring their attention to the present moment, enter a deep relaxation and help them regulate their bodies before bedtime. These strategies work well for all children especially those who worry about bedtime or who experience anxiety.
Deep breathing exercises
4-7-8 breathing: get the child to lie down, inhale through their nose for 4 seconds, hold their breath for 7 seconds, exhale through their mouth for 8 seconds and repeat this 4 times. https://www.healthline.com/health/4-7-8-breathing#1
Box breathing:Breath in for 4 seconds, “breathe in like you are smelling a flower,” breathe out for 4 seconds, “breathe out like you are blowing out birthday candles.” Repeat this 4-5 times until the child begins to feel calm.
Progressive muscles relaxation
Involves tensing and relaxing muscles so that the child can recognize the difference between what tense and relaxed muscles feel like in order to achieve a relaxed state before bed.
Mindfulness is the practice of being present and fully engaged in the moment, free from distractions, judgment, and aware of our thoughts and feelings. Participating in mindfulness helps us become more aware of sensory input from the environment around us and how our body feels.
Why teach children mindfulness?
Practicing mindfulness with children can provide them with the strategies they need to help control their emotions, slow down, calm themselves and focus. Through mindfulness, children may develop greater awareness of their emotional, body and sensory experiences. Mindfulness can be a powerful tool in helping manage anxiety and impulsivity, and can improve listening, creativity and respect for self and others.
Mindfulness activities, when practiced together, can strengthen the relationship between an adult and child.
Activities that support mindfulness with children
Infants and toddlers
Sing songs, lullabies and nursery rhymes throughout the day to your baby.
Massage your baby gently before a nap or 45 minutes after a feeding. Start at your baby’s stomach and work your way to their head, neck, shoulders, legs and feet.
Eye gaze with your baby while saying “I am” affirmations. For example, “I am safe”, “I am confident”, “I am loved”, “I am calm”, “I am beautiful”.
Young children
Practice focused breathing using your child’s favourite stuffed toys as visual aids. In a relaxed position on the floor, place a toy on your abdomen and on your child’s abdomen. Take three deep breaths, breathing in and out through your nose, while saying ‘blow’ or ‘smell’ to help the child understand the actions. Show your child how the toy rises and falls as they take the breaths. Practice ‘blowing’ bubbles, pinwheels or ‘smelling’ food at other times to familiarize your child with focused breathing.
Talk about sensory experiences with your child. Draw your child’s attention to what you and your child see, hear, smell, taste and touch in simple words. For example, when baking cookies, ask your child to ‘smell the cookies’.
Yoga incorporated into your child’s daily routine can be enjoyable and relaxing. Teach simple yoga poses such as downward dog, rag doll, and mountain pose (select the yoga poses that match your child’s ability).
Go on mindful walks and during the walk, talk about what you see, hear, smell and feel while in the natural environment. For example, if you pick up a smooth stone and you both feel it and talk about its smoothness and shape, you are focusing your attention to the present moment.
Yoga balloon. Sit on the floor with your child. Cross your legs and keep your back straight. Place the palms of your hands together at the centre of your chest. Breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose, raising your arms above your head in the shape of a big balloon. Breathe out slowly through your mouth and bring your arms back down so that your palms are together again at the centre of your chest.
School age children
Guided meditation videos are helpful when learning calming techniques, such as body scanning and muscle relaxation. Many videos are available for you to source on the internet based on your child’s ability.
Listen to bell activity uses a bell, chime, triangle or an app that imitates the sound of a bell to focus your child’s attention on a single source of sensory input. Ring the bell in a slow, quiet, rhythmic way and ask your child to focus on the sound and keep their eyes closed until they no longer hear the sound.
Heartbeat exercises can help your child with body awareness. Start by engaging in an activity that increases heart rate, such as jumping jacks, jumping on the spot, or running. After completing the exercise, sit together with your eyes closed and hands placed on your heart. Encourage your child to notice their heartbeat and how the rate slows down as they rest.
