What is a sensory diet?
A sensory diet is a personalized schedule of sensory activities to be used throughout the day for children with sensory processing difficulties. For children with sensory processing disorder (SPD) or sensory integration challenges, a sensory diet will support their body’s need for sensory input which will help them to remain focused and ready to take on the day. For children whose sensory system is more sensitive to sensory input (children who tend to become overstimulated), their sensory diet will include activities that provide input that helps their body calm down. On the other hand, children who are less sensitive to sensory input (children who appear tired or sluggish) will be recommended a sensory diet that includes alerting sensory input to “wake up” their sensory system. Some children will need calming sensory input during certain parts of their daily routine and alerting sensory input during other times of the day. Individuals of all ages who have sensory processing difficulties can benefit from incorporating a sensory diet into their daily routine.
Who will design my child’s sensory diet?
Your child’s occupational therapist may recommend a sensory diet for your child if he or she presents with sensory processing difficulties during the evaluation process. Occupational therapists are trained in understanding the sensory system and can design a sensory diet that will meet your child’s specific needs. If your child receives school-based OT, the occupational therapist at your child’s school may recommend a sensory diet that can be used throughout the school day to help your child participate in school activities to the best of their ability. Outpatient pediatric occupational therapists also recommend sensory diets to children with sensory processing challenges and can design a sensory diet with sensory activities throughout your child’s home and school routines.
Sensory Techniques That May Be Part of a Sensory Diet:
The sensory system includes eight senses: tactile (touch), auditory (sound), gustatory (taste), vision (sight), olfactory (smell), vestibular (balance and spatial orientation), proprioceptive (body awareness), and interoceptive (internal sensation). Your child’s sensory diet may include sensory techniques to provide input to all or some of the eight senses. Each specific technique will likely provide input to only one or two types of senses at a time.
Tactile (Touch) Techniques:
Under-responsive:
- Messy play (finger painting, playing with shaving cream, glitter glue, kinetic sand, slime etc.)
- Massage or other deep pressure activities
- Visual or auditory cues
Over-responsive:
- Messy play (finger painting, playing with shaving cream, glitter glue, kinetic sand, slime etc.)
- Massage
- Brushing
- Drinking carbonated beverages
- Play in outdoor sandbox or make a homemade sandbox using a bin (filled with dry rice, beans, sand, etc.)
- Play with Play-doh or clay
- Gardening
- Baking or cooking (preparing food with hands)
- Eat frozen foods
Auditory (Sound) Techniques:
Under-responsive:
- Visual instructions
- Visual cues
- Listen to music to increase focus
- Therapeutic Listening
Over-responsive:
- White noise machine
- Indoor water fountain
- Listening to calming music or nature sounds
- Playing with a rain stick
- Playing a musical instrument
- Singing
- Blowing whistles
- Therapeutic Listening
Proprioceptive (Body Awareness) Techniques:
Proprioceptive input can be both calming or alerting depending on what the specific individual’s sensory system needs, so these activities are appropriate for individuals with both under-responsive and over-responsive sensory systems.
- Weighted items (weighted blanket, weighted vest, weighted lap pad, backpack) to provide deep pressure
- Theraband on chair
- Bouncing or sitting on exercise ball
- Squeezing stress ball
- Tight hugs
- Massage
- Drinking through a straw or sport bottle – especially thick liquids like smoothies or milkshakes
- Eating chewy foods
- Blowing bubbles
- Jumping jacks
- Tug of war
- Jumping on a trampoline
- Hopscotch or jumping along spots on sensory path at school
Gustatory (Taste) Techniques:
Under-responsive:
- Chew gum
- Eat foods of different textures, temperatures, and tastes
- Eating spicy foods
- Eating sour foods (hard candies, sour gummies, grapefruit, lemon, pickles, etc.)
- Eating crunchy foods
- Eating chewy foods
Over-responsive:
- Try foods of different textures, temperatures, and tastes (paired with preferred food)
- Play with food to encourage trying new foods
- Have child help cook and prepare food to encourage eating new foods
- Eating sour foods (hard candies, sour gummies, grapefruit, lemon, pickles, etc.) paired with preferred food
- Try dipping sauces on preferred food
Visual Techniques:
Under-responsive:
- Brightly colored objects (for children who are under-responsive to visual input)
Over-responsive:
- Flexible seating arrangements in classroom (i.e. sitting in front row to reduce visual distraction, or sitting in the back of the room)
- Reducing visual clutter in room
- Solid colored room with neutral colors
- Blue light glasses
- Sunglasses
- Calming lighting (no fluorescent lights)
Olfactory (Smell) Techniques:
Under-responsive:
- Candles
- Scented soaps and bath oils
- Scented lotions
- Essential oils (aromatherapy): peppermint, lemon, orange for alerting
- Scent games (blindfold and identify smells of different items)
- Exploring scents (smelling flowers, fruits, etc.)
Over-responsive:
- Exploring scents (smelling flowers, fruits, etc