How do you make letter learning fun with sensory kids?

Is your child a hands on sensory learner?  Are they just learning their letters or starting spelling and reading?  These sensory squishy letters and cards are a great way to make that learning fun!  

Tested with a new letter learner and a stating to read learner and both were able to learn and have fun with these.   The only con that we have found is we really need two sets, not because we have two students, but because some of the words they have on the cards to spell call out things with double letters.  

There are small cards with the word and pictures and there are the flat cards with just the letters to match the shapes of the letters.  They are also soft and squishy so they can also be used in a "bean bag" fashion if you lay out a big board on the floor to spell out words.  Many many possibilities await with these fun letters. 

*affiliate links below

Alphabet Letters Sensory Toys

 

Number Blocks - calming in our house

Since my little man was about 3 he fell in love the show Number Blocks.  Numbers are calming for him and he was learning along the way.  

This shows characters are based on the cubes we use to use in math class when I was in elementary school.  I will randomly hear my little man signing the songs around the house and he even used one to show his cousin how to draw the number 8 the other day.  The below activity set now brings number blocks into your home.  You have to do some set up with the stickers yourself, but it even gives you which episodes different activities are associated with. 

 

*affiliate link

MathLink Cubes Numberblocks

Learning while managing ADHD and ASD

 

Summer is not wall to wall learning, but learning should never stop.  So today we took letter beads and hid them in the sand and set up the construction fun.  We also hid some fun little figures and a spider to surprise the boys.  As they pulled the letters out they read them out loud.  They had a ton of fun digging around in the sand to find all the treasures.  

*affiliate links below

Construction Sensory Bin

Letter Beads Acrylic Alphabet Number Beads

Success in Road tripping

 Road trips ......do those two words bring you excitement or dread?  Mostly for my family and I it is excitement.  However we never know where on the trip our neuro spicyness will pop and we have to be prepared.   So for my husband and I this time I grabbed our old school CD binders and we played memory lane roulette - it was interesting to see how many of the same CDs we had from our younger years (we did not know each other in our teenage years). 

The older son got the whole back seat to himself and had his laptop, phone, and headphones with access to games, videos and music.  He also has a summer reading assignment that has to be completed and after some prodding finally used some of this dedicated time to almost finish it.  

The younger son had his tablet, a sticker book with scenes to put the stickers on, a look and find book as well as the Leapfrog headphones from the previous post.  

All was going well, but as we hit the 2 hours left to go mark there was a marked increase in the energy in the car - that can make for a very long 2 hours if it cannot be redirected.  Thankfully at the same time a request for a bathroom stop was made and a rest stop appeared fairly shortly after.   At which time the little one says I don't need to go, but I want to stretch my legs.  

What a win! He is starting to identify when he needs things to bring him back to calm.  So out we all got and thankfully it wasn't a super busy stop.  He ran from one end of the rest stop to the other and then he still needed just a bit more, and he found a hill.  Said hill was a great place to summersault down, run back up and do it all over again, about 3 times.  He then says I think I'd like to walk back to the car now.  

The rest of the trip was peaceful and enjoyable, just like the first half!  

What is the other thing we make sure to have on any trip and I recommend to all my other traveling families out there?  These wonderful Plastic portable storage caddy's, but you don't use them for them for storage.  You use them for anything food related.  You can easily load and pass around the vehicle.  The keep all containers in up right positions.  If you have little ones that you have to break food up for it keeps all the crumbs contained.  Then they dump and rinse out super easy.  They come on every color under the sun - though I highly recommend getting them in bright colors so they are quickly located in a vehicle that can be quickly over packed.  Even by teenage eyes, who often struggle to find "it" and it is two inches from their left hand (if you know you know).  I have linked these wonderful wonders below the pictures of the rest stuff fun.   I also relinked the Leapfrog headphones.  

*affiliate links

Portable Plastic Storage Caddy

Leapfrog kids Max Headphones

When the ADHD and the ASD fight for the same space - Proprioceptive

You Have Eight Sensory Systems

• Visual.
• Auditory.
• Olfactory (smell) System.
• Gustatory (taste) System.
• Tactile System.
• Tactile System (see above)
• Vestibular (sense of head movement in space) System.
• Proprioceptive (sensations from muscles and joints of body) System.

I'm specifically focusing on Proprioceptive "prop" today, well every day - because that is what my little man struggles with. After lots of observing after getting his system clean of all dyes we started really noticing this back and forth of crazy jumping around, climbing, wanting to wrestle/climb on people and then flip a switch he didn't want anyone near him, he didn't want to climb on the play set he would just want to walk laps around the play set. So these observations lead us down to narrowing down his sensory issues mostly being related to Prop.

However as we read more and more on Prop we noticed he oscillated between under-responder and over-responder. Some times this oscillation was happening over and over from minute to minute. So we would start one of the activities related to being in under-responder mode and it would seem to be having a calming effect and flip a switch it started to set him off and not be calming any more and he would need space away from everything.

Fast Forward a few weeks and we try an ADHD medicine again (verified dye free this time) extended release. Once the medicine is given through out the day the ADHD is managed and so we are watching what symptoms are still there from the ASD. We see a significant drop in the under-responder as the medicine kicks in and we see it coming back as the medicine wears off. We see a lot more of a need for space, alone time, less push-pull input needed during the medicine time.

