Sensory Adaptations

The sleeves of my sweatshirt are filled with bags of sand. Many children enjoy feeling the weight of the sleeves slung over their shoulders. You can also put a cushion inside the body of the sweater so that the person sits on it and can drape the sleeves over her or his lap. The young man in the video has a lot of anxiety and is always moving. He is calmer having the cushion to bounce his back against with the weighted sleeves over his legs. I tied the back of the sweater to his chair.

Source: Stretchy Cord Ring Stack for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities by RecyclingOT

Many of my clients engage better when I adapt activities to provide sensory stimulation. I found this wooden circle at work. It was part of some type of game and had holes along the perimeter. I tied stretchy cord to the holes and the other end to plastic shapes that I cut out of detergent bottles.  I attached the end of an electric toothbrush to a hole in the center of the board and covered the board with some fur that I found in a clothing bin at work.

Some individuals who typically don't use their hands at all were able to lift the rings off the center peg. The vibration helped alert some of the more lethargic clients and for others  it helped them to focus and be calmer.

The higher functioning individuals were able to press the on/off button on the toothbrush. They thought that was cool....