Book: Your Child‘s Motor Development Story: Understanding and Enhancing Development from Birth to Their First Sport
Amazon Description: Your Child’s Motor Development Story is written by an occupational therapist who describes for the everyday parent how BEST to help their kids develop. She takes them from birth to crawling, all the way to their first sports. Problems like slouching are tackled from lack of core strength, along with more pervasive coordination difficulties that many children face. Any new parent, and their kids, will gain from this book. Continue reading →
While we talk a lot about sensory issues, we also need to think about common problems children may face that we may miss because we are so focused on SPD.
Book: Just Take a Bite: Easy, Effective Answers to Food Aversions and Eating Challenges!
Winner of an iParenting Media Award!
Amazon Description: Is your child a “picky” eater or a full-fledged resistant eater? Does he or she eat only 3-20 foods, refusing all others? Eat from only one food group? Gag, tantrum, or become anxious if you introduce new foods? If so, you have a resistant eater. Learn the possible causes, when you need professional help, and how to deal with the behavior at home. Learn why “Don’t play with your food!” and “Clean your plate!” – along with many other old saws – are just plain wrong. And who said you have to eat dessert last? Get ready to have some stereotypes shattered! Continue reading →
Probably the biggest lesson I’ve learned with having two sensory kids is that no one is going to be my children’s advocate except me. Sometimes I’ve even had to battle my own family as I worked to finding the answers for my kids. So as you continue down this path of sensory challenges, keep in mind that at the end of the day, your biggest job isn’t the small details but rather to be your child’s advocate.
Book: Easy to Love but Hard to Raise: Real Parents, Challenging Kids, True Stories
Amazon Description: If there’s anything the 32 parent-writers and 15 experts of Easy to Love but Hard to Raise want you to know, it’s this:
YOU ARE NOT ALONE We’ve been there. We’ve done that. We’ve navigated the system. Some of us succeeded. Some failed. We’ve been judged by friends, teachers, family, & strangers. We’ve gotten the phone calls & the looks. We’ve done things we never thought we’d do, good & bad. We’ve been up nights, cried in our pillows, and screamed in frustration. We’ve doubted ourselves, our children, & our partners. We’ve had to educate everyone, including our children’s doctors. We are parents of children with alphabet soup diagnoses, invisible special needs, behavioral problems.
Our children are easy to love, but oh, so hard to raise.
Easy to Love but Hard to Raise is an anthology of personal essays written by parents of children with ADD, ADHD, OCD, PDD, ASDs, SPD, PBD and/or other alphabet soup diagnoses that takes the already difficult job of parenting and adds to the challenge.
These essays focus on honest feelings, lessons learned, epiphanies, commonplace and extraordinary experiences. They are written by parents of toddlers, young children, teens, and adult children; those who are in the parenting trenches now, and those looking back on their parenting experiences. Topics include : how children came to be diagnosed, the experience of dealing with problem behaviors in various contexts and settings, experiences with/feelings about treatment (therapies, medications, alternative treatments), school (and other advocacy) experiences, children’s social interactions/friends, and the effect of parenting a difficult child on a parent’s emotional and physical health, marriage, and other relationships.
“Although it sounds like a method of eating, a sensory diet is actually a set of activities for sensory-seeking kids. The goal of this type of diet is to provide structure and calming activities for a child who may have problems with everyday stimulants in the environment. This type of diet helps children learn to cope in circumstances that may be overwhelming.”
“Ten years ago, children who had trouble keeping still or showed extra sensitivity to sound, smell, taste and other sensory experiences might have been written off as bratty, hyperactive or kids being kids, experts say. But recent research has led to a proliferation of cases involving sensory processing challenges, a diagnosis keeping pediatric practices that specialize in its treatment busy with new clients.”
Another big topic on Voices of Sensory Processing Disorder Discussion Group is picky eaters! Common questions include: why won’t my child eat solid foods? Why does my child insist on eating only soft foods? Help — my kid will only eat baby food.
Book: Your Child‘s Motor Development Story: Understanding and Enhancing Development from Birth to Their First Sport
The Sensory Spectrum 