Sensory Savvy 101 Understand Your Child Understand Sensory Integration Understand How To Help Your Child

What I was told about Jaxson… Diagnosis: Autism He would never: Talk He would never: Look at me He would never: Have any friends The best I could do: –Get him to eat with a spoon and fork –Have him potty-trained by the time he was 8 years old –Get him ready for a group home “Once a duck, always a duck.”

What I did… I took The Son-Rise Program Start-Up Among tools I learned there, one strategy is crucial for today’s discussion: Always try to see things through my son’s eyes

Trying to connect with Jaxson in his world

Joining Jaxson in his world

Using Jaxson’s motivation to promote eye contact

Before my son was diagnosed with autism, I knew very little about it. Where I am today: –Trained in the Wilbarger Protocol (sensory integration therapy) –Trained in the Alert Program (sensory integration therapy) –Bone Conduction Provider for The Listening Program ® (auditory integration therapy) –Certified as a Body Ecologist – The Body Ecology Diet –Knowledgeable and have tried with my son the following diets: GF/CF, SCD and GAPS –HANDLE ® – Holistic Approach to Neurodevelopment and Learning Efficiency –Working closely with my Defeat Autism Now doctor –Taken all of The Son-Rise Program courses –Director of Autism Education for Enzymedica ( My Autism Journey: From Novice To Expert

Jaxson’s Progress I decided to believe in my son Now Jaxson: –Talks in full, clear, 5 to 6-word sentences –Sings with me –Laughs and does things to be funny –Looks at me and make silly faces –Calls my name and tells me he loves me

Jaxson’s 6 th Birthday!!

Jaxson Smiling For The Camera

Jaxson’s Friends

Super Jaxson!

Jaxson and Mommy

Sensory Tools And Resources S.T.A.R.

 Everything our children do, they do for a reason  Instead of trying to stop or change it, look for WHY they might be doing it  Coping  Self-regulation  Our children cannot process the sights, sounds, smells, and tactile sensations coming at them  leads to “fight or flight”  Over-sensitivity vs. under-sensitivity  Imagine what YOU would do in these situations  Don’t ask: How can I change my child’s behavior?  Instead ask: What is my child trying to accomplish by their behavior, and how can I help them with this? S.T.A.R. 1: Look Through Your Child’s Eyes

 Hearing issues vs. auditory processing issues  Warm up, work out and cool down phase ABC Modular design™  The Listening Program – with Bone Conduction  S.T.A.R. 2: The Listening Program®

 Tactile issues  The Wilbarger Protocol – Brushing in a specific manner with joint compression every 2 hours  Created by Patricia Wilbarger  S.T.A.R. 3: The Wilbarger Protocol

 Attention issues (helpful for those with ASD and ADHD)  Self-regulation  Sets our kids up for success instead of failure  The Alert Program – Specific strategies to help our children self-regulate, especially in school environments  How Does your Engine run?®  S.T.A.R. 4: the Alert Program®

Wide range of sensory integration and sensory processing issues  HANDLE – Holistic Approach to Neurodevelopment and Learning Efficiency  Exercises and activities to work the right and left hemispheres of the brain  Created by Judith Bluestone, author of The Fabric of Autism  S.T.A.R. 5: HANDLE®

 Social, relational, interpersonal development  The Son-Rise Program at the Autism Treatment Center of America™ – Tools for building communication, trust, social skills, and a love of human interaction  Today’s tools:  Looking through your child’s eyes (discussed earlier)  Creating a distraction-free environment  Reduce competition/increase human interaction  Created by Barry Neil Kaufman (author of Son-Rise: The Miracle Continues) and Samahria Lyte Kaufman  S.T.A.R. 6: The Son-Rise Program®

 When your child is cranky and seemingly inconsolable…  Maybe the sensory overload is YOU  The 3 S’s: Slow, Silly, Shhhh – Back off, move slowly, keep you expression silly and animated – but quiet!  Created by Me – with lots of help from Jaxson!  S.T.A.R. 7: The 3 S’s: Slow, Silly, Shhhh

S.T.A.R. 8: Creating a Sensory Diet The minute your child wake up, your diet begins Trampoline Sensory boxes Warm bath Aromatherapy Dimmers Quiet music Sensory toys