Tag: Parenthood

Sensory Friendly Spaces

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I have recently seen an increase in public venues offering Sensory Friendly days or a specific space at that venue. For example, in January 2017, it was announced that the Pro Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando would offer noise cancelling headphones, squeeze toys and a safe room as an option for those with sensory difficulties.

On April 15th, the Dallas Zoo will hold a Sensory Friendly Day and on the first Sunday of every month Chuck E. Cheese will be open from 9AM-11AM for Sensory Sensitive Sundays which will include reduced lighting and noise.

The St. Louis Aquarium will be the first to be built with Sensory Inclusion in mind. They will offer quiet spaces and they understand that aquariums tend to be very overwhelming for those with sensory issues. The aquarium opens during the Summer of 2019. Click here for more information.

Certain AMC Theater locations offer Sensory Friendly times for moviegoers. Taken from the AMC website:

AMC is proud to partner with the Autism Society to offer unique movie showings where we turn the lights up, and turn the sound down, so you can get up, dance, walk, shout or sing! Our Sensory Friendly Film program is available on the second and fourth Saturday (family-friendly) and Tuesday evenings (mature audiences) of every month. Please check your local theatre listings for specific showtimes, and don’t forget to share your family fun with #AMCSensoryFriendly.

These are just a few examples of sensory friendly spaces popping up. The more education companies and venues have, the more inclusive they can become.

Click here for information on Sensory Friendly Day at the Dallas Zoo

Click here for information on Sensory Sensitive Sundays at Chuck E. Cheese

Click here for information on The St. Louis Aquarium

Click here for the AMC Sensory Friendly Film Program

Mood Swings

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Everyone has mood swings. Personally, if I don’t get enough sleep at night, I’m dragging during the day. I may not have as much patience, not get as much done or may just be out of it. If I haven’t eaten in awhile, I may be cranky or lightheaded. Some days things seem off and you’re just having a day.

Kids are affected in the same ways!

Now add in sensory difficulties. It’s the end of a day, you’re tired and hungry as you sit at a restaurant for dinner. Anyone may feel a bit edgy. But for someone with sensory issues, this restaurant may feel so overwhelming. If someone already feels like sounds are too loud, this may be even worse in this setting.

Although specific instances like being tired or hungry do not cause sensory issues, they definitely aid in triggering them. I know I see it for ‘J.’ I’ve seen changes in weather affect him. I’m sure that sounds weird, but it’s true. Other times its tougher to pinpoint if there is an external factor like hunger or the weather amplifying his triggers.

This post is just me thinking out loud. I am going to check out The Out-of-Sync Child and other resources to read more about external factors. If any readers can relate or would like to share their experiences-please do!

 

Sensory Spectacle Resources

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I am so thankful for Becky Lyddon, of Sensory Spectacle, for taking the time out of her busy schedule to be a guest blogger this weekend.

Sensory Spectacle is working to bring awareness to the Sensory Processing Difficulties community. Although based in the UK, they are providing information that spreads throughout the world.

If you missed this weekend’s 3 Part series from Becky, please click below for links:

Supporting a Sensory Lifestyle for People with SPD Part 1

Supporting a Sensory Lifestyle for People with SPD Part 2

Supporting a Sensory Lifestyle for People with SPD Part 3

Make sure to check out the Sensory Spectacle website and shop for more resources. Their presence on YouTube is so valuable for educating the public about sensory processing. I am thankful for having found the videos and being able to share them with family and friends. Click on the links below to follow Sensory Spectacle!

Sensory Spectacle Website

Sensory Spectacle Shop

Access and subscribe to the Sensory Spectacle YouTube channel

Follow Sensory Spectacle on Twitter

Follow Sensory Spectacle on Instagram

I’ll wrap up the series with this one video answering the question:

Why Do We Need to Provide Sensory Support?

Supporting a Sensory Lifestyle for People with SPD | Part 3 of 3

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Tips for Supporting Someone with SPD

It is important you understand what someone’s over-riding sensory needs is. This will be the sensory system which they are mainly ‘seeking’ or ‘avoiding’ in their day-to- day lives. Once you can recognize this you can be prepared to support them in all settings.

