Jamil's sensory diet

Sensory Diet

A sensory diet is a strategy that consists of a carefully planned practical program of specific sensory activities that is scheduled according to each child's individual needs. Like a diet designed to meet an individual's nutritional needs, a sensory diet consists of specific elements designed to meet the child's sensory integration needs. A sensory diet may aid in maintaining an appropriate level of arousal to stay focused and organized throughout the day.

• Have Jamil participate in a sensory break for 15-20 minutes every hour to hour and a half. Try to combine proprioceptive, vestibular and tactile input within these breaks. Ideally begin and end the break with a calming activity such as deep pressure squishes or swinging.
• Approximately halfway between the longer sensory breaks provide brief periods of input. Primarily focus on calming activities like joint compressions, deep pressure squishes, therapy ball bounces, jumping etc.

Below are a variety of activities for each sensory system.

Heavy Work/Proprioceptive Activities
*Heavy work activities are also useful for working on postural control and upper body strengthening.

1. Crashing into pillows or bean bag chairs
2. Bouncing on a therapy ball and crashing into pillows or bean bag chairs
3. Having a pillow fight
4. Chores (vacuuming, carrying/pushing laundry/groceries/ books, washing the table/windows)
5. Animal walks (crab walks, frog jumps, log rolls, commando crawls, bear walks, bunny hops)
6. Wheelbarrow walks either holding his feet or over a therapy ball
7. Tug-O-War
8. Making a fort and then sitting inside to block out sensory input
9. Rolling in a blanket and then squishing
10. Walking around the room with a heavy backpack of toys or carrying a heavy box
11. Lying on his stomach with blankets on top for pressure and doing a puzzle or coloring
12. Crawling through a fabric tunnel
13. Any pushing or pulling activities
14. Jumping on a trampoline, pillows, or a mattress (Provide deep pressure to his shoulders for added input or wear a weighted vest)
15. Climbing on playground equipment
16. Deep pressure message or joint compressions (apply pressure to each joint)
17. Squeezing a stress ball
18. Putting something weighted such as sand/rice in socks across his shoulders

Vestibular/Movement Activities
1. Walking/hopping up and down stairs
2. Riding a bike
3. Jumping an a mini trampoline and then crashing
4. Hippity-Hop
5. Roll down a hill or ramp
6. Spinning in an office chair
7. Sit and spin
8. Swinging on a swing
9. Spinning around with an adult
10. Bouncing up and down on a therapy ball
11. Doing forward rolls

*The best way to achieve a calming effect is to combine vestibular and proprioceptive activities. For example: Have Jamil bounce on a therapy ball or trampoline (vestibular input) while providing deep pressure to his shoulders or having him wear a weighted vest (heavy work/proprioceptive input).

Tactile Activities

1. Sand box (wet or dry)
2. Fill a storage container with rice or beans to play in
3. Shaving cream or foam soap- may paint onto his body and extremities in the bath or shower- use a paint brush for added texture.
4. Play-dough
5. Finger painting
6. Cooked spaghetti
7. Face painting
8. Use glitter glue
9. Rub different fabrics on skin
10. Put different textured fabrics into a tunnel and crawl through.
11. Use a loofah, body brush or washcloth all over his body in the bath or shower.
12. Roll up in a towel, blanket, or fabric of different textures.
13. Water play

Below is an example of a sensory diet.

* Remember all of the above suggested activities may or may not have the desired affect on your child depending on the child’s sensory system that day, the time of day, and the environment. It is essential to consult with an Occupational Therapist regularly and monitor how a particular activity is affecting your child’s arousal level, and adjust the activity accordingly.

















Sensory Diet
9:00- 10:00
• Participate in a sensory or structured activity such as music therapy, occupational therapy, gymnastics etc. On days that Jamil does not have anything planned take a longer sensory session and do an obstacle course or swing for a longer period of time than you would during the other sensory breaks.

11:00 – 11:20
• Swing in cuddle swing while crashing into a pillow, make sure to switch directions if possible for more intensity, spin, circles, linear etc. (10 minutes)
• Obstacle course – Crawl through tunnel filled with different textured blankets and towels, wheelbarrow walks across the room, run and crash into bean bag chairs, provide deep pressure squishes with pillows (10 minutes)

12:00
• Have Jamil lay on his tummy and roll the ball over his back for deep pressure input (2 minutes)

12:40 – 1:00
• Swing in a prone position while propelling self with arms (10 minutes). If he can’t stay in prone this whole time have him sit up and continue swinging
• Jumping on trampoline
• Have Jamil propel himself with his arms on a skateboard
• Play with play-doh at the table – provide intermittent deep pressure input to his hands to help him tolerate the input
• Deep pressure squishes in bean bags

1:40
• Provide deep pressure squishes and joint compressions (2 minutes)

2:30 -2:50
• Swing on platform swing ( 5 minutes)
• Lay on tummy over therapy ball and rock back and forth pushing off with hands
• Sit in bean or rice bin. Sprinkle media on his arms or legs and provide intermittent deep pressure input to his entire body while in the bin. (10 minutes)
• Bounce on therapy ball and crash into bean bag chairs. Provide frequent deep pressure squishes with bean bag chairs.

3:30
• Lay on tummy and complete a puzzle

This is just an example of a sensory diet. Make sure that you make the schedule work for you. Also, pay close attention to Jamil because he may be able to show you what he is needing at the time. For example, during one of his breaks he may just need to swing for the entire 20 minutes. Make sure that these sensory breaks are not overwhelming him. If he needs to skip and sensory break for some reason that is OK. Just try some things out for the next week and we can discuss what is working and not working. It will be a process and you may not see drastic changes immediately. Most important have fun with it and make sure that Jamil is having fun with it as well. The more motivated jamil is to participate, the more progress you will see.