Sensory Activities for Special Needs Children

Tactile Stimulation

• Children with vision loss often have heightened tactile sense, using their fingers to "see" their world. For this reason, many don't like getting sticky material on their hands and fingers. Use rice or beans for tactile stimulation, since they don't stick to the hands. Clay or other material that a child can mold into shapes provides tactile stimulation for children who don't mind the texture on their hands. A water table that includes a side for sand play and a side for water play offers two sources of tactile stimulation. Finger painting for a child who can tolerate the paints on his hands also provides tactile and sensory stimulation.

Visual Stimulation

• If a child has partial sight, use bright, contrasting colors for art projects. Pastels or colors that are too similar may blend into each other when he looks at them. Children with autism can become overstimulated if you have too many toys, ones that are too loud or colors that are too bright in the playroom. They may respond better to one toy at a time rather than an overabundance. Try not to visually overwhelm an autistic child. A play tent provides a safe and controlled environment for a child easily overwhelmed by outside stimuli. Textured balls in different colors supply both visual and tactile stimulation; some also play music, supplying auditory stimulation as well.

Auditory Stimulation

• Music is the class auditory stimulation, but bells, shakers, crinkling paper, rattles, pop-up toys and other objects that make sound can all serve as sources of auditory stimulation for special needs children. Whispering, altering the tone of your voice, clapping and stamping all provide auditory stimulation.

Brushing

• Although some children with autism avoid touch, techniques such as therapeutic brushing can help calm them and help them focus. Brushing involves moving a brush up and down the child limbs with a firm touch. Ask an occupational therapist to teach you this technique and show you the type of brush to use. Don't brush the head, neck or stomach. Brushing is repeated every few hours for maximum effectiveness. Don't use a light touch. Brushing can help keep your child calm during procedures he dislikes having done, such as nail-trimming or haircuts.

Movement

• Movement helps special needs children develop a sense of where their own bodies begin and end and promote balance, which many special needs children have problems with. Rocking to music, rolling on a therapy ball, swinging in a swing, dancing, riding on riding toys and jumping on trampolines all provide sensory input. Tunnels to crawl through develop coordination skills.