Since I was a teenager I have felt led to be a healer. I’ve always sensed a connection between healing, caring, and spirituality. However, I have also always wrestled with three spiritual questions regarding healing: Why do many innocent and good people suffer, how do I deal with the difficulties I face in healing, and […]
A Spiritual Perspective on Healing Read More »
My recent research with Quinnipiac University found that over half the children and adolescents referred for occupational therapy at my pediatric psychiatry hospital had significant sensory processing difficulties. The most common difficulties were auditory filtering in three quarters, under-responsive/seeks sensation (60%), and tactile sensitivity in half the sample. Sensory Processing difficulties were found through definite
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Addressing functional movement skills is important in children and adolescents with functional movement and behavioral challenges. The FAB Goal-Plan-Review strategy promotes functional movement, behavioral, developmental, and learning skills. Teaching children and adolescents to use adaptive strategies and equipment addressing dyspraxia (e.g., direction following, organizational, printing, cursive writing, keyboarding, and/or shoe tying difficulties) can improve behavior
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The FAB List, Picture schedule, Praxis comic, 3-Comic, Schedule story, and Coping card strategies describe planning with visual supports to improve self-control. These FAB planning strategies improve behavior in children and adolescents with sensory processing, developmental, trauma history, and mental health challenges. Learning routines, rules, and structure enhance self-control. The FAB List strategy helps organize
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Many children and adolescents with sensory modulation, Autism Spectrum, behavioral, and/or mental health challenges are under-responsive and/or over-responsive to sensory stimulation. Difficulty maintaining a calm alert state can negatively impact behavioral, mental health, and learning skills. The FAB energy modulation strategy teaches clients to identify their arousal level before it becomes problematic and use coping
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The FAB Energy Modulation Wheel strategy helps teach clients to manage their arousal level for appropriate behavior and learning. It can be used in groups or individual therapy sessions. The FAB Energy Modulation Wheel is provided here for personal use by parents, teachers, and therapists guiding clients in developing energy modulation strategies. FAB Energy ModWheel
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FAB “Functionally Alert Behavior” Strategies promoting body scheme can improve behavior in children and adolescents with sensory processing, developmental, learning, and mental health challenges. Improving body scheme is particularly important for children and adolescents because it impacts the development of their behavior and learning. Improving body scheme can also promote self-esteem, organization, and motor planning
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After 30 years as an occupational therapist treating sensory integration difficulties to improve functional skills in children and adolescents, I still find understanding and explaining sensory integration disorders challenging. Clearly describing and explaining sensory integration disorders promotes sensory integration intervention. This blog post provides a basic understanding of sensory integration disorders as a foundation for
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Many excellent discussions debate the best ways to responsibly integrate sensory strategies that help young children. While I don’t have a conclusive answer for this dilemma I have been struggling with this question all of my professional life. The attachments presented in this post describe my FAB Strategies for integrating environmental adaptations, sensory modulation, positive
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Following its initial development by A. J. Ayres, Sensory Integration Intervention has been slowly evolving. As a result of this slow evolution, two major problems threaten the sensory integration frame of reference. First is the problematic discrediting of sensory integration research by some behaviorists and pediatricians who favor interventions that are too rigid or medication
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