Living With a Sensory Sensitive Child: 5 Things to Make Your Day Easier
Living with a child diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder adds challenges to everyday life events. Some challenges you can prepare for, such as overstimulation at a concert. Others you can’t, such as a large crowd at the store on a day when most people usually don’t shop. You have to be ready for all that will come when a child's senses are overloaded.
A meltdown is a telltale sign that my child's senses are over stimulated. That’s my not-so-subtle cue that the situation must change and that I, Mommy Dearest, must put on my superhero cape and guide him to comfort.
What many people observing the meltdown don’t understand or realize is that a meltdown is an actual neurological event. This event can be experienced by a child (or an adult) with Sensory Processing Disorder as well as many other well-known disorders, Autism being one. It is not a tantrum, a child's way of manipulating a situation to work in their favor, but an actual event in which the neurological system is overwhelmed, and therefore presents itself outwardly through crying, screaming, physical outbursts, self-harm, or inability to verbalize what one needs - just to name a few signs.
So how do you, the parent of a child with an overactive neurological system make it through the day as peacefully as possible?
Try these 5 Things:
1: Plan your outings accordingly. Are you going to a place that will have loud sounds? Bring earplugs. Or maybe you are going to an event with lots of people; know ahead of time that you might need to step outside with your little one and make sure you are seated on the outside of the crowd, not in the center.
2. Pack comforting items. Is your little one comforted by coloring or playing with Legos? Pack a few in your bag. When your little one is overwhelmed and emotions begin to build, help them find a quiet place where they can focus in on their comfort toys. Allow them to tell you when they are ready to return to your previous engagement.
3. Time and planning; plenty of it. Allow yourself plenty of time to get from one place to the next. A child's senses can easily become overstimulated if they are asked to rush through something because of time constraints. Set clear expectations about what must be done before leaving and allow enough time for all things to be completed. Give plenty of notice that you are coming up on the set time to leave. Simply saying “it’s time to leave,” without a countdown, can over stimulate a child and put them into meltdown mode.
4. Set a schedule and stick with it. Informing a sensory child of the day's schedule allows them time to soak it in and process it. If a child knows what is on the day’s “to-do” list, they are more apt to be able to prepare internally for what's to come. Have you ever noticed that children tend to meltdown more often in new places, with new stimulation? That’s because they have not had the chance to process what they are about to be exposed to, and their senses become heightened. Giving them a list of the daily activities gives them the power to help prepare themselves.
5. Observation. Super cliché, I know! We should be observing what does and does not work in almost all areas of our lives. But, I think this is probably the most important rule when raising a child with sensory processing disorder. Why? Because when something works, you want to repeat it. However, when something fails, you want to make sure 100% that you never experience that again. Simply observing your child during the good, and the not so good moments, will give you answers, tips, and tools you would never think about. It’s not a guarantee that your day will be smooth and peaceful just because you spent time observing the day before, however it does give you a leg up for a day with possibly fewer meltdowns.
There is not a golden ticket to eliminate all meltdowns, but there are ways in which we can support our children in hopes that the meltdowns are fewer and farther between.