Last year G’s therapist suggested that we try a sensory diet with her. A sensory diet is something often used in occupational therapy, a series of activities designed to give a child’s body the input it needs. You could also call it a self-regulation chart.
For G, who has ADHD, her sensory diet is designed to help her regain control of her body when she’s spiraling out of control- either emotionally or physically when she’s struggling to control her impulses.
Activities of the sensory diet are divided into three color categories- yellow, blue, and green. Yellow activities are gross motor activities, blue are designed to make the brain cross the mid-line, and green are deep breathing activities.
G able to choose and activity of each color and do them in sequence. The sequence is what helps G calm down- it’s the right order of sensory input that her body needs. We’ve found that doing these activities with G when she is starting to get very wiggly or is about to get out of control, is incredibly helpful for her.
In the beginning, when G was really struggling with her impulse and emotional control, we used the sensory diet several times a day. To be honest, I was amazed at how well it worked with her. Just going through the 3 activities in order changed her whole demeanor. I could see her body visibly relax and the relief in her face.
Now that we’ve learned other tools and have G’s ADHD and anxiety under better control, we use it less, though it is one of the best tools in our tool belt, especially in times of change.
One of my favorite things about this is how portable it is. Once G became familiar with the options, we were able to use our sensory diet outside the home- immensely helpful for a child who struggles with change.
Last Christmas my in-laws moved into a new house- one that is larger, with a new layout and new furniture. It threw our G for a loop, one that we did not expect. When we chatted with G’s therapist she suggested taking scheduled breaks with G to do her sensory diet activities every hour. They only take a few minutes and it gave her the regulation she needed to be able to enjoy her visit while she adjusted to the change.
The sensory diet that Mark and I created for G is available in the Elevator to Heaven Resource Library, free for newsletter subscribers. It’s also available on Teachers Pay Teachers .