I suggest that parents and professionals are prepared with a ‘sensory sack’. This bag will contain a selection of items that will support a range of sensory needs (don’t forget needs may fluctuate and vary):

  • noise cancelling headphones, either in the ear or over the ear
  • sunglasses
  • cap with a peak
  • something which smells of that person (old tshirt)
  • a soft fidget like a small cushion
  • a rough fidget like a brush
  • a fidget which you fiddle with
  • a weighted beanbag
  • electric toothbrush
  • a massaging cushion

Most children and adults with SPD are already regulating themselves so try and notice how they are doing that and offer other strategies too. You can learn more about understanding these characteristics with our ‘Homelife’ video series on YouTube. Subscribe and share the videos for FREE!

SPD is currently not able to be diagnosed in the UK in it’s own right, it is only recognized with an Autism diagnosis. SPD affects many other people with additional needs too though, so please bear this in mind. 

An Occupational Therapist who is Sensory Integration trained will be able to offer support and advice for anyone who has SPD. If you would like to help your setting become more aware of sensory needs then why not download our ‘What is SPD’ sheet from our website.

Breaks from School, Snow Storms, the Flu, Oh My!

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‘J’ started Occupational Therapy (OT) in the beginning of February. However, due to winter break, our late season snow storms and his parents having the flu, there hasn’t been a great routine when it comes to OT.

We’re only a couple of weeks away from Spring Break. Hopefully after that we can get into a good groove. I’m happy he likes going. He’s comfortable with his therapist and has fun while he’s there. It makes it so much easier!

Last Monday we had our meeting with the School Board. He’s been approved for Speech and OT for the September-June ’18/’19 school year. I’m happy he’ll be continuing. The more help he can get at a young age, for his day to day experiences, the better!

Since the decision is made by the school district and is based on the school calendar, he will not have services over the summer. I go back and forth with how I feel about that decision. On one hand, I think it might be good for him to have a break and practice all the skills he’s learned. On the other hand, I don’t want him to regress from the progress he’s made. Starting OT later in the year, there may be a chance we could continue over the summer and luckily we’re close with our speech therapist so I’m sure we will see her in an unofficial capacity. I’m sure he would miss her too much if we didn’t!

Winter seems to be never ending this year. I can’t wait to get outside and play for the summer!

My First Sensory Bottle

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I’ve had my eye on sensory bottles for awhile now and finally got around to making one!

Sensory Bottles and Calm Down Jars are great ways for kids to learn and refocus their energy. Think back to liquid timers. They were all the rage at one point! This is the same idea. Not only can they be used for helping with speech (Ready, Set Go!), they can also be used to help calm a child that is feeling over excited by just turning the bottle back and forth.

Thanks to Pinterest, there are sooooooo many options. I plan to make more but with a letter obsessed child, I found the perfect place to start.

I followed instructions from therealisticmama.com. The only change I made was going with a plastic bottle (Core Organic Juice) instead of a VOSS bottle, since I was worried that ‘J’ would break it. I also used all the letters in ‘J’s’ name to make it a little more fun for him.

The pictures are from right after it was made which makes the bottle look a little more streaky. ‘J’ loves it and hopefully it can be used as a calming tool for him. I can’t wait to make some others!

Check out The Realistic Mama’s post about Calm Down Jars by clicking here!

Shoo Flu, Don’t Bother Me!

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It’s March and we’re about to encounter our third Nor’Easter in 10 days. After an overall mild winter, I don’t think we were expecting this. Another thing we weren’t expecting this late in the game was two cases of the flu!

This weekend my husband and I both got hit with it. We’ve never both been sick at the same time. I’m not sure how we’ve been able to avoid it but normally we cycle and take turns. After ‘J’ started with a cold early last week, my husband started with a similar cough and by Friday was feeling worse. I on the other hand was feeling great! Until 3PM on Friday when I felt like I was hit by a bus. After alternating trips to the Doctor we were both prescribed Tamiflu. Twice a day for 5 days and began the nap trade game.