Mind in a jar activity can help your child to focus and be calm. You will need a jar with a tight lid, water and glitter. Explain that the jar represents your child’s head, the water their mind and the glitter their thoughts, worries, and memories. Shake the jar and tell your child this is how your mind (water) is when you are thinking or worrying about several things. Set the jar down and watch how the glitter settles and the water becomes clear. Talk about how, while their thoughts are calm and quiet at the bottom of the jar, their mind is clear and they are focused.
Use the acronym STOP to teach your child the core components of mindfulness: Stop what your are doing, press the pause button on your thoughts and actions, Take a few deep breaths to centre yourself and bring yourself fully into the present moment, Observe what is going on with your body, emotions and mind, and Proceed with whatever you were doing, making a conscious, intentional choice to incorporate what you just learned.
Positive affirmation is anything good you say or think about yourself. Teach your child to describe themselves in positive ways using ‘I’ statements, such as “I am smart”, “I am focused”, “I am strong”, and “I am proud of myself.” You can make a dice game by pasting positive affirmation ‘fill in the blank’ statements, such as, “I am good at…” on a square box or large die. Take turns rolling the die and complete the sentence.
Gratitude statements are thoughts about things for which you are grateful. Throughout the day you and your child can talk about what you are grateful for. For example, “I’m grateful for the time I spend at the park with my brother.”
Mindful journaling helps your child reflect on their thoughts, feelings and experiences. You can help by using mindfulness journaling prompts, such as, “I remember when I used balloon breath to feel better when I couldn’t ride my bike”.
Remember
Caregivers, family members and early learning professionals share a role in helping children find ways to be present and aware of their thoughts and feelings. Working together as a team to establish common goals will have the greatest impact on your child’s development and well-being.
Remember that practicing mindfulness your self is equally important. When you understand and use mindfulness techniques, your child will learn from you.
“In today’s rush, we all think too much—seek too much—want too much—and forget about the joy of just being.”- Eckhart Tolle
Feelings of grief may be caused by a traumatic event such as death, illness, or divorce. Experiences of discrimination due to racism, ableism, classism, and other stereotypes or biases can also create grief and loss responses in children. These types of experiences can be direct or indirect. As an adult, it is our role to provide a supportive and empathetic response to help children cope with grief.
Signs of grief and loss in children
It is important to recognize the signs and potential causes of grief and loss experienced by a child and take steps to help them cope.
Children may:
experience grief and loss differently than adults
experience fluctuating grief; it may seem to come and go
understand and cope with grief in different ways as they develop
experience the loss multiple times as they mature
Children use a variety of ways to communicate how they feel as they try to understand and cope. Children’s understanding of an experience that creates a sense of grief will also vary depending on the child’s age, developmental level, and the support they receive.
It is not uncommon for children to express their grief through:
Using language and making comments that seem out of context
Lack of an emotional response or display of extreme emotions
Sensitivity, irritability or being easily frustrated
Changes in well-established skills and routines (e.g., eating, toileting)
Nightmares or sleep problems
Recurrent physical symptoms such as headaches or stomach aches for reasons other than medical
Sudden and marked decrease in appetite
Difficulty calming when upset
Over-dependence on parent/main caregiver, unusual separation anxiety, or seeking additional attention and/or comfort
Inability to concentrate or finish common tasks
Lack of interest in activities that were previously considered enjoyable
Withdrawing or showing little interest in social interactions with others
Unexpected or unfounded fears
Working through feelings of grief and loss together
You may also be experiencing grief and loss at the same time. Recognizing your feelings and taking steps to manage your own wellness is equally important as helping your child.
Your child may ask the same questions repeatedly to make sense of difficult information. This is because children cannot reflect on their own thoughts and emotions like adults and may need information repeated to them several times. When supporting your child:
Give them the attention they need in the moment
Offer affection and reassurance that they are loved and cared for
Use simple, concrete words and descriptions (i.e., “dead” or “died” instead of “loss” or “passed away”) to talk about what you and your child are experiencing
Help then recognize, label and talk about emotions. Let them know that grief typically involves a range of emotions, including anger, guilt, and frustration, and that all their feelings are valid and accepted
Make sure they have access to play materials such as puppets, dolls or action figures to express their feelings or engage in role-playing games
Read books about grief and loss or make a personal story to support coping with the experience
Help them to write in a journal or draw a picture about their experience
Use natural opportunities to discuss experiences. For example, when you see a dead bug or plant, give factual and brief information such as “The ladybug is not alive anymore, it died. When a living thing dies, they do not feel anything anymore.”
