Summer time is always fun and sometimes challenging for kids with sensory processing difficulties.  As the school year comes to an end, all children get summer fever and become anxious to get out of school.  The school schedule begins to change, the structure they are so use to starts to unravel under their feet and parents are working hard to figure out how to set up their entire summer schedule in order to keep the peace, for the child and the entire family!

Consistency is always the key! Try to keep your schedule as consistent as possible for whose kids who thrive on structure and have a hard time with change. They may respond in different ways to these changes, as some children may become disorganized, others become distressed and try to keep everyone on track with following routines and rules, and others may become silly and or inattentive and the excitement of change and summer gets the best of them. Because kids with sensory processing difficulties are sensitive kids in general, you will often see them respond like their peers, but their actions usually stand out more than others, as they can take these changes and react in a more extreme way.

I have put together some tips for planning vacations, as it can be a great time for all, when you get the chance to go on a family vacation, but as you parents well know, it’s not going to be so great when your child can’t handle the events to come!

Preparing for a vacation:

If you are working with a sensory therapist it would be very helpful to ask them what tips they have for you to plan for a specific vacation, as they know the in’s and out’s of your child’s sensory difficulties.

-You may want to come up with a child-friendly itinerary to help alleviate the stress of the unknown.

-Think about your child’s sensory aversions and ways to avoid or minimize them in advance (especially with travel, or sleeping in a different place)

-Think about your child’s sensory preferences and how you can make sure to get the most sensory input into your child’s day, to make sure they feel good, which results in everyone else having a good day (physical activity, spinning, going to a park, rough housing, massage, chewy foods, quiet time, do you need to pack certain toys/a favorite blanket, oral calmers, fidgets, squeeze toys, playdough, or a Wilbarger protocol brush for calming?).

- Think about the foods your child will be around and what type of foods may affect your child’s behavior in a negative way, and plan to have your own food accommodations in advance… (health food store nearby, packing basic foods, finding a place to cook if needed)

Once you are on vacation:

-Try to keep their sleeping and eating schedule the same

-Plan for sensory breaks built in throughout the day (to prevent over-stimulation or over-tiredness)

-Plan to incorporate sensory and self-regulation activities into your daily routines (have opportunities for movement, quiet time, a change of clothes, chewing objects, etc…to prevent meltdowns based on what makes your child’s nervous system stressed)

-Refer to your schedule each day, or more often if needed to help keep your child feeling organized and in control

-Make sure you have your child’s special food/drinks, toys, and any special devices recommended for sensory alerting or calming each day when you leave for an outing.

In general, plan to be flexible and don’t sweat the small stuff! Your attitude and stress level will set the tone for your trip.  Work to be calm and organized before and during your trip so you can be an effective parent for your sensory sensitive child. So, be in the right mind set to have a great vacation and you will!

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We have Lisa Beaury back from our last episode, to share some more wonderful information with us.  Today she is going to talk to us about: common symptoms that are seen in children who have been (usually unknowingly) exposed to high levels of toxins compared to what their body can handle; the biggest known causes of AD/HD, mood disorders and sensory disorders from an alternative health provider’s prospective; common treatment plans provided to help children to act and feel better; and other general health recommendations that we can all learn from.  She did a phenomenal job of explaining the alternative tests and assessments they offer at their office in Orlando, Florida, as well as all the non-invasive testing that can be done for everyone, including our sensory kids that may behave a little less than perfect at times!

Please refer back to the previous episode if you haven’t listened to it yet, or at least read the blog, to know more about Healing Alternatives before listening to this episode, as so many children with sensory processing difficulties have, and do consistently respond very well to their services.

These are the highlights from this episode:

1. Common Symptoms expected to be seen in children when they have been exposed to an excessive amount of toxins:

Weakness, unsteadiness, vision disorders, tactile disorders (i.e.- aversion to certain types of clothing or food), auditory disorders, sleep disturbances, excitability, depression, irritability, restlessness, speech impairments, and learning impairments- just to name a few!

