Autistic children with sensory processing disorder benefit from a full sensory diet. A "sensory diet" includes activities throughout the day that stimulate a child's vestibular (balance) and proprioceptive (muscles and joints) systems, in addition to the usual five senses of sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing. Luckily, summer is an ideal time to explore all kinds of activities that activate all a child's senses.
Swimming
A fantastic full-body, low-impact activity, safe swimming stimulates all the senses. Learning to swim naturally hones the child's gross motor coordination, and sensing the water all around him can be heaven for kids who have trouble sensing their body's position. Learning to swim safely is important to drowning defense.
Be aware, though, that certain environments will be challenging for autistic kids. Public pools, for instance, may bombard the senses with sounds, smells, splashing, and some kids will find that very overwhelming. If possible, at least begin the swimming process in a more controlled environment. For local classes, check with the Capital Regional YMCA.
Gymnastics
Does your little guy or gal like to "crash and bang" a lot? They are probably a sensory seeker, and they will probably love gymnastics. In addition to honing those coordination skills, gymnastics provides the kind of high-impact that kids with proprioceptive dysfunction crave.
Make sure the teacher is aware that your child is on the spectrum, and find out if it would be possible for you to attend with him. The City of Tallahassee offers gymnastics for special needs kids ages kindergarten and above.
Sand and water play
Good old-fashioned mud pie-making can be a fantastic sensory activity for the tactile system. Sand boxes offer opportunities to filter sand, bury and find objects, and dig -- a great "heavy work" activity.
You can buy a special sandbox or water table or you can just turn on the water hose and offer your kids a shovel. Dirt is one of the cheapest and most effective sensory tools around -- if you don't mind cleaning up the mess. Empty squirt bottles, old kitchen spoons and other utensils, empty coffee cans that can be used as sand buckets will add to the fun.
More sensory fun
Other great summer activities include swinging, sprinklers, trampolines (carefully supervised), tug-of-war, gardening, and blowing bubbles -- just to name a few!
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