Respond using a soothing voice and gestures to comfort them
Include your child in your family and cultural practices during the grieving process
Offer a favourite toy or activity to help comfort your child. Spend some time with them in that activity
Allow flexibility in your routine. If your child is upset, give them extra time to regulate their feelings
Answering your child’s questions
Your child may make up their own narrative about what is happening if they are not provided with simple and clear information. For example, the term “sick” when used to describe terminal cancer might cause confusion, and a child may be worried that all sicknesses result in death. Use concrete words and avoid confusing phrases when talking about the situation or event that has triggered the grief. For example, statements like “he passed away” or “we lost the dog” are unclear and could be misinterpreted by the child.
Consider the following:
Ask for clarification if you are unsure of what your child is saying or asking
Ensure you have your child’s attention before you speak directly to them
Consider their level of understanding and their temperament
Only give as much information as is necessary
Children may ask the same questions often to make sense of difficult information and may need information about the situation repeated several times.
It’s okay to say you do not know and will try to find the answer
Definitions
Grief is the response to loss that includes thoughts, behaviours, emotions and physiological changes. If the loss is permanent, the grief will also be permanent; but it changes as a person adapts to the loss.
Acute grief may occur in the early period after a loss. Strong feelings of yearning, longing and/or sorrow are typical.
Integrated grief is a lasting form of grief in which loss-related thoughts, feelings and behaviours are integrated into a person’s ongoing functioning; the grief may have a place in the person’s life without dominating it.
Complicated grief is a persistent form of intense grief in which negative thoughts and behaviours and/or preoccupation are present.
Adapting to loss entails accepting the reality of the loss, including its finality, consequences and changed relationships; adapting means seeing the future as holding possibilities.
Collective grief is felt by a group. For example, this could be experienced by a whole community as with a global pandemic.
Children’s literature
Brown & Brown. (1996). When Dinosaurs Die: A Guide to Understanding Death. New York, NY: Little, Brown & Company.
Thomas, J., & Dale, U. J. (2012). What does dead mean? – a book for young children to help explain death and. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Mellonie, Bryan & Robert Ingpen. (1983). Lifetimes: The beautiful way to explain death to children. Toronto, ON: Bantam Books.
Munsch, Robert. (2003). Lighthouse – A Story of Remembrance. Vancouver, BC: North Winds Press.
DiSalvo, DyAnne. (1999). A Dog Like Jack. New York, NY: Holiday House.
Heegaard, Marge. (1991). When Something Terrible Happens. Salt Lake City, UT: Woodland Press.
Palmer, Pat. (2004). “I wish I could hold your hand…” – A Child’s Guide to Grief and Loss. Oakland, CA: Impact Publishers, Inc.
Thomas, Pat. (2001). I Miss You. New York, NY: Barron’s Educational Series.
Silverman, Janis. (1999). Help Me Say Goodbye: Activities for Helping Kids When a Special Person Dies. Toronto, ON: Fairview Press.
Librach, S. L., & Obrien, H. (2011). Supporting Children’s Grief within an Adult and Pediatric Palliative Care Program. The Journal of Supportive Oncology, 9(4), 136–140. doi: 10.1016/j.suponc.2011.04.003
Play has an important role in childhood as it supports early learning. When children experience challenging situations, the source of their stress is often reflected in their play as they try to make sense of their world. When adults support and set the stage for play, children have opportunities to investigate, explore, test, invent and learn within a safe and responsive environment.
Play provides children with an opportunity to:
Build relationships and a sense of self in relation to others
Work through stress, anxiety and frustration
Boost self-esteem
Improve emotional flexibility and resilience
Increase intelligence/supporting abstract thinking and problem-solving
Practice self-regulation
Practice independence and making choices
Set up the environment
Have a variety of activities and play materials available to your child promote independence and choice. Consider offering two options if many choices become overwhelming.
