Throughout the holiday season I am often asked by parents for suggestions for gifts, especially for children with special needs & sensory issues. The holiday season is a great time to get children excited about using sensory tools. Check out these perfect little stocking stuffers to help satiate our lil’ oral, movement, and tactile seekers!
Chew on it!
Some children seek intense oral input. These are the children that chew on the collars or sleeves of their shirts, suck on their fingers, or bite off the eraser tips of their pencils. The mouth is a powerful organizing center, just think of how a baby soothes himself by sucking on a pacifier. Children with sensory needs often find chewing allows them to focus better on tasks and a way of remaining calm during times of stress.
ChewiGem offers really fun & stylish chewable jewelry that discreetly serves the need to chew. Great for older children!
ChewEase Invisible Pencil Toppers fit right on the top of a pencil and are an excellent sensory strategy to use to improve your child’s work productivity and concentration. Great for environments where chewing gum is not allowed. A lifesaver for homework, too!
Movers & Shakers!
Proprioceptive sensory input can be calming for a child who is constantly “on-the-go” and seems to be moving around constantly. Activities that involve pushing, pulling, squeezing, and engaging in heavy work are examples of proprioceptive sensory input that help to modulate a child’s activity level.
The Handee Band Exercise Kit is a fun strengthening and sensory based exercise kit for kids ages 3 and up. Have your children work on upper extremity & core strengthening and bilateral coordination skills while allowing a great deal of proprioceptive feedback from the resistive bands used in these activities.
Hands on!
Fidget toys can be a very effective self-regulation tool for children and adults with ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders and other sensory needs. There are a variety of tactile fidgets toys for calming or alerting, to promote focusing and attending, and to increase tactile awareness of fingers & hands.
These gel squish grips are my favorite & can help offer sensory feedback to satiate tactile needs during writing tasks by giving children textures right there on their own pencil.
The Tangle Relax
fidget toy provides great proprioceptive & tactile feedback. It certainly will keep little hands busy!
-Sari Ockner, OTR/L
Please note that I have no financial connections to these products or the companies that sell them. To offer easy access for readers I have created an Amazon Store where some items can be purchased. If you purchase an item in this store I receive a small percentage for advertising fees. Any earnings collected are continuously donated to various charities that support children with special needs. So, if you choose to shop in this store please know that you are also donating a small percentage to a bigger cause.
December 15, 2014
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