Like Social Stories, sensory stories are short descriptions of a situation which include specific information about what to expect in that situation and strategies on how to handle the situation.
Sensory Stories are a method to allow children with sensory modulation issues – sensory integration disorder, sensory integration dysfunction – to cope with everyday experiences. They are in a format that allows children with autism to employ calming strategies throughout the course of specific daily activities like combing hair, going to the dentist and many common school or social activities. When read on a regular basis, Sensory Stories enable children to engage in life.
Our Sensory Stories can help in many different situations including:
- Home – to help develop self-care skills (bathing, dressing, showering, bedtime, meal time)
- School – social skills and academic skills (assemblies, cafeteria, circle time, desk time, recess, moving in the school, PE class)
- Community – to help understand how others might behave in a particular situation (going to restaurant, store, parties, getting a haircut)
To create more stories get our Sensory Stories CD.
Visit www.sensorystories.com for a free Demo – use “Guest” for the User name and password and you can customize the story below.
Eating Lunch in the Cafeteria
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.
Many children love to snuggle up in heavy and/or tight blankets. Weighted vests, toy animals, collars and other products increase body awareness and also have a calming affect. Gross motor activities (such as wrapping up inside a blanket while rolling across a mat, or rolling across cushions and pillows) combine heavy pressure and vestibular movement stimulation. This helps children interpret how their bodies are moving.
Filling socks or tights with sand creates “Sensory Socks.” (To increase length, you may sew several small socks together. To prevent sand leakage, place the sand in a plastic bag before placing inside the sock.)
Possible homemade adaptations include adding sand to stacking boxes and tossing/catching a “sensory pillow.” This pillow case filled with foam and small bags of sand is easy to grasp, fun to hug and won’t roll away.