Over the past eleven years, I have become a magician. Have you ever been to a magic show and stared in amazement at how one man can pull trick after trick out of a hat all in the blink of an eye? I guarantee that if you find a well trained parent of an child with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) trying to prevent a meltdown with their child you’ll be just as amazed at their talent.

About nine years ago, I was enrolled, unbeknownst to me, in an amazing class of building my bag of SPD tricks when our eleven-year-old son with SPD, Jackson, started Occupational Therapy (OT).  The first therapist we had wasn’t very adept at explaining what she was doing or why she was doing it. While I was in every session with him, I never really felt like I understood it. I searched for information on my own through books like The Out of Sync Child and The Out of Sync Child Has Fun by Carol Kranowitz. I attended various SPD conferences when they came to town and started digging deep on the Internet.  It felt overwhelming and was time consuming.  We felt like we weren’t making any progress with our Occupational Therapist (OT) and apparently she felt that way too, as she declared him “good” and we were dismissed.

For me one of the most frustrating parts of SPD has been that what works today while getting dressed, while helping him regulate, or getting him to eat, etc., will not necessarily work tomorrow.  Have you ever seen a tennis player getting ready to receive a serve? They bounce back and forth between their toes, racket ready, eyes focused. This is my life, the life of many SPD parents, and it can be exhausting.  As we walked the SPD road, we had tried many things we had learned through one channel or another. I used to toss them out by the roadside when they didn’t work one day.  Finally at one point I hit a level of complete frustration with Jackson regarding a clothing item.  Desperate when nothing new I had learned was helping, I resorted back to something that hadn’t worked in nearly six months. To my amazement, it worked again! It worked for a few weeks and then stopped, but needless to say it didn’t get tossed by the roadside this time but placed neatly in File 13 of my brain for a later date and time.

With this new realization that I was going to need a big filing cabinet in my brain, I looked at our OT sessions in a new way. It had quickly become apparent that Jackson should have never been dismissed from therapy.  Seeking a better option, we decided to travel from out of state to the STAR Institute Treatment Center for the Intensive Treatment Program. I was so excited to hear that we would be able to observe or participate in all of his therapy sessions from start to finish.  I felt like a hoarder of SPD tricks over the next three weeks. Our amazing OT at STAR Institute put up with my ten thousand questions of why, what, how, where do I find those things, etc. I walked away from each session feeling like for the first time I really understood Jackson and more importantly, was getting a good grip on how we could help him at home as a family.  We have a ton of tricks available now. Some of them collect layers of dust as they’re not used for a stretch of time, but we’re ready to dust them off at any time as their value stays the same.

As an SPD parent your bag of tricks contains everything from physical activities, positive reinforcement techniques, to fidgets and various sensory toys. Each one of us has a bag unique to our child. I encourage parents to reach out to each other, share what’s in your bag of tricks with others, you’ll be amazed at the creativity used to fill the bag.  Think of it as a swap and shop of ideas. I’m often laughed at while shopping with friends when I declare an item used for cooking would make an awesome sensory fidget item.  Look at the world with your SPD glasses on and you’ll be amazed at what you can find around you. Visit helpful websites like Pinterest or tap into your local parent group.  Most important of all, have fun filling your bag of tricks and involve your SPD child. When they’re familiar with what’s in your bag, virtual or physical, they’ll be more likely to use it.  Oh and while you’re out there, don’t forget to get yourself a magician’s hat, cape and wand. You deserve it! Check out these home activities!

If you are looking for SPD treatment for yourself or your child fill out a child or adult intake form now to be treated at STAR Institute Treatment Center or search our Treatment Directory to find services in your area.

Meggin has recently achieved a long term goal of founding a non-profit organization, Sensational Hope (www.sensationalhope.org), which provides community awareness about SPD in the Kansas City Metro Area. It connects families as well as assists children with SPD in the purchase of needed therapy equipment. Meggin resides in the Kansas City area with her husband of 15 years, Erich, her two sons, Bryce and Jackson, her two furry children (dogs) Chance and Sadie, two Rabbits (Max and Bailey), and last but not least, 10 fish.  Meggin is honored to blog for the STAR Institute and is looking forward to connecting with other SPD families.