Water gels to help children feel calm. |
When children or adults have problems processing visual,
auditory, tactile, olfactive, gustatory, vestibular, and proprioceptive
information from the environment around them, they may have a sensory processing
disorder. This is a neurological disorder causing difficulties with taking in,
processing, and responding to sensory information. Many of the people that I
work with, have some difficulty with processing sensory information. At some
time most of us have experienced sensory overload; perhaps while shopping in
malls, driving in traffic or attending a concert.
Sensory over responsively can cause a person to go into a
fight or flight reaction. Certain sounds (a school bell, someone yelling),
scents (perfume, hair shampoo), or sights (flashing lights, fluorescent
lights), and or feels (tags on clothing, chalk) may cause a child to run away
or scream in fright. One client I work with spends to first 5 minutes checking
out everything in the art rooms to make sure that he knows what is new, what
others are doing and make sure that he is not missing anything. I always play
the same soothing music, burn lavender oil and talk and walk slowly when he is
here to help calm down his autonomic nervous system and help regulate his
sensory input to a more manageable level. After about 5 minutes, he can settle
into a focused and productive session.
Blue lights for calming. |
Sensory seeking means that people in this range seek intense
and extreme sensory input. They may not feel pain and they may make sounds with
their mouths as a way to stimulate their auditory systems. They often play
rough and have poor impulse control. I have a client who would throw and
spatter paint for half an hour onto a 2 metre long sheet of paper hanging on
the wall before he could settle into his body and relax. Now he happily plays
in the sand trays as we process his experiences.
Sand tray |
The sensory work that I do in my therapy room is geared to
help normalize the senses. Children with dyspraxia have a low awareness of
their body in space and lack an ability to feel or sense where their body begins
and ends. I use many different body awareness techniques to help children relocate
themselves in their body. Poor muscle control, poor balance are often also
experienced by children and adults who have sensory issues.
So, how can art therapy help? First, by creating an
atmosphere that is sensory friendly. I have low lights, coloured lights, soft
music, aromatherapy, calm wall spaces and a slowed down environment that has
limited stimulation so children and adults have less sensory input to deal with
when they enter the therapy space. I use biofeedback, EMDR, breathing
exercises, a children’s meditation program and other processes that help
children and adults tolerate being in their body at a slowed down speed. I have
water gels to help calm the senses. Sand tray work is wonderful for helping
children learn to tolerate and enjoy different textures and feels. Playing in
sand is one way children can practice sensory integration. Sensory integration
is the neurological process that helps us interact with our environment through
using our senses. The brain needs to be able to process multiple sensory inputs.
Sensory integration is
necessary for almost every activity that we perform because the combination of
multiple sensory inputs is essential for us to comprehend our surroundings.
Water gels. |
Thank you for sharing some of the experiences of your clients here, Karen. It was fascinating to read some of the behaviors and to find some correlations to behaviors I see in myself and artist friends, in regards to the need for sensory stimulation =-)
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays to you!
Happy holidays to you Monica!
ReplyDeleteAs an adult with SPD, I am SO happy to see that you are helping with this oftentimes frustrating condition. I wish you lived in NYC! No one here seems to do what you do in CA. I'm personally pleased to see the use of lavender, blue lights, and calming music - all of which I use in my daily life. What else would you recommend to help calm? Thanks for posting about this, and for taking such good care of wee SPDers :)
ReplyDeleteHello. I have a tranquil turtle which the children hold while we talk about tough issues. It plays soft music and the light button creates a slowly moving ocean like pattern on the ceiling. I have weighted blankets and a number of other tools. Thanks for leaving a comment. Diet is important for young children. There are many ways to help lower the symptoms of SPD.
ReplyDeleteHi Karen. I appreciate your blog. As a mom to a child who lives with numerous challenges, I'm convinced that the therapeutic elements we've used in our home over the years have greatly contributed to his successes. I believe music and visual art have been huge pieces in his life, even during times when he himself does not appear to actively participate.
ReplyDeleteThank-you for sharing, Christine
Great Blog spot. As a therapist and artist I really enjoy reading your exercises.
ReplyDeleteHi Karen,
ReplyDeleteI am a new art therapist under supervision who is going to be working with a child who has SPD. She attends a montessori school which is very hands on so that is a plus.
I have not found sufficient articles on art therapy and SPD. I have only found great information through the Expressive Therapies Continuum text and on your blog.
Could you point me to articles?
thanks
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