2. The biggest suspected causes of SPD, ADD, AD/HD, or mood disorders from an alternative health care perspective:

Poor diet (SAD stands for the standard American diet which consists of processed foods, white sugar and white flour), food sensitivities/allergies, nutritional deficiencies, family stress (which is a huge burden on the nervous system), and toxins found in babies fat at birth.

3. The most common recommendations given to families with children in order to help improve their overall health and functioning:

First look at food allergies and get these children off of gluten and casein-based foods (basically wheat and dairy products).  These foods are considered inflammatory foods and can cause a whole host of problems.

Try to buy organic foods, especially organic milk, eggs and meat as well as porous fruits and vegetables that absorb the pesticides that are sprayed on them (i.e.- strawberries, blueberries, etc…).  This will help reduce your child’s exposure to pesticides and his or her overall toxin load (as the bigger the burden, the more the body will break down and show symptoms of dysfunction).

Soy and corn products are not so good as they are genetically modified foods in this country.  Please read about genetically modified food if this is a new term for you- you will be amazed!

Try to avoid or eliminate sugars both natural and artificial, fruit juices, refined carbohydrates such as pastries, French fries, sweetened cereals, “healthy” waters that contain sugar, high fructose corn syrup and/or food coloring.

4. Helpful websites offered by Lisa for parents out there who are struggling to find answers and help for their kids:

Hamster Study – Genetically Modified Foods:  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/05/22/jeffrey-smith-interview-april-24.aspx

Environmental Working Group: Children’s Health – http://www.ewg.org/childrenshealth

Is Organic Food Worth The Price? – http://www.oprah.com/food/Food-Writer-Nina-Planck-Gives-O-the-Lowdown-on-Organic-Food/1

Fighting Toxic Exposures in Your Home – http://www.oprah.com/world/How-to-Fight-Toxic-Exposure-and-Keep-Chemicals-Out-of-Your-Home-Simran-Sethi

Homemade Veggie Cleaner Spray:  1 cup water, 1  cup distilled white vinegar, 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 20 drops of grapefruit seed extract.   (Recipe: Sophie Uliano)

CNN Study – Pesticides Linked to ADHD – http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/05/17/pesticides.adhd/index.html

5. Additional helpful tips:

Find parent blogs online for support from parents going through these difficulties first hand.

Keep in mind that working on improving your child’s overall health and decreasing his or her symptoms of dysfunction takes time! It’s like peeling the layers of an onion, and everyone is different.

Thank you so much again Lisa for sharing your time and knowledge!  I know this will be a great resource for parents everywhere, for many years to come.  We are continually finding out more information about how to improve our children’s health, so parents out there, please stay connected with these great resources, continue to do your research and continue to keep an open mind, as I find the parents who are willing to step out of their comfort zone and try some of these alternative health approaches are yet to be disappointed!

If you would like to contact Healing Alternatives directly you can find them on-line at www.healingalternativesinc.com call them @ 407-682-7111 or email Lisa directly at: lisa.halternatives@gmail.com

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Today I had the privilege of interviewing Lisa Beaury, a holistic clinician from Healing Alternatives in Orlando, FL.

Healing Alternatives is a holistic wellness clinic that focuses on treating the entire person – mind, body and spirit.  They treat patients of every age and walk of life, by looking for the root cause of their ailments and healing from those causes, not from symptoms.

Dr. Donna Johnston, D.O.M. has 20 years of experience in natural medicine.  Not only is she a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, but she is a Doctor of Naturopathy, she has also achieved the status of Master Herbalist and Certified Natural Health Professional. She is further certified in Homeopathy, Iridology, Kinesiology, Nutrition, Reiki, Yoga, Biological Terrain and Metabolic Balancing for Allergy Elimination.

Her clinician who is with us today works with and supports her on a daily basis with all patients.  Lisa works with applied kinesiology, as well as all bioenergetic feedback modalities, and energy clearings.  She answers client questions and sees patients for appointments when Donna is not available.

There is also a new Acupuncture Physician, Tara Reed who will be starting with them soon and will focus on Traditional Chinese Medicine and Herbs, as well as Acupuncture.  She will be a great addition to their dynamic team!