Offer creative art materials or building toys that can be used for open-ended play. This type of play may help your child use their imagination and build a sense of competency and accomplishment in creating something.
Incorporate music or song and dance/body movement that your child enjoys into the play.
Consider incorporating the natural environment into the space, reflecting a connection to the land.
Include family and cultural materials and practices, ones that will help your child find a way to ground their identity within their play.
Respond to children’s play
Recognize that your child’s reality may be different from what you have experienced. Their play and how they response to a situation is telling you something.
Watch how your child is playing.
Listen to their comments and questions.
Label and validate their feelings.
Ask questions to gain an understanding.
Model calming strategies while playing together: deep breaths, draw a picture, take a walk, get a drink of water, take about feelings.
Label your own feelings “I feel sad…”, “I feel happy…”
Talk about the future “I wonder…”, “Can you imagine…”
Tell stories and listen to the stories your child shares in their play.
Stress can limit a child’s ability to problem solve. Be available to help your child work through challenges.
Respond to the underlying needs of your child based on what you observe. Ask yourself the following questions:
What is happening?
Why is it happening?
What are they trying to tell me through their actions?
What changes can I make to help them?
What new skills do they need to learn?
It’s important to include family and cultural practices throughout the day, ones that will help your child find a way to ground themselves within their identity.
Respond to children’s questions and comments
Asking questions and making comments during play is another way for children to process new experiences, stressors or situations. At times children may remark on something that is uncomfortable for you to hear or you may feel you don’t know how to respond, this is natural. When responding to these questions or comments:
Acknowledge that you have heard the child and pause (silently count to ten) to give yourself time to choose your words
Provide developmentally appropriate responses to questions
Keep the answers simple and factual
If you do not know the answer, respond in a way that allows you to investigate together.
“That’s a great question. Let’s find out together.”
Reassure your child that they are safe and cared for by responding in a supportive way. Try to remain calm if you are feeling uncomfortable, as children are perceptive and can sense your emotions.
Try a breathing exercise when you feel your anxiety starting to grow. Share this with your child, i.e., “Let’s take five big breaths. Count them with me. 5-4-3-2-1. Does that feel better?”
Recognize and label emotions to help your child make meaning of their experiences. Use pictures to help them identify how they feel.
For example, “Abdullahi can’t play right now. Tell me how you feel? Show me which one.”
Remember
Play fosters creativity, imagination, resiliency and problem solving skills among many other benefits. By playing with your child and supporting their play with other children, you are helping them build relationships and creating a safe space to explore their feelings.
All children are unique and it is likely you will encounter children with different sensory processing challenges at the same time.
There are tip sheets on each of the seven senses: smell, taste, touch, vision, hearing, vestibular, and proprioceptive. Each sheet provides detailed information for programming on those individual senses. When developing any programming for a child, it is common to identify if the child is sensitive to stimuli within a particular sense. Below is a chart to help you understand an individual child’s needs.
There are the four patterns of sensory processing: low registration, sensation seeking, sensory sensitive and sensation avoiding.
Low registration: A child with low registration does not recognize or process all of the incoming sensory information, and they do not compensate by trying to gain more sensory input to meet their needs. They may seem uninterested, and inattentive to their surroundings.
Sensation seeking: A child classified as sensation seeking does not recognize or process all of the incoming sensory information, but contrary to low registration, they actively try to gain this sensory input to meet their needs. They may be hyperactive, touch others often or engage in unsafe activities like jumping from heights.
Sensory sensitive: A child classified as sensory sensitive feels overwhelmed by sensory information, but they do not actively try to avoid the overstimulation, instead they may just display frustration. They may be easily distracted, and irritable, cautious, and uncomfortable in loud or bright environments.
Sensation avoiding: A child that is sensation avoiding feels overwhelmed by sensory information and will actively avoid the stimulation. They may run away from loud, busy environments, cover their ears when overstimulated by noise, or wear gloves to avoid touching certain materials such as paint.