It’s no fun being sick. BUT, it’s a lot easier being sick when your spouse is not. You know you can get some good rest and someone has the kids and house under control. When you’re both out for the count, it’s really not fun.

We did ok, trading sleeping, making sure we were eating soup, staying on top of Advil and Tylenol for fevers, washing hands and spraying Lysol. The kids were getting more screen time than usual, less mommy and daddy time then they’d like and quiet activities in between.

When I was pregnant with my second child, I felt horrible my first trimester. On top of it, I had incredible Mom guilt. I hated the days I wasn’t as with it, felt sick or so tired I couldn’t even keep my eyes open. My husband would always reassure me that ‘J’ was ok and I was still doing more than I gave myself credit for.

This mom guilt tends to creep up anytime I’m not feeling well. Of course I know I need to rest and do what I need to do in order to feel better and back to normal as soon as possible, but I feel so bad not being around as much in the meantime. Plus I had to reschedule OT and Speech for ‘J’ for today and I believe he’ll have yet another snow day tomorrow. There have been a lot of curveballs to his routine in the last couple of weeks. Hopefully things can return back to normal sooner rather than later.

We’re working on getting better and trying our best to keep them out of the line of fire. In the meantime, I hope Spring gets here ASAP!

Squishy Fidgets

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We’ve all heard of fidget spinners. It went from being a helpful aid for those with sensory disorders, autism and ADHD, to a hot holiday item that everyone wanted.

I never thought much of it, but in recent months I started to wonder if a fidget would be good for ‘J.’ I wasn’t sure where to start and didn’t feel like a spinner was the right answer for him.

I did some research here and there but never moved forward with the idea. About two weeks ago, ‘J’ started watching TV, reading books, etc. and I noticed his hands would be in his mouth pretty often. This was new and something I was keeping an eye on. I also noticed as he was playing play dough or some other toys he would be testing how it felt on his face. I wasn’t sure if he was requiring more sensory input or if something was bothering him. After talking with him and watching him more, I felt like at times he just needed to do something with his hands. I mentioned it to his Occupational Therapist on Monday and she suggested a fidget. During his session, she gave him a squishy fidget to play with. His hands never went in his mouth and he was excited to play with it. She said img_2017it’s something we could try and told me I could find them on Amazon. Easy enough! Amazon and I have a great relationship.

Right after OT, he has speech. I mentioned it to his speech therapist and she had a smaller fidget with her. She gave it to him to play with and mentioned it might help keep him still. Sometimes he gets…for lack of a better word…fidgety during his session. She also let him know that anytime he wants it, all he has to do is ask.

Now we our very own squishy fidget dinosaur (pictured here as he roars) and a few others to try out. I’m hoping this can be used for calming purposes when needed, gives him the sensory input he sometimes requires and of course for fun!

Click here to purchase the same squishy fidget toy for your family! 

Stand-up Comedian in the Making

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Having a child with an expressive speech delay taught me to appreciate vocal milestones so much more!

A little over a year ago, ‘J’ had no words. Now he’s turning into a stand up comedian!

If your kids are fans of PBS like mine are, than you’ve probably seen Sid the Science Kid. A segment of that show is called “Good Laughternoon,” which seems to have been inspired by Laugh-In’s Joke Wall. Sid and his friends tell jokes on the playground through shape windows on the jungle gym. ‘J’ has put his own spin on this by using the window of his playhouse to do the same.

It’s so fun to watch him come up with jokes and crack up while doing so. I’m loving the creativity.

It still amazes me to see how far he’s come and all that he has accomplished.

Curveball Week

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I’ve gone longer in between blog posts this week. But! I do have a couple coming up that I’m really excited about, so stay tuned!

It’s winter break for us which means no school and no services for J. It’s been weird to have a week off of everything. But then I had a curveball on Tuesday night. My dad went to the hospital.

Without going into too much detail, he’s been having some issues which resulted with him going to the ER. He’s still in the hospital having tests done and hopefully we can figure out the underlying issue.

Plenty of curveballs in life-some good, some bad. What else can we do but roll with the punches?