Lisa started off by talking about how common it is to see children now days needing alternative types of health services to treat attention, sensory and/or behavioral difficulties.  She stated that it’s much more common now than 10-15 years ago.  Their clinic is set up to see people of all ages, but they are getting calls at least once a week from parents concerned about their children having ADD, ADHD, sensory-based concerns, etc…  These parents express how they have been through the wringer trying to figure out ways to help their children after a number of unsuccessful attempts and a whole lot of frustration.

She stated that usually by the time a family brings their child in for an evaluation they are happy but frustrated and often feeling nervous about trying a new testing or treatment approach.  After the team at Holistic Options spends a good hour with them reviewing their background, the parents usually feel well understood, less stressed, and then they become curious of what can be done to help their child.

As far as their testing procedures, I had Lisa explain to us how their office determines a child’s underlying problems when they come in for initial testing.  This is something I try to explain concisely to many parents that have children with sensory processing difficulties, food sensitivities, allergies and suspected neurotransmitter imbalances to name a few.  Lisa was able to break this down for us with very good explanations (of course)!

They always start their testing by looking for “root causes” of the symptoms reported by the parents.  They have explanations of their tests on their website at  http://www.healingalternativesinc.com/ if you look under their “services” tab.  They mainly use applied kinesiology techniques and a computerized electrodermal screening machine called the LSA Pro by Zyto.  These are fascinating testing approaches that are highly sensitive and able to pick up subtle changes in the body to give the clinician information on how the body needs to best be balanced.  I highly recommend you listen to this episode to hear the great ways that Lisa explains this technology in an understandable way.  The LSA Pro machine has 40,000 different test items in its database with the ability to assess the health of each organ and every gland in the body as well as detecting specific viruses, mineral imbalances, neurotransmitter imbalances, foreign chemicals in the body (such as plastics and pesticides), parasites (as well as identifying the type), molds, mycotoxins and even electromagnetic fields that affect our bodies in negative ways.

If you are concerned about your child being able to sit still and cooperate, rest assured, they have several tricks up their sleeve to help ease you and your child.  They have toys, Legos, crayons, etc… available to distract your child, and often one of them will work gently to distract your child while the other one does the testing, so the parent can be freed up from trying to get their child to behave and feel a lot less stressed.  This allows the parent to think more clearly, be able to share information and ask all the important questions they came with and have along the way.

Once Lisa and Dr. Johnston have identified the keys areas to address within each child’s body, they find specific supplements from their natural pharmacy of over 1,800 products to complement and balance that child.  They are very creative and realistic when it comes to finding ways to get children to take certain products, vitamins or supplements, and can disguise many products into a tasteless liquid form to put in their mouth or to be blended into good-tasting drinks or shakes.

Lisa has agreed to return for our next episode, to talk to us about: common symptoms that are seen in children who have been (usually unknowingly) exposed to high levels of toxins compared to what their body can handle; the biggest known causes of AD/HD, mood disorders and sensory disorders from an alternative health provider’s prospective; common treatment plans provided to help children to act and feel better; and other general health recommendations that we can all learn from.

Thank you so much Lisa for your time and expertise!  We look forward to more great information!

If you would like to contact Healing Alternatives directly you can find them on-line at www.healingalternativesinc.com call them @ 407-682-7111 or email Lisa directly at: lisa.halternatives@gmail.com

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Hyperactivity is so common among the children of our current generation. It’s even more common in children who have sensory processing difficulties. My take on it is that children with sensory processing difficulties are children who are sensitive in general, so naturally their brain chemistry is going to be more reactive to imbalances that more mature brains would be able to handle. These sensitive brains are not just related to children, as many adults have sensitivities that can cause other problems such as migraines, seizures, etc… Today I am just talking about our sensory kids though!

SUGAR is a stimulant, and is therefore a huge contributor to the hyperactivity we see in many children. Sugar is fast-acting, so most parents and caretakers should know in general if their children do well when they eat cake, cookies and sugary drinks.