Here are some general strategies you can use to manage a large number of children with different sensory processing challenges:
Whenever possible try to minimize the sensory stimuli in a room. For example, avoid fluorescent lighting and loud noises. Although some children may require extra input, it is easier to give them this input individually in alternate ways that do not involve disturbing the hypersensitive individuals in the room. For e.g., for children that require additional visual input, provide visually stimulating items such as a lava lamp. For children who require extra auditory input, provide sound-producing toys, such as a shaker.
Have a designated area in the classroom that children can go to and calm their nervous system if they become overwhelmed. This strategy is useful with most children that are hypersensitive to any of the seven senses.
Give children options. Provide children materials such as a fidget spinner or exercise ball to use if they are seeking this type of input.
Communicate with the child’s caregivers to learn about the child’s likes and dislikes and strategies that work at home that can be easily transferred to the classroom environment.
Reference:
Dunn, Winnie (2007), Dunn’s Four Quadrant Model of Sensory Processing.
If you asked someone to think about their senses, most people would name the following five: vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. Often what is less familiar are the other two senses: vestibular and proprioception.
The vestibular system is part of the sensory system that controls the sense of balance and spatial orientation for the purpose of coordinating movement with balance. Examples include maintaining balance while learning to walk, holding objects, and turning pages of a book.
Proprioception refers to the sense of the position of parts of the body, relative to other neighbouring parts of the body. Focuses on the body’s cognitive awareness of movement. Examples of proprioception include stepping off a curb without looking at your feet and knowing how much pressure to apply when pressing an elevator button.
Hearing
Sensory processing for hearing, also known as auditory processing, is the way our brains process the things that we hear. Read more »
Touch
Sensory processing for touch, also known as tactile processing, is the way that our brain processes information about our environment through messages from our skin. Read more »
Smell
Our sense of smell is extremely important in everyday life. It can impact our memories and emotions. Read more »
Vision
Sensory processing for the visual system uses light, colour, shape and movement to detect information through our eyes and then the brain interprets that information. Read more »
Taste
Sensory processing for taste, also known as oral sensation processing, is the way that our brain processes information from our mouth and taste buds. Read more »
Proprioception
Proprioception is a sense that tells us about the position of our body parts in relation to each other, other individuals and the environment. Read more »
Vestibular
The vestibular system (inner ear balance mechanism) helps us maintain awareness of positioning of our bodies when for example we are walking, running or riding in a vehicle. Read more »
Understanding the Sensory System and Sensory Processing
Sensory processing is the way our brain accepts, interprets and organizes information from our seven senses to create a response. No two people will react exactly the same way; everyone has their own unique response to sensory stimuli. Read more »
In Conclusion
All children are unique and it is likely you will encounter children with different sensory processing challenges at the same time. When developing any programming for a child, it is common to identify if the child is sensitive to stimuli within a particular sense. Read more »
Our sense of smell is extremely important in everyday life. It can impact our memories and emotions. Our brain’s ability to process the smells in our environment through receptors in our nose is called olfactory processing. There are individual differences in sensory processing; some children can be hypersensitive to smells and be bothered by subtle smells in the environment. On the contrary, some children can be hyposensitive to smells and not seem to notice smells in the environment that other people easily sense, such as strong brewing coffee or a skunk.
There are the four patterns of sensory processing: low registration, sensation seeking, sensory sensitive and sensation avoiding.
Low registration: A child with low registration does not recognize or process all of the incoming sensory information, and they do not compensate by trying to gain more sensory input to meet their needs. They may seem uninterested, and inattentive to their surroundings.
Sensation seeking: A child classified as sensation seeking does not recognize or process all of the incoming sensory information, but contrary to low registration, they actively try to gain this sensory input to meet their needs. They may be hyperactive, touch others often or engage in unsafe activities like jumping from heights.
Sensory sensitive: A child classified as sensory sensitive feels overwhelmed by sensory information, but they do not actively try to avoid the overstimulation, instead they may just display frustration. They may be easily distracted, and irritable, cautious, and uncomfortable in loud or bright environments.
