Helping parents of children with learning disabilities such as autism make each day a little more functional. Providing parents with useful information and product suggestions.
Self-stimulatory behavior or “stimming” as most refer to it, is the walking on the tiptoes, the flapping of the hands, or the repeating of words or phrases that we see most of our kids with autism doing. But what exactly is stimming and should you stop this behavior? Let’s find out.
Stimming is a self-regulating behavior that is very common with individuals with autism. This stimming behavior to others look like repetitive movements of one’s body or objects in the form of jumping, rocking, or even rearranging items. A child stims for many reasons; to reduce anxiety, to avoid activities, express frustration or excitement, but mainly to reduce sensory overload. I like to think of stimming as tuning out the noise of the world to find peace within yourself.
Children with sensory overload will display signs that will let you know that they are not regulated, even if they are not able to tell you themselves. These signs can consist of changes in mood to changes in muscle tone. You will notice constant fidgeting, restlessness, or that they can not stay focused on a…
With Christmas a few short weeks away, it’s natural that we all begin to make plans for the holiday. We’re getting out the tree and lights from the attic. We’re turning up the music to fill our homes with the joys of Christmas! But, as we make plans with the family, we forget that when…
When a child has a sensory processing disorder, their brains have a hard time receiving and responding to information from their senses. When this happens it usually results in the child receiving too much sensory input or not enough. Either way, this is not good for our children, and utilizing a sensory diet can help….
Self-stimulatory behavior or “stimming” as most refer to it, is walking on the tiptoes, the flapping of the hands, or the repeating of words or phrases that we see most of our kids with autism doing. But what exactly is stimming in autism and should you stop this behavior? Let’s find out. This post may…
Could your child’s handwriting skills use a bit of boost? If so, you’re in the right place! In this post, I’m going to list 10 easy things that you can start doing today that will help them to improve their handwriting skills! Oh, by the way, these are all favorites in my classroom! This post…
Today I’m going to show you how to make a visual schedule at home! I promise it’s super easy- maybe a bit time-consuming depending on how detailed you are, but EASY! This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn a small commission when you click on the links to purchase something at no…
The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) defines occupational therapy (OT) as “the therapeutic use of everyday life activities (occupations) with individuals or group to enhance or enable participation in roles, habits, and routines in the home, school,workplace, community, and other settings” (AOTA, 2011). Occupation is essential to the practice of occupational therapy (OT). What does “occupation”…
With school back in session, thinking of ways to increase focus in a virtual class is at the top of every parent’s list. I’m sure you have either seen or have a child that cannot stay focused for long. They are consistently bouncing up and out of their seat every chance they can get. Or…