Although the holiday season can be magical, joyful, and full of tradition, it can feel loud, overwhelming, unpredictable, and exhausting. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
On my latest Just My MomSense podcast episode, I talk more about why the holidays can be so overstimulating, how anxiety and sensory challenges feed into each other, and what we can do to help our kids (and ourselves) move through the season with more calm.
You can listen here or on your favorite podcasting platform!
Parenting doesn’t come with a manual, but I’ve found tools and resources that make the tough days a little smoother. Whether you’re navigating sensory processing challenges, school struggles, or just need a moment to breathe, these resources have been a lifesaver for our family.
Below, you’ll find links to other sites I’ve found helpful, as well as my Favorite Things page, podcast episodes, and items from my Etsy shop, all curated to bring practical support, calm, and comfort to your parenting journey.
Explore these resources to help you manage parenting stress, neurodivergent needs, and everyday challenges with confidence.
Sensory Spectacle YouTube Channel
These are a few of my Favorite Things
Embracing Neurodiversity with Dr. Matt Zakreski | Just My MomSense Podcast
Understanding How We Learn with Dr. Val | Just My MomSense Podcast
For the last few days I have been directing you to a variety of links to the Star Institute website. There are so many great resources out there and I need to to be showing them more love! For the final day of this series, I just want to direct you to the entire site. Check it out, look around and check out all of their amazing resources!
I couldn’t choose just one link to share from the Star Institute’s page of Resources, Tips & Downloadable Flyers! There are so many amazing resources, so I wanted to share them all!
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, although I have no affiliation to the Star Institute, I wanted to take some time to share some of their amazing resources. Be sure to click here to check out their website!
Today I wanted to direct to you to their podcast: Making Sense! Click here to learn more and listen to previous episodes!
I often get asked if ‘J’ will grow out of his sensory processing difficulties. This is not something kids grow out of since it is a part of them. However, the work he is doing now and will continue to do will hopefully give him the tools to help him better handle his daily routine in the future.
The STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) posted a great article: “How SPD Affects the Out-Of-Sync Adolescent’s Emotions” by Carol Kranowitz, author of The Out-of-Sync Child. Click here to read the article.
Are you wondering what Sensory Processing Disorder may look like in adults? Click here to read all about it on additudemag.com. Thanks to social media, I noticed this article by the STAR Institute’s tweet!
Although kids and adults are affected by SPD differently, gaining insight is always helpful. Knowledge is power.
Be sure to check out the STAR Institute’s website for more information about Sensory Processing Disorder.
April is Autism Awareness Month and yesterday, April 2, was Autism Awareness Day. Although ‘J’ is not autistic and Sensory Processing Disorder is not Autism, many with autism also have sensory processing difficulties.
The following was taken from the Star Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder:
Children whose Sensory Processing Disorder conforms to the under-responsivity subtype typically require a great deal of stimulation in order to become alert and active, a behavior often seen in children with autistic spectrum disorders. Meanwhile, other children with ASD have symptoms more similar to the over-responsive subtype of SPD. Because Autism and SPD both have over-responding and under-responding categories, Autims and SPD are sometimes mistaken for one another.
The relationship between SPD and Autism is an area of great interest to scientists and families living with the condition. Studies by the STAR Institute suggest that at least three-quarters of children with autistic spectrum disorders have significant symptoms of Sensory Processing Disorder, and probably more depending on how significant symptoms are defined.
However, the reverse is not true. Most children with SPD do not have an autistic spectrum disorder! Our research suggests that the two conditions are distinct disorders just as SPD and ADHD are different disorders.
Appropriate intervention relies upon accurate diagnosis. Pursuing an evaluation for SPD by a qualified occupational therapist with sensory integration training facilitates diagnosis that distinguishes autistic spectrum issues from sensory issues. This distinction increases the likelihood that your child will receive the appropriate treatment for his or her neurological conditions.
With further research into the relationship of SPD and autistic spectrum disorders, the STAR Institute hopes to facilitate better more appropriate intervention for all children who have either – or both – SPD and Autism.
In The Out-of-Sync Child, Carol Stock Kranowitz writes “One of the major deficits of the child is difficulty processing sensory information. SPD underlies the child’s problems with coordination and balance, visual discrimination, and the ability to comprehend gestures, facial expressions, and social cues. For children with NLD, sensory integration therapy very beneficial.”
There are so many great resources available to those affected by autism. Click here to learn more from Autism Speaks.