Sensation avoiding: A child that is sensation avoiding feels overwhelmed by sensory information and will actively avoid the stimulation. They may run away from loud, busy environments, cover their ears when overstimulated by noise, or wear gloves to avoid touching certain materials such as paint.
Hyposensitivity
A child who has low registration for smell, or is sensation seeking may require extra olfactory input (smells) in order to process their environment.
If a child has a low registration pattern for olfactory processing for smell they may:
Be unaware of very strong or unpleasant smells that others notice, such as the smell of exhaust fumes.
Be unable to label or recognize certain smells.
Be unaware of the smell of smoke from a fire or other dangerous smells in the environment.
Be unaware of smells others may enjoy, such as the smell of freshly baked bread. As a result, they may not have a strong preference for the foods that many others may like.
If a child has a sensation seeking pattern for olfactory processing they may:
Explore a variety of non-food objects by smelling them. For example, they may smell various people, foods, markers, and toys to explore them. They may also want to smell odors that others would perceive as unpleasant, such as the smell of soured milk or gasoline.
Play with feces, due to the strong scent.
Crave and actively seek out particular smells, both of food and non-food items. For example, they may be very drawn to a particular flower at the park or the smell of bubble bath.
Enjoy eating foods with strong scents such as oranges, garlic, or pickles.
Case example:
Sarah is a very curious 8-year-old-girl. Her teachers notice that she frequently hovers over the garbage cans in the classroom and playground to smell the contents. When redirected from this behaviour, she will seek out other objects to smell, including classmates. She is having trouble making friends at school because of this, and her parents are very concerned.
Sarah has a sensation seeking pattern for olfactory processing. She continuously seeks out very strong scents to meet her needs.
Strategies to assist a child with hyposensitivity for olfactory sensory processing:
Provide the child with strong scents such as peppermint, citrus, perfume/cologne or use scented laundry detergent. These scents can provide the child with the required amount of stimulation to increase their alertness. You can teach them to use these scents to gain stimulation, as opposed to people or inappropriate objects such as feces.
Play games such as “guess that scent.” Try using scented candles, essential oils, or different types of foods and without showing the child have them guess the scent.
Create a routine for washing hands, bathing, and cleaning if the child is unaware of their own scent.
Provide the child with scented playdough or scented markers.
Teach older children strategies to compensate for their hyposensitivity. For example, if they are unable to tell if food has gone bad due to their sensory processing differences, teach them to read expiry dates.
Hypersensitivity
Children who are sensory sensitive or sensory avoiding to smells may be considered picky or selective eaters due to a dislike of certain food scents.
If a child has a sensory sensitive pattern for olfactory processing they may:
Become anxious while in rooms recently cleaned with cleaning products, or with air fresheners.
Dislike the scent of laundry detergent on their clothing.
Gag when presented with certain foods or other scents.
Be anxious about their own scent, particularly if they perceive they “smell bad.” They may want to bathe numerous times a day to remove this smell from their bodies.
Become distracted in school because of the smells in the environment.
If a child has a sensory avoiding pattern for olfactory processing they may:
Be a very selective or picky eater, refusing to eat certain foods based on scent. They may refuse to eat certain foods even if they are extremely hungry.
Run away from or avoid shared lunch spaces due to the dislike of other lunch smells.
Plug their nose when in the presence of particular smells, such as the smell of a flower, perfume/cologne, another child, or food item.
Refuse to use public bathrooms due to the scent.
Refuse to go to a particular place, such as a friend’s house because of the smell.
Case example:
Sebastian is a 5-year-old-boy. Sebastian’s parents are concerned as he will often come home from school with his pants soiled. His teachers have shared that he refuses to use the washroom in the classroom. After discussing with Sebastian, you discover he refuses to use the washroom because of the smell of the air fresheners and products used to clean it.
From the case, you can see that Sebastian has a sensory avoiding pattern for olfactory processing. He has hypersensitivity towards the scent of the washroom and copes by avoiding this non-preferred scent. He avoids it daily and ends up with soiled clothing.
