Many children with sensory needs have difficulty with regulating themselves in order to attend to instructional tasks. These children often appear to have high energy, are highly distracted, require much redirection. They often need support in order to help them get to a point of “stillness” or “readiness”. Visual stimulation can be used to help!!

Visual stimulation ( or input) can include changing lights, colors, moving in slow motion.

Auditory input can also be used to help, with intentional use of soft, melodious, repetitious sounds .

In the video above, these elements are included: colorful, slow moving imagery, with slow rythmic music .

Playing this or similar videos before sessions, or playing it in order to have your child reach an organized state of being to complete an upcoming structured fine motor or table top task, is highly recommended.

No need for so much verbal back and forth with the child, or immediately sending him or her to a “time out” if the child “won’t listen”. Instead, change the atmosphere, try playing a video that grabs their attention and sustains it enough to allow them to be able to hear you, and in turn, respond to you and what you want to present to them.

P.s. This video is also great in that it can be used as an OT activity in itself, with the use of the body awareness picture directives that are included in the video. They ( the picture directives) are self explanatory imagery (including, “touch your head”, “touch your shoulders”, “touch your toes” etc. that are among the colorful objects displayed)

*Great for children with both sensory regulation needs ,who are also non-verbal in communication, in enabling a sense of stillness or “readiness” for engagement .