You may have heard of relaxation techniques to calm oneself by using soothing music or deep breathing. What about techniques to alert oneself when experiencing low energy? When addressing sensory strategies we often think of the sense of smell, sight, hearing, touch, and taste.  From a sensory integration perspective, we also have the vestibular (balance) and proprioceptive (body awareness) systems.  Based on personal responses and preferences, we can change or “regulate” the level of arousal through the use of these sensory systems. Some activities tend to be calming in nature and ..read more

Using Music to Improve Sensory Processing Music is frequently used as a therapeutic tool to calm or organize children. However, does music have the potential for sensory organization? In 2007, researchers Hall and Case-Smith conducted a study exploring the effects of sound-based intervention for those with sensory processing disorder. They found that children who used a sensory diet in conjunction with a therapeutic listening protocol had significant improvement in sensory processing. There was an average increase of 71 points in the Sensory Profile. Therefore, music has the potential to impro ..read more

It is our sense of vision that allows us to see and make sense of the words on this page.  However, our sense of vision may not always process information correctly, leaving us to feel disorganized, confused, and unsure of what we see. What if the way you processed the title of this article made the article title look like this?    UDNERTSADNGNI  SNEOSRY  PORECSSNIG  DSIROEDR Are you feeling somewhat confused? Disorganized? Unsure of what your eyes visually perceived. The feeling you get when you read the revised title is similar to that of a child who has di ..read more

Research has shown that children with Autism have difficulties with reading comprehension. It is difficult for them to answer literal comprehension questions such as “Where did the character go?, What did the character do?”. Not only is it difficult for children with ASD but also children with Developmental Language Delay (DLD) therefore as a Speech Language Pathologist it is important to have research-based strategies that help these children succeed.  In the research article “Effects of WH-Question Graphic Organizer on Reading Comprehension Skills of Students with Autism Spectrum Disord ..read more

The experiences with talking and listening gained during the preschool years prepare children to learn to read and write during the early elementary school years. This means that children who enter school with weaker verbal abilities are much more likely to experience difficulties learning literacy skills than those who do not (Roth, Paul, & Pierotti,  2006).    Role of phonological awareness One spoken language skill that is strongly connected to early reading and writing is phonological awareness, or, the recognition that words are made up of separate speech sounds. There ..read more

Choosing the right book to read with your child can be difficult. There are many options and how do we determine what is age-appropriate? Click here to see Scholastic’s Top 100 picks!  Are you concerned about your child’s literacy development? Contact us to find out how we can help you and your child ..read more

Every person explores, feels, and senses her environment differently.  For some people, playing soothing background music helps increase focus, while for others, all background noise is distracting.  A sensory diet is a personalized set of activities and environmental modifications embedded in daily routines which supports individuals to be successful in tasks and transitions.    What is a sensory diet? A sensory diet is a personalized set of activities and environmental modifications embedded in daily routines which supports individuals to be successful in tasks and t ..read more

The overarching goal of any therapeutic activity is for the child or adult to be able to use the targeted skill in any location with any person. Sometimes skills that are learned through therapeutic activities are only mastered in the environment in which they were learned and with the people in that environment. Generalization helps address this therapeutic problem. What is generalization? Generalization is also known as carryover. It is when you can apply something learned in a specific situation to other situations. There are a few ways to identify generalization. One example is when a chil ..read more

A communication disorder can impact a child’s ability to participate in activities and form relationships with others. These difficulties can impact a child’s psychological and social well-being. Wessells (2015) argued that children “are not passive victims but active makers of meaning who interpret adversity using lenses that practitioners need to understand.” Therefore, it is important to obtain the children’s perspectives on their experiences and the impact of their experiences on their well-being. Well-being was defined as “feeling good about one’s self, the absence of psychological distre ..read more

Sensory motor skills are the basic foundation for learning. All the activities and movements we did as infants, toddlers, and children help prepare our bodies and our brain to learn. These skills are essential to develop the ability to participate in classroom activities and affect academic achievements. What are sensory motor skills? Sensory and motor skills build on the foundation of our innate abilities. Sensory skills are those such as vision, hearing, touch, smell, taste, vestibular (for balance and head position in space), and proprioception (information from the muscles and joints). Th ..read more