Strategies to assist a child with hypersensitivity for olfactory sensory processing:
In some cases, you can try to desensitize a child to a particular scent by slowly increasing their exposure to the scent. However, be aware that the child may not wish to proceed with desensitization if they become uncomfortable and have a negative emotional response.
Use fragrance free cleaning products including laundry detergent.
Avoid wearing perfume or cologne or using strongly scented personal care products if you are near the child on a regular basis.
In class, seat the child away from triggering scents such as the garbage bin. You can seat them next to the window if they are tolerant of the smell outside. This ventilation can help them to cope.
Provide the child with a preferred scent, such as an essential oil to use throughout the day if they feel overwhelmed by other scents.
Proprioception is a sense that tells us about the position of our body parts in relation to each other, other individuals and the environment. Proprioception also communicates information about how our body parts are moving. For example, how much force our muscles need to use for different activities, such as holding a paper cup as opposed to a plastic cup.
Sensory processing for proprioception is the way our brains process information from our muscles and joints about the position of our bodies in space. Each child receives and processes proprioceptive information in different ways. Some children are hyposensitive and need constant input to feel where their body is in space or in relation to others. On the contrary, some children are hypersensitive to proprioception and may become overwhelmed. If a child has difficulties with receiving or processing this information, they may have trouble with body awareness or planning their body movements.
There are the four patterns of sensory processing: low registration, sensation seeking, sensory sensitive and sensation avoiding.
Low registration: A child with low registration does not recognize or process all of the incoming sensory information, and they do not compensate by trying to gain more sensory input to meet their needs. They may seem uninterested, and inattentive to their surroundings.
Sensation seeking: A child classified as sensation seeking does not recognize or process all of the incoming sensory information, but contrary to low registration, they actively try to gain this sensory input to meet their needs. They may be hyperactive, touch others often or engage in unsafe activities like jumping from heights.
Sensory sensitive: A child classified as sensory sensitive feels overwhelmed by sensory information, but they do not actively try to avoid the overstimulation, instead they may just display frustration. They may be easily distracted, and irritable, cautious, and uncomfortable in loud or bright environments.
Sensation avoiding: A child that is sensation avoiding feels overwhelmed by sensory information and will actively avoid the stimulation. They may run away from loud, busy environments, cover their ears when overstimulated by noise, or wear gloves to avoid touching certain materials such as paint.
Hyposensitivity
A child who has low registration or is sensation seeking for proprioception may require input to their muscles and joints to feel calm and to understand where their bodies are in space.
If a child has a low registration pattern for proprioception they may:
Have difficulty navigating rooms and avoiding objects when moving around.
Appear floppy and have difficulty with balance. They may have difficulties sitting upright in a chair or on the floor and keeping their head upright. The child may lean against people, furniture and walls for support.
Stumble and fall more than other children their age.
Have difficulty with some activities that require balance. For example, riding a bike.
Have difficulty with activities that require a change in body positioning. For example, playing sports.
Sit in a “W” stance on the floor.
Hold onto items with a weak grasp and drop objects easily. For example, they may be unable to hold a marker tight enough to use it and they may often drop their toys.
Have a limited sense of personal space. They may unknowingly stand too close to other individuals or objects.
If a child has a sensation seeking pattern for proprioception they may:
Push or play roughly with other children or objects. For example, they may purposely bump or run into people or objects such as walls, tables and doorframes.
Press too hard on paper when writing which may result in tears or holes in the paper.
Bang or hit their body parts. For example, they may hit their head with their hands, bang their hands together or bang their head on a wall.
Prefer tight clothing. Tight clothing can give a large amount of proprioceptive input.
Constantly be in motion. For example, they may constantly flap their hands and fidget and not be able to sit still. This may impact their ability to focus in class, as they may constantly be trying to gain proprioceptive input through movement instead of listening.
Prefer to run, jump or stomp instead of walking. They may walk very loudly, by stomping their feet on the ground.
Walk on their tip toes.