CAFFEINE is also a stimulant and it works in the same general fashion as sugar. We usually think of coffee and soft drinks when we think of caffeine, but for children I usually suspect chocolate first, and soft drinks second.  Some children eat chocolate candy and parents report this when asked, but they often forget their child drinks chocolate milk every day for a certain meal, because they think of it more as “milk” versus “chocolate”.

FOOD DYES & PRESERVATIVES are often culprits for causing hyperactivity as well, as these are foreign chemicals we put in our bodies.  Our brains are like computers and they have a system for identifying foods and knowing what to do with them, but when we add these chemicals to our bodies, our brains can get confused and not know what to do with them.  They are also fast-acting like sugar and caffeine, so these foods are easier for parents to identify as problems once they start reading the labels of everything they give their children.  Red dye #40 is the most common food dye that is linked to hyperactivity.  Parents have reported that juices, soft drinks, gummy fruit snacks and candy with red coloring cause problems over the same foods that are of different colors.  There are no set rules for what may be causing reactions in your child though, so you have to take this general information and start your own food dairy and food investigation!  One child may be sensitive to red food dye and others may be reactive to blue or yellow dyes.  Preservatives are hidden in many foods that are found along the shelves in grocery stores.  The best ways to avoid preservatives are to buy: organic foods, foods for which the ingredient list is short and every ingredient is known as a common food (and easy to pronounce), and foods that are found along the perimeter of the grocery store.

MILK AND DAIRY PRODUCTS are also common contributors to hyperactivity in children.  This correlation is a lot tougher for parents to figure out on their own because dairy products don’t usually cause immediate behavioral reactions.  They slowly affect the digestive system and bog it down, causing imbalances in the body.  The good news is that if you are interested in seeing if dairy products are a culprit linked to your child’s behaviors, you only need to do a dairy elimination diet for 2 weeks- which is how long it takes for all dairy to completely leave the body.  If your child’s behaviors don’t change in this time, then you will know it’s at least not a huge and obvious food that affects your child.

I highly recommend you seek professional guidance from a doctor, nutritionist or trusted healthcare provider to figure out the in’s and out’s of your own child.  You can use this information as a general guide to get moving in the right direction and then find a doctor who has researched the effects of food on children and hyperactivity, so you can get your child’s brain running to be the best it can be!

I sighted some research on this podcast episode if you would like more information, but you can also do an internet search and find a lot of articles now on these topics.  I hope this information has been helpful to you.  Please feel free to post any comments or questions and I will do my best to answer them or guide you to the right professional.  Good Luck!

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Many children receive speech and language therapy services to support their sensory, learning or developmental needs at a young age.  This week I am going to review the speech milestones for you, ranging from infancy to 5 years of age.  This information is taken directly from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s brochure called “How Does Your Child Hear and Talk?”.  The reference information below is directly from their website, and it includes great sections under each age range about what you can do to help your child succeed in each age range.  To find this information, or more information on Speech services for people of all ages and abilities, I encourage you to go to their website at: www.asha.org.  Enjoy!

How Does Your Child Hear and Talk?

The development of communication skills begins in infancy, before the emergence of the first word. Any speech or language problem is likely to have a significant effect on the child’s social and academic skills and behavior. The earlier a child’s speech and language problems are identified and treated, the less likely it is that problems will persist or get worse. Early speech and language intervention can help children be more successful with reading, writing, schoolwork, and interpersonal relationships.

Birth to One Year

What can I do to help?

Check your child’s ability to hear, and pay attention to ear problems and infections, especially when they keep occurring.

Reinforce your baby’s communication attempts by looking at him or her, speaking, and imitating his or her vocalizations.

Repeat his or her laughter and facial expressions.

Teach your baby to imitate actions, such as peekaboo, clapping, blowing kisses, pat-a-cake, itsy bitsy spider, and waving bye-bye. These games teach turn taking that is needed for conversation.

Talk while you are doing things, such as dressing, bathing, and feeding (e.g., “Mommy is washing Sam’s hair”; “Sam is eating carrots”; “Oh, these carrots are good!”).

Talk about where you are going, what you will do once you get there, and who and what you’ll see (e.g., “Sam is going to Grandma’s house. Grandma has a dog. Sam will pet the dog.”).

