Are you asking yourself, “How do I help my child with sensory issues over the holidays?” Holidays are meant to be joyous and to remind us of what is most important in life, but we parents of children with sensory processing disorder (SPD) often struggle to help our kids function well and appreciate the holidays. We want the focus to be on the reason for the season, family and friends, and just having fun. But it can be so hard to support our kids who can go into sensory overl

Kids with sensory processing disorder often have trouble understanding time and sequence without the help of visual supports. One of the best tips I ever got from another parent was to make and use a visual to do list for my son when he was in preschool to keep him on task during the morning routine. My quickly scribbled list was like a magic wand! Suddenly, instead of redirecting him 176 times before getting him on the little yellow bus, I had him showing me just what he nee

Vacations can be wonderful, but for sensory kids, the change in a routine can be stress-inducing. They may become more anxious and have more trouble self-regulating their behavior because they don’t have a sense of predictability as they usually do. Of course, kids need down time, but those with sensory processing disorder also need more structure during vacations than other children do. Stick to the usual bedtime or transition to a new one and stick to it. Sleepovers and lat

Quality sleep is crucial for quality functioning, and yet we are a sleep-deprived culture. Adults drink coffee and push themselves past their tiredness, while children will naturally push themselves to be more alert and then not be able to calm down. Children with sensory processing issues usually have poor self-regulation, meaning they can’t easily bring themselves from one state of alertness to another. When tired or feeling lethargic, they will rev up to a hyperactive stat