Sensory Equipment at The Collett School Small Beanbags - Put in containers across the midline e.g. use right hand to put beanbag in left container. - Put on head and walk across room develop core strength. Rectangular Cotton Bean Bags Wobble boards - Stand on to develop core strength and muscles - The use of a wobble board can promote your proprioception, which is the system responsible for helping to maintain balance from external stimuli. It also aids with other areas in correlation to balance such as coordination, range of motion, and posture, just to name a few. - There are many reasons why a person s balance may be hindered and this can have negative effects for doing even the simplest of tasks. Walking or even standing can become very challenging and even painful. Practicing wobble board exercises on a regular basis can and will significantly improve your proprioception when done correctly. Thera bands - Stretched around a chair s legs so that the child can push on it while sitting in their chair. It can help a child who has to be moving much of the time. The child can push on it with their feet so that they are moving while sitting at their desk doing work. - Give children pressure to pull against - Can be put around the leg of chairs to kick against to give children the sense of space and where they belong.
Toys with flashing lights - Provide visual stimulation. - Can be alerting for children who need stimulating Rocking chair - Helps children who need vestibular movement. The movement is linear which means it s organising and calming for the child. The sensory shell chair encourages this movement. - Provides a sheltered space to relax and soothes with a gentle rocking motion. The Sensory Shell Chair s hood helps both children and adults with sensory processing disorders such as autism to make sense of their world by limiting environmental stimuli. - Children can choose whether to have the cover open or closed, depending on whether they want a contained or open environment. - The Ikea swivel chair is ideal if a child simply wants to reduce the environmental triggers that are causing possible anxiety, however the chair swivels which can be over stimulating for children with sensory processing difficulties. Sensory Shell Chair Wobble cushions - Is used to improve balance, strengthen core - Sitting on a wobble cushion encourages active/ dynamic sitting. The disc is placed directly onto the chair sat on, this provides a less stable sitting surface, which means that the body has to make continuous small movements to correct balance. These movements use and thus strengthen the deep core stability muscles which provide postural support to the body. Round Wobble Air Wobble Cushion
Chew toys - Children chewing on clothing such as sleeves or neck collars and other items is a very common sensory need of children with autism or sensory difficulties. Some children have more mild sensory chewing needs whilst others really can be serious biters biting through almost everything. Although chewing may help to relieve stress and be calming, it can be damaging at times. Yet there are many benefits from encouraging chewing with the right chew toy. - A chew can provide a great sensory filter. For children whom have issues filtering sights, sounds, touch, smells and even tastes, chewing can help filter these in a more productive way. -Chewing can actually help some individuals concentrate and focus. - Chews have a huge benefit for those who require an oral motor workout. Chew toys also provide a means of oral motor exploration and can even help food texture issues by introducing various textures. Calming Fidget Chews Fiddly toys - These can help focus children s attention during teaching activities as it keeps their hands busy - You can get ones that fit in pockets or on keyrings if the children want to be discrete about having one. Tangle Therapy Apparatus in playground and for PE - Hanging on monkey bars or rings provides good deep pressure sensory input - Climbing ladders - Balancing on moving or stationary beams.
Toys to blow on - Increase the overall awareness of their mouth - These can be very good for helping children develop their mouth movements that help them talking and form sounds correctly. - They can also provide visual and auditory sensory input. - Provides alerting stimulation for children who are under-aroused. -Providing a cool drink with a straw during a lesson will help encourage a child to stay alert and focused. -Water is the best fluid for the brain it clears out all the cobwebs, hydrates your thinking, and makes you feel alert and awake. A straw creates a sucking action the oldest way to calm and de-stress the body and brain. Light machines - Different light machines provide different effects on the walls. - These can alert children who need stimulating but can also be very calming. - Flickering and erratic lighting can be over stimulating for some children and you will need to be aware of children who suffer from epilepsy, as this kind of lighting will not be suitable. Tents in classrooms or corridors - Gives children are quiet space to retreat to - Can be a place to read or have low stimulation time.
Theraputty -Is used to improve fine motor skills. You could press small beads or coins into the putty, then ask a child to pick them out to improve their dexterity. Your therapy program may also include moulding theraputty into various objects to improve fine motor skills - A calming and tactile material - Tougher than playdough to manipulate and it doesn t go dry. Writing boards - Helps raise the writing surface for children who struggle with fine motor skills. A child sitting at a desk should be sitting with 3 points of a 90 degree angle: Feet planted flat on the ground, ankles at a 90 degree angle, knees bent at 90 degrees; sitting upright with the hips and torso at a 90 degree angle. When a child is slouching, using a slanted board at a 22 degree angle can assist with this positioning. Also remember if you child s feet are not touching the floor, use a stack of books or a step stool to help get their knees and feet at that 90 degree angle. Laptop support Big beanbags to sit on - Different space in the classroom to sit in - Can be very calming - Get the sensory input of the beans moving underneath them Weighted blankets Weighted blankets use deep pressure touch simulation (DPTS) to relax the body and make the child feel safe, guarded and secure, which calms their unease and helps their body relax. The weight of the blanket stimulates the receptors on your body which then activates the neurotransmitters in your brain to bring a sense of happiness to the child.. A quality weighted blanket is quilted, made of either cotton or fleece and weighs about 10% of the child s body. Using the proper blanket according to the size and the weight of the user will give the optimum calming results.
- Useful when children become over stimulated. - Can be lap blankets or big ones to lie under or wrap around shoulders. - They vary in weight Calvin The Caterpillar Shoulder Weight Small textured balls - Can throw these to develop gross motor skills as they are much harder to throw and catch - Can roll them over different parts of the body to feel the different sensations they provide. Koosh Ball Lycra tunnel - Crawl through it. - Adult pullsl against it - Gives proprioceptive feedback for where muscles are in space. Peanut or gym ball - Can sit on it develops core strength & gives movement for children who need to be on the go. - Can lie on the floor and have someone else roll it over back deep pressure sensory input all over the body. - Peanut gives a different sensation to gym ball. Fitness Body Balls
Range of visual toys - These can help children focus and calm - They can also help stimulate children Squeeze machine (body roller) - Deep pressure on top and bottom. - Can control the amount of pressure by varying where the bands are on the side Body Roller Trampoline - This provides the sensory input of movement that is controlled, often children who are becoming over excited find jumping very calming. -Controlled linear movements are encouraged to promote focus and calm - It can be a good turn taking activity. Ramp & Scooter - Children can pull themselves up on the ramp develops upper body strength. - Helps children develop an understanding of cause and effect -a good organising activity that encompasses heavy muscle work, proprioception, vestibular movement. * With tactile patches
Ear Defenders Ear defenders are often used to block out noise for people who are auditory sensitive. It is important to note you should only offer them if they are needed and wearing them too frequently can increase the issues around noise sensitivity. Body Sox Once inside, the stretchy material gently resists your movements encouraging experimentation. The resistant walls of the body sock provide a tactile means of self-referencing that improves body awareness, and assists in developing spatial awareness through balance and resistance