Talk about colors (e.g., “Sam’s hat is red”).

Practice counting. Count toes and fingers.

Count steps as you go up and down them.

Teach animal sounds (e.g., “A cow says ‘moo’”).

One to Two Years

What can I do to help?

Talk while doing things and going places. When taking a walk in the stroller, for example, point to familiar objects (e.g., cars, trees, and birds) and say their names. “I see a dog. The dog says ‘woof.’ This is a big dog. This dog is brown.”

Use simple but grammatical speech that is easy for your child to imitate.

Take a sound walk around your house or in the baby’s room. Introduce him/her to Timmy Clock, who says “t-t-t-t.” Listen to the clock as it ticks. Find Mad Kitty Cat who bites her lif and says “f-f-f-f” or Vinnie Airplane who bites his lip, turns his voice motor on and says “v-v-v-v.” These sounds will be old friends when your child is introduced to phonics in preschool and kindergarten.

Make bath time “sound playtime” as well. You are eye-level with your child. Play with Peter Tugboat, who says “p-p-p-p.” Let your child feel the air of sounds as you make them. Blow bubbles and make the sound “b-b-b-b.” Feel the motor in your throat on this sound. Engines on toys can make a wonderful “rrr-rrr-rrr” sound.

Expand on words. For example, if your child says “car,” you respond by saying, “You’re right! That is a big red car.”

Continue to find time to read to your child every day. Try to find books with large pictures and one or two words or a simple phrase or sentence on each page. When reading to your child, take time to name and describe the pictures on each page.

Have your child point to pictures that you name.

Ask your child to name pictures. He or she may not respond to your naming requests at first. Just name the pictures for him or her. One day, he or she will surprise you by coming out with the picture’s name.

Two to Three Years

What can I do to help?

Use clear, simple speech that is easy to imitate.

Show your child that you are interested in what he or she says to you by repeating what he or she has said and expanding on it. For example, if your child says, “pretty flower,” you can respond by saying, “Yes, that is a pretty flower. The flower is bright red. It smells good too. Does Sam want to smell the flower?”

Let your child know that what she or he has to say is important to you by asking him or her to repeat things that you do not completely understand. For example, “I know you want a block. Tell me again which block you want.”

Expand on your child’s vocabulary. Introduce new vocabulary through reading books that have a simple sentence on each page.

Name objects and describe the picture on each page of the book. State synonyms for familiar words (e.g., mommy, woman, lady, grown-up, adult) and use this new vocabulary in sentences to help your child learn it in context.

Put objects into a bucket and have your child remove one object at a time, saying its name. You repeat what your child says and expand upon it: “That is a comb. Sam combs his hair.” Take the objects from the bucket and help your child group them into categories (e.g., clothes, food, drawing tools).

Cut out pictures from old magazines and make a scrapbook of familiar things. Help your child glue the pictures into the scrapbook. Practice naming the pictures, using gestures and speech to show how you use the items.

Look at family photos and name the people. Use simple phrases/sentences to describe what is happening in the pictures (e.g., “Sam swims in the pool”).

Write simple appropriate phrases under the pictures. For example, “I can swim,” or “Happy birthday to Daddy.” Your child will begin to understand that reading is oral language in print.

Ask your child questions that require a choice, rather than simply a “yes” or “no” answer. For example, rather than asking, “Do you want milk? Do you want water?”, ask, “Would you like a glass of milk or water?” Be sure to wait for the answer, and reinforce successful communication: “Thank you for telling mommy what you want. Mommy will get you a glass of milk.”

Continue to sing songs, play finger games (“Where is Thumbkin?”), and tell nursery rhymes (“Hickory Dickory Dock”). These songs and games introduce your child to the rhythm and sounds of language.

Strengthen your child’s language comprehension skills by playing the yes-no game: “Are you a boy?” “Is that a zebra?” “Is your name Joey?”

Three to Four Years

What can I do to help?