So what are some things we have available to help with the under-responder? We have a big outside netted trampoline and an inside small trampoline. We have a rubber mallet and designated areas where mallet pounding can commence. We have a weighted medicine ball as well as hand weights with dedicated areas to use them. We also have an bounce back punching bag. I will put links down below to these things. When we are out and it is kicking in, what we have found works where ever we are is we have him with our help do the wheel barrow - he goes down on his hands and we hold his feet and then we walks forward on his hands. We speed up and slow down and got a little farther than he thinks he can go. This seems to help and can be done almost every where.

We do not have specifics for the over-responder. We do model healthy body boundaries and we do allow and respect when he doesn't want hugs. We have tried one vest and that did not work for him. We do have a weighted blanket, which he does like, but he doesn't seem to reach for it or appreciate it more when he is in this state.

This is still a very new journey for us and every day we are learning more. As we discover things I will continue to share, because I know as I was trying to look for this particular ADHD vs ASD fight in the same child I was not finding much information. Below the links for the exercise tools are another set of link to a great blogger that discusses all the sensory systems and gives particle ideas to try.

*affiliate links below

Big Trampoline

Inside Trampoline

Weighted Medicine Ball

Hand Weights

Inflatable Punching Bag for Kids

Rubber Mallet

Below comes from neurodivergent insights, check out also 8 forms of Proprioceptive input

Proprioception Under-Responder May:

• Struggle to know how much pressure to apply (make break pencils or use too much pressure when shaking someone’s hand)

• Enjoy jumping, bumping, and crashing into people and objects–sometimes lack awareness of safety and can be prone to accidents.

• Prefer rough play and constantly seem to be wrestling with siblings or other children.

• Tend to stand too close to others and touch them without permission.

• Crave pressure and bear hugs.

How to Support Proprioception Under-Responders

• Encourage safe climbing, jumping, and physical contact games/activities

• Provide ample hugs, deep pressure (back massages), physical contact, and play when desired

• Giving them push/pull/lift chores--chores that require them to move objects (bringing in groceries), do yard work, and more

• Consider incorporating a weighted blanket or weighted lap pad

• Encourage play that incorporates movement and activities that stimulate proprioception

Proprioception Over-Responders (Proprioceptive-Avoider)

Proprioception avoiders are highly sensitive to movement and outside input. They are easily overwhelmed by touch and movement.

Proprioception Over-Responders May:

• Avoid physical contact (hugs and other types of contact or pressure)

• Avoid physical play and appears timid around others

• Refuse to play around slides, swings, and other playground equipment

• Become anxious in crowded spaces or when standing close to others

Strategies for Proprioceptor Over-Responders:

• Advocate for healthy body boundaries from those around (and for parents—model healthy body boundaries and consent by asking for consent before touching/hugging)

• Talking them through movement and what to expect (children)

• Pressured clothing and weighted vests may help offset the distress of unexpected touch

Navigating AUDHD - new journey

 Wow, it has been a hot minute since I last posted!  To say life has been just a bit crazy is an under statement.  

My youngest along with ADHD impulsivity has just gotten diagnosed with ASD Level 2 .... simples terms the levels indicate what level of support is needed for the child, there are 3 levels.  I am not a doctor, psychologist, etc; just a mom new to this journey looking to and for support in this new level.  

If you are like us you are feeling lost! Because my son does not have any learning disabilities (he tests ahead), but he is behind socially there seems to be a lot less help.  When things get to be too much for him is outlit is physical.   So you can't just put him in a quite space and he will cool down - he quite literally has to bounce off he walls or hit things. Schools are not set up to handle this :( 

At this point we do not know what we will be doing for the school year that starts in a month and two weeks we are still exploring the different school options in our area that say they can handle this type of student.  Unfortunately that is a whole lot easier to say that to fully put into practice, because what calmed him down yesterday might not be what works today.   

What we have seen and have surmised right now is his ADHD and his Autism are in conflict with each other.    What would settle one condition down ramps the other up and vice versa.  So depending on which condition is "setting him off" is the tools you need to settle him down, but unfortunately there isn't a blinking sign above his head that says today is bought to you by my Autism please choose form A,B, or C things to help me.   And oh by the way if it is my ADHD and you pick A,B, or C expect it to get worse and take longer to pull me back.    

We know being in water, playing with water seems to help both - of course no traditional classroom/school happens in a pool!  

I know as he gets older this will even out because he will be able to tell us better what he is feeling, what is going on and if we try something he will be able to say it is making it worse not better.  Until that day we are living in grace and taking one day at a time. 

So as part of this process I have decided to also try some affiliate marketing to give input back on toys/tools we are trying. 

Today is sensory chews:

We love this random pack, because with the different options it meets different needs.  they cords have a break away so if it ever gets caught it just unclips and releases.  

Sensory chews

This we like, because it fills the push/pull sensory need - lots of tug of war, but also are safe to bite. Becareful if you step on them though, because they do roll a bit underfoot. 

Sensory chews3

This is a fun pack that I as mom like.  I will wear either the bracelet or necklace when we go out and then if I am out of one of the others or forgotten it I have this as a go to pull or chew.  I got this on a whim and it has turned out to be a great tool in my bag. 

Sensory chews2