All posts by Therapro

Using Sensory Stories & Sensory Strategy Cards for Regulation

Sensory,

For children with over-responsive sensory modulation, participating in everyday activities can be overwhelming. Victoria Nackley, MS, OTR/L, co-author of Sensory Stories, presented a Therapro seminar on Saturday, October 18th, entitled Using Sensory Stories and Sensory Strategy Cards (45 Strategies to Add to Your Sensory Diet) to Promote Self-Regulation. She engaged the audience of about 60 therapists, teachers, parents, and grandparents in learning how to use sensory stories as a therapeutic tool to help a child engage successfully in typical home, school, and community activities that intrinsically are loaded with sensory experiences. Victoria discussed the fact that 15 research studies currently support the theory that Sensory Stories promote a child’s ability to engage in day-to-day activities.

Sensory Story Cards for regulation Sensory Stories empower a child to cope with day-to-day life activities such as getting dressed, riding the school bus, and going to the store. Victoria and her co-author, Deborah Marr, have developed 30 individual stories that can be customized to each child. She engaged the attendees as a group in a sensory story about brushing their teeth. The calming strategies recommended are simple and quick so that they can easily be incorporated into a task that a child finds difficult to accomplish. For example, calming strategies might involve deep touch pressure, like a self-hug or using a towel to apply deep pressure to the skin.

For a child to feel successful every day builds self-esteem and social acceptance. Sensory Stories are a powerful tool in our toolbox that can help a child learn self-regulation. The following are a few of the many positive comments from those who attended the Sensory Stories seminar:

“Informative practical ideas that can be used right away.” Karen D.

“Exploded my ideas beyond the ‘typical’ applications of the Sensory Story cards.” Elizabeth S.

“Gives a very good presentation not only on Sensory Stories but also the importance of understanding sensory modulation.” Brooke W.

“She provided a great background/review on self-regulation. She gave many great examples and treatment ideas. I’m looking forward to trying them both with my clients and my own son!” Natalie S.

Thank you, Tory!

Filomena Connor, MS, OTR/L

Highlights from OT PT Fall 2014 Conference

Events & Conferences

I had the pleasure of representing Therapro at the OT PT Fall 2014 Conference held at Northern Illinois University on October 17, 2014. Now in its 12th year, this highly anticipated event brought together over 500 occupational and physical therapists from Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana. The conference, held biennially, is designed specifically for school-based practitioners, offering evidence-informed strategies and tools to help ensure students continue to receive the highest quality therapeutic services within educational environments.

The OT PT Fall 2014 Conference is a full-day event and was packed with professional development opportunities. Attendees could choose from 11 informative workshops that addressed current topics and best practices. Sessions included Activity-Based Intervention and Adaptive Equipment, YogaEd and Brain Gym, The Zones of Regulation, and Assistive Technology Solutions, among others. Each session supported the conference’s overarching goal of promoting effective collaboration among therapists, educators, and families.

Therapro was proud to be represented not only at the exhibit booth, but also by author and presenter Tere Bowen-Irish, who led a full-day session. Her presentations—“OT for the Anxious/Stressed Students (Strategies for a Calmer Classroom)” and “Drive Thru Menus for Preschool and Kindergarten”—were well-received and offered actionable techniques to support emotional regulation and early literacy skills from an OT lens.

The Therapro exhibit booth was a hub of activity as attendees explored products that support classroom participation and regulation. Some of the most popular items included:

Gator Tweezers tool for fine motor and grasp development from Therapro

A big thank you and congratulations to conference chairs Deb Daniel and Terry Seifert for organizing such a meaningful and well-executed event. We look forward to connecting again at the next OT/PT Fall Conference!

Filomena Connor, MS, OTR/L

Sensory Exploration with Pumpkin Carving

Fine Motor & Hand Skill Development, Sensory, ,

It is October, and it’s time to harvest not only pumpkins and apples, but also the sensory exploration this time brings. Have you ever broken down all the sensory input that the simple task of carving a pumpkin can provide? If you have the opportunity to go to a farm to pick your own pumpkin, take advantage of it. The experiences that you and your child will share stay with you forever.

Read on for all the ways a trip to pick your own pumpkin is sensational fun.

pumpkins on a fence ready for carving and sensory exploration

Pumpkin Carving Sensory Experiences

Senses

At the Farm

At Home

Visual
  • The leaves changing colors
  • The bright orange pumpkins
  • The roots and vines through the pumpkin patch
  • The blue sky
  • The animals at the farm
  • Browsing through different designs for the pumpkin
  • Tracing the design unto the pumpkin

Tactile
  • Feeling the breeze
  • Touching the Leaves

 
  • Feeling the grooves on the pumpkin
  • Scooping the pulp
  • Sifting through the pulp to separate the seeds

Auditory (hearing)
  • Shoes crunching the dead leaves and dry ground
  • Tractor on the farm
  • Hearing other people talking
  • The animals making noises
  • Singing Songs as you prepare to carve the pumpkin
  • Listening as the carving tool cuts through the pumpkin

 

Olfactory (smell)
  • The smell of the hay
  • The smell of the grass
  • Baked goods at the farm
  • The smell of the pumpkin pulp
  • The smell as you bake the pumpkin seeds or other desserts

Proprioceptive
  • Carrying the pumpkin from the patch to the car
  • Climbing up the ladder to go on the hay ride
  • Carry the pumpkin to the table
  • The feeling of carving the pumpkin (this must be done with adult supervision and using the appropriate tools)

Vestibular
  • Going on a hay ride
  • Sitting on a rocking chair while enjoying some of the baked goods

Gustatory (Taste)
  • If the farm has a bakery, get some of their delicious baked goods
  • Bake pumpkin seeds (see recipe below)

Pumpkin Seeds Recipe

  1. Separate the seeds from the pulp.
  2. Rinse and dry the seeds (sometimes they have to dry overnight).
  3. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
  4. Spread pumpkin seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle to taste with the seasonings of your choice. For sweet seeds use Cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar, for salty seeds use garlic powder, salt and pepper.
  5. Toast for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until dry and toasted. Larger seeds may take longer.

For more seasonal activities get Therapro’s Hats Off and On to Scissors Skills– you get to practice scissor skills and make hats for every season. Below are pictures of a Pumpkin Time Hat.

Also see our seasonal writing readiness workbooks and our Pre-writing curriculum enrichment series!

Please share other ideas and ways you can have sensational fun this fall.
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