Cut out pictures from old catalogs. Then make silly pictures by gluing parts of different pictures together in an improbable way. For example, glue a picture of a dog to the inside of a car as if the dog is driving. Help your child explain what is silly about the picture.

Sort pictures and items into categories, but increase the challenge by asking your child to point out the item that does not belong in a category. For example, a baby does not belong with a dog, cat and mouse. Tell your child that you agree with his or her answer because a baby is not an animal.

Expand vocabulary and the length of your child’ s utterances by reading, singing, talking about what you are doing and where you are going, and saying rhymes.

Read books that have a simple plot, and talk about the story line with your child. Help your child to retell the story or act it out with props and dress-up clothes. Tell him or her your favorite part of the story and ask for his or her favorite part.

Look at family pictures, and have your child explain what is happening in each one.

Work on comprehension skills by asking your child questions. Have him or her try to fool you with his or her own questions. Make this game playful by pretending that you have been fooled by some of his or her really hard questions.

Expand on social communication and storytelling skills by “acting out” typical scenarios (e.g., cooking food, going to sleep, or going to the doctor) with a dollhouse and its props. Do the same type of role-playing activity when playing dress-up. As always, ask your child to repeat what he or she has said if you do not understand it completely. This shows that what he or she says is important to you.

Four to Five Years

What can I do to help?

Talk about spatial relationships (first, middle, and last; right and left) and opposites (up and down, big and little).

Offer a description or clues and have your child identify what you are describing.

Work on forming and explaining categories (fruits, furniture, shapes).

Follow your child’s directions as she or he explains how to do something.

Give full attention to your child when he or she is speaking, and acknowledge, praise, and encourage him or her afterward. Before you speak to your child, be sure to get his or her undivided attention. Pause after speaking, allowing him or her to respond to what you have said.

Build on your child’ s vocabulary. Provide definitions for new words, and use them in context: “This vehicle is riding on the highway. It is a car. A bus is another kind of vehicle. So are a train and an airplane.”

Encourage your child to ask for an explanation if he or she does not understand what a word means.

Point out things that are the same or different. Play games incorporating these concepts that he or she will encounter later in the classroom in reading readiness.

Sort items into categories. Now try to sort them by pointing out more subtle differences between objects (e.g., rocks that are smooth vs. those that are rough, heavy vs. light, big vs. small). Again, have your child identify the object that does not belong in a given category, but now ask him or her to explain why the item does not belong.

Expand on social communication and narration skills (telling a story) by role-playing. Play house, doctor, and store using dialogue, props, and dress-up clothes. Do the same with a dollhouse and its props, acting out scenarios and making the dolls talk.

Read stories with easy-to-follow plots. Help your child predict what will happen next in the story. Act out the stories, and put on puppet shows of the stories. Have your child draw a picture of a scene from the story, or of a favorite part. You can do the same thing with videos and television shows, as these also have plots. Ask “wh” questions (who, what, when, where, or why) and monitor his or her response.

Expand on your child’ s comprehension and expressive language skills by playing “I Spy”: “I spy something round on the wall that you use to tell the time.” After your child guesses what you have described, have him or her give you clues about something that he or she sees.

Give your child two-step directions (e.g., “Get your coat from the closet and put it on”). Encourage your child to give directions to explain how he or she has done something. For example, ask your child to explain how he made a structure out of Lego blocks. When playing doctor, ask your child to explain what she did to give the baby a checkup. Draw a picture, and write down your child’s story as he or she tells it. Your child will soon grasp the power of storytelling and written language.

Play age-appropriate board games with your child (e.g., “Candyland” or “Chutes and Ladders”).

Have your child help you plan and discuss daily activities. For example, have him or her make a shopping list for the grocery store, or help you plan his or her birthday party. Ask his or her opinion: “What do you think your cousin would like for his birthday? What kind of fruit do we need to buy at the store?”

This information represents, on average, the age by which most monolingual speaking children will accomplish the listed skills. Children typically do not master all items in a category until they reach the upper age in each age range. Just because your child has not accomplished one skill within an age range does not mean the child has a disorder. However, if you have answered no to the majority of items in an age range, seek the advice of an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist or audiologist .

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