The holidays are here. Whether you've got family coming into town over the next month, or you will be the guest, here are some quick tips to make holidays fun for kids with SPD. Remember, there is a lot of new and exciting stimuli during the holidays and it can be overwhelming for individuals with sensory integration issues. We've got you covered with tips on shopping, holiday visitors and meals.

We often get questions on how to use IM with specific populations, how to work with the equipment and anything else that is causing our Providers headaches. Amy Vega, a fabulous SLP and our Clinical Education Director, is here to answer those questions from time to time. Today, she tackles an important question for parents and our OT and PT professionals: will IM training help alleviate toe-walking? 

Homework doesn't have to be a bad experience. Sure, children can lose motivation at times, especially after a long day at school. Wendy Harron, an awesome OT and IM Provider, is back with some tips to keep kids' on track and heading for success with homework. Check out her great tips on getting kids to stay still, stay focused and stay healthy.

We often get questions on how to use IM with specific populations, how to work with the equipment and anything else that is causing our Providers headaches. Amy Vega, a fabulous SLP and our Clinical Education Director, is here to answer those questions in a weekly series. This time she tackles a big one for Providers, how to work with autistic children who may be having comorbid sensory issues.

We often get questions on how to use IM with specific populations, how to work with the equipment and anything else that is causing our Providers headaches. Amy Vega, a fabulous SLP and our Clinical Education Director, is here to answer those questions in a weekly series. This time she tackles a big one for Providers, how to deal with SPD clients that require heavy "modulation."

We often get questions on how to use IM with specific populations, how to work with the equipment and anything else that is causing our Providers headaches. Amy Vega, a fabulous SLP and our Clinical Education Director, is here to answer those questions in a weekly series. This time we are covering the "itchy" sensation that some children get during IM training. We will cover the cause and how to help alleviate the problem.

Ever wondered why so many children have SPD co-morbidity? Research suggest that our understanding of SPD may be flawed. Check out this new blog from Amy Vega, an awesome SLP and IM's Clinical Education Director. She explains how controlling inhibition could help children overcome SPD.

As summer approaches, the world changes for a child with a sensory processing disorder. The type of clothing you wear, the temperature, the foods you eat, your daily schedule, where you play, the list could go on and on. These changes can put our sensory kiddo’s over the edge. But, there are things you can do to help!!

Sensory Challenges

A 9 year old girl with a diagnosis of hypotonia was referred for Interactive Metronome to help with strength and coordination. After working with her for one session, we began to discover some sensory issues that had not been addressed before that were impacting the development of her skills. Another therapist asked me if we should stop IM because we wouldn’t be able to handle her sensory issues during our sessions. I reassured her, that we’d be able to adapt the activities and work with her to help her sensory system.

Falling Apart at the Seams

A few weeks ago, I met an 8-year-old called Samantha who absolutely could not sit still unless it was in front of the computer and she was playing her chosen games. When she came to the Occupational Therapy Evaluation, she refused to do most tasks on the standardized testing, and could not sit for more than a minute before she was up and running around the room. Even with parental guidance, she continued to refuse to participate and was just falling apart at the seams. Her mother reported that this was what a typical school day was like for this child.

A few years ago, she had received a diagnosis of a Sensory Integration disorder, and had attended therapy. Then, when she started school, she was discharged with a good sensory diet, but family let it go by the wayside over time. As symptoms began to emerge again over time, they didn’t think about restarting sensory diet activities, and behavior got out of control in all of her environments. Because the family wanted to try to keep her calm, she got anything she asked for, was able to decide her own bed time, what she ate at every meal and what she got to do during her playtime – which was almost always sitting in front of the computer. Her...