This is another question I’m often asked whenever someone learns that J is going to Occupational Therapy (OT).
As I mentioned in a previous post, J was wiped out after his first session of OT and definitely a bit off during his second. I felt that he was more sensitive, being triggered more easily and not listening as well as he normally does. I posed the question in some of the SPD Groups I joined on FaceBook. As I assumed, this is all normal. Other parents had experienced the same with their child in the beginning stages of OT, and some even continued as time went on. One mom shared her concern over her son being sensitive after his OT sessions. She has a cousin that is also an Occupational Therapist and reached out to her to see if this was a typical reaction. Her cousin assured her that it was perfectly normal. She explained that it may be a delayed reaction from being in an environment that felt good and organized his body. When going back to regular life, it kind of kicks the sensory system out of whack. She recommended discussing strategies with his therapist for the transition. I will be taking this advice as well.
Ok, but what does OT actually do to help with sensory integration? The following was taken directly from the STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder’s website:
Occupational therapy with a sensory integration approach typically takes place in a sensory-rich environment sometimes called the “OT gym.” During OT sessions, the therapist guides the child through fun activities that are subtly structured so the child is constantly challenged, but always successful.
The goal of Occupational Therapy is to foster appropriate responses to sensation in an active, meaningful, and fun way so the child is able to behave in a more functional manner. Over time, the appropriate responses generalize to the environment beyond the clinic including home, school, and the larger community. Effective occupational therapy thus enables children with SPD to take part in the normal activities of childhood, such as playing with friends, enjoying school, eating, dressing, and sleeping.
We’re still in the beginning stages of OT. It will take a lot of work and I look forward to coming up with the right sensory diet for J. This will help prevent or help us better deal with triggers. Like I said before, hard work pays off!
A question I get asked a lot! Not an easy one to answer since it’s different for everyone.
The STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder is a great resource. Here is their umbrella definition:
“Sensory processing (originally called “sensory integration dysfunction” or SID) refers to the way the nervous system receives messages from the senses and turns them into appropriate motor and behavioral responses. Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), exists when sensory signals are either not detected or don’t get organized into appropriate responses. Pioneering occupational therapist, educational psychologist, and neuroscientist A. Jean Ayres, PhD, likened SPD to a neurological “traffic jam” that prevents certain parts of the brain from receiving the information needed to interpret sensory information correctly. A person with SPD finds it difficult to process and act upon information received through the senses, which creates challenges in performing countless everyday tasks.”
They also mention that “symptoms of Sensory Processing Disorder, like those of most disorders, occur within a broad spectrum of severity.”
That last line goes back to what I mentioned in the beginning. Due to that broad spectrum, this can be different for everyone. It’s helpful that I started reading “The Out-Of-Sync Child.” There are many sub-categories of Sensory Processing Disorder that the book gets into. Within those sub-categories there are descriptions as to how a child may react if they are considered overresponsive, underresponsive or sensory-craving. Children can fit into one of these boxes or maybe a variety within the subcategories As I continue to read “The Out-of-Sync Child,” I’ll be sure to share what I learn and how my personal experience relates to that information.
I can’t even fully explain what exactly it is for ‘J.’ I can say he seems to relate to that of a sensory-craving child but there are definitely moments where he is overresponsive. I’m understanding more about him as I read and learn. I know what triggers him and what doesn’t. I’m also still surprised by what does and doesn’t trigger him. I don’t think I’ll ever stop learning or have a full grasp on it, but it will become more clear one as time goes on. I look forward to having more tools to help him through his sensory meltdowns so they don’t ruin a portion of or sometimes his whole day. I look forward to being able to better help him handle situations that give him anxiety. None of us like experiencing the unexpected. It’s scary, unnerving and stressful. For ‘J’ it’s that times a thousand. We do a lot of prep during the day. We discuss what we’re going to do, who we’re going to see and as any changes arise, we talk those through as well. Once we work with our Occupational Therapist and do the homework I’m certain we’ll have, I know he will be able to organize his thoughts and feelings so much better.
I mean he’s super smart…yeah I know every parent says that…but seriously…he’s insanely smart. Which could be an additional factor as to what’s going on. But that’s a blog for another time.
Links to a Few Resources
The Out-of-Sync Child by Carol Stock Kranowitz
What Is Sensory Processing Disorder? A video posted by MichaelGrass House on YouTube
When Kids Don’t Act Like They’re Supposed To (Understanding Sensory Processing In Kids) A video posted by Your Kid’s Table on YouTube
Just My MomSense 