Case example:
Ameer is a 5-year-old boy. You notice that Ameer gets tired very easily while standing or sitting for long periods of time. He tends to lean on tables and walls to support himself. Ameer’s friends enjoy playing games such as hopscotch and soccer. Ameer has trouble kicking a ball and balancing on one foot and consequently does not participate in these games with his friends. You try to practice some kicking and balancing skills with him at home, but you find that he just doesn’t know what to do with his body and often falls.
Ameer has a low registration pattern for proprioceptive input. He has trouble supporting his weight while sitting and standing. He also has trouble with activities that use balance such as standing on one foot or kicking a ball.
For children who are hyposensitive to proprioceptive information, try to provide them with activities that use their muscles and joints to calm the child and increase their responsiveness to sensory input.
Strategies to assist a child with hyposensitivity for proprioception:
Incorporate activities that put weight on the muscles and joints such as crawling or push-ups. For example, games where the child needs to copy different walks such as a crab or wheelbarrow walks.
Incorporate activities where the child does heavy lifting. For example, at cleanup time, you can ask the child to pick up a stack of books or bins of toys.
Provide activities that use a lot of energy, such as running or jumping on a trampoline. Create obstacle courses for the child or have them bounce on an exercise ball.
Place a piece of TheraBand (large, stretchy elastic) on the legs of their chair and allow for them to kick the band while sitting.
Position furniture around the edge of the room to minimize the risk of falling and make navigation simpler.
Provide the child with non-slip shoes to prevent falls.
Use deep pressure by giving the child hugs or a weighted/heavy blanket. This can be calming for children as it will give them their required proprioceptive input and calm their nervous system.
Use fine motor activities in their daily routine. For example, encourage them to draw, build, or play with a fidget spinner.
Use an “arm’s length rule” or hula hoop to help judge personal space and reinforce them when necessary to maintain this practice.
Hypersensitivity
Children who are sensory sensitive or sensory avoiding for proprioception may be very sensitive to active movement and interacting with others. They may appear uncoordinated or be misjudged as lazy.
If a child has a sensory sensitive pattern for proprioception they may:
Hold their bodies in odd positions or appear lethargic (tired and slow movements). They may become tired easily after standing for long periods of time.
Appear stiff while walking or standing and walk with their legs wide apart.
Have difficulty moving small objects around in their hand such as buttons or shoelaces. They may have difficulty turning doorknobs or opening/closing containers.
Move their whole body, not just their head to look at something.
Appear uncoordinated in their movements. For example, while catching a ball.
Be hypersensitive to pain. For example, they may complain that their finger hurts after touching a pencil.
If a child has a sensory avoiding pattern for proprioception they may:
Avoid wearing tight clothing.
Avoid and refuse to participate in activities that require physical effort such as riding a bike, climbing or running.
Be extremely sensitive to touch and avoid situations where others may touch them. This is due to proprioceptive input received by touch. These children may strongly dislike hugs and other signs of affection. Tactile and proprioceptive processing are closely linked.
Case example:
Alice is a 4-year-old girl in kindergarten. You notice that Alice tends to remain in the same area and avoids participating in activities with the other children. She gets tired very easily, even while standing. She often refuses to participate in any activities that require significant amounts of energy. She is also very selective with clothing. When her parents dress her in tight clothing for the day, she complains that she feels uncomfortable and will often take her clothes off. Alice has a sensory avoiding pattern for proprioception.
For children that are hypersensitive to proprioceptive stimuli, strategies can be used to help them build awareness of their movements and body positions.
Strategies to assist a child with hypersensitivity for proprioceptive processing:
Use calming strategies frequently. For example, have them tightly squeeze an object such as playdough or a squeezy ball and then relax.
Incorporate activities that focus on fine motor skills such as beading, stacking, colouring or building with Lego.
Slowly desensitize the child to varying body positions within their comfort zone. For example, you can practice animal walks with increasing difficulty. Start by walking like a bear and progress to walking like a crab on their hands and feet. This allows for the child to focus on their body movements in a controlled environment.
Incorporate yoga stretches to move the muscles and joints in a relaxing way.
Play games that increase body awareness, such as “Head and Shoulders” which can help to calm the nervous system and increase awareness of body parts.
Provide the child with a quiet, calm area to go to if they feel overwhelmed.
