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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Schedule
5 weeks — Mondays, 11:00 AM–12:00 PM
Dates
October 27 – December 1, 2025 (No class on November 24)
Format
Hybrid (In-person & Online)
Location
Cogleap Irvine Center — 950 Roosevelt, 2nd Floor, Irvine, CA 92620
Fee
$175
A Sensory Approach to Regulation
Understand how sensory processing affects daily activities, behavior, and learning.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Schedule
6 weeks — Thursdays, 11:00 AM–12:00 PM
(Final session on December 18 will be 11:00 AM–12:30 PM)
Dates
October 30 – December 18, 2025 (No class on November 20 & 27)
Format
Hybrid (In-person & Online)
Location
Cogleap Irvine Center — 950 Roosevelt, 2nd Floor, Irvine, CA 92620
Fee
$220
Meet the instructor
Nicole Nguyen, OTR/L
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5+ years working with children (Autism, ADHD, Developmental Delays)
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SOS Feeding Certified-specialized in picky eating & feeding issues
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Expertise in early intervention, sensory inteqration, and self-requlation
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Extensive school-based experience (lEP-aligned supports)
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Leads parent training sessions for real-world skill application
Introduction to Picky Eating & Feeding Challenges (Using the SOS Approach)
Understanding sensory-based feeding challenges and gradual food introduction.
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.