Parent Support Training
Empower parents with practical tools to create a supportive home environment.
Our 4-6 session program blends practical strategies to reinforce therapy gains and daily challenges.
A Sensory Approach to Regulation
Understand how sensory processing affects daily activities, behavior, and learning.
1. The 8 Sensory Systems (1 hour)
The human body processes information through eight sensory systems: visual (sight), auditory (hearing), tactile (touch), olfactory (smell), gustatory (taste), vestibular (balance and movement), proprioceptive (body awareness), and interoception (internal body signals like hunger or emotions). Together, these systems help us understand and respond to our environment.
2. Types of Sensory Patterns (1 hour)
Sensory patterns refer to the ways individuals respond to sensory input. Based on Dunn’s Model, these include sensory seeking, sensory avoiding, sensory sensitivity, and low registration. Understanding these patterns helps in identifying unique sensory needs and preferences.
3. How Sensory Impacts Function (1 hour)
Sensory processing affects how we focus, move, learn, and interact. When sensory input is overwhelming or under-responsive, it can impact daily activities, emotional regulation, attention, and participation in routines at home, school, or community.
4. What and How to Implement a “Sensory “Diet”? (1 hour)
A sensory diet is a personalized plan of activities that provide the sensory input a person needs to stay focused and regulated. It includes structured and purposeful activities throughout the day, often developed with the guidance of an occupational therapist to support optimal function.
5. Activities to Promote Regulation (1 hour)
Regulation activities help balance sensory input and support emotional and behavioral control. Examples include swinging, deep pressure, fidget tools, breathing exercises, or heavy work like pushing or pulling.
Introduction to Picky Eating & Feeding Challenges (Using the SOS Approach)
Understanding sensory-based feeding challenges and gradual food introduction.
1. Picky Eaters and Problem Feeders Eating (1 hour)
Recognizing the difference between picky eaters and problem feeders to help guide appropriate support and intervention.
2. How Food, Behaviors, and Hormones are Related (1 hour)
Eating is influenced by more than hunger—hormones, emotions, and behavior all play a role. Stress, sensory sensitivities, and hormone imbalances can impact appetite, digestion, and food choices, making mealtimes challenging for some individuals.
3. Skills Involved in Eating (1 hour)
Eating is a complex process that involves physical, sensory, and cognitive skills. These include oral motor control (chewing and swallowing), hand-to-mouth coordination, sensory tolerance, attention, and social interaction—all working together for successful mealtime participation.
4. Sensory and Mealtime (1 hour)
Sensory processing heavily influences eating. A child who is sensitive to textures, smells, or tastes may refuse certain foods or feel overwhelmed at the table. Understanding these sensory responses is key to supporting positive mealtime experiences.
5. Steps to Eating (1 hour)
Before a child ever takes a bite, they must move through several stages: tolerating the food near them, interacting with it, smelling, touching, and eventually tasting and eating.
6. General Strategies: Where to Start, Oral Motor, Sensory, and Language (1.5 hours)
Start with a supportive environment and routines. Build oral motor strength through playful exercises, address sensory needs with calming or alerting activities, and use language to label, describe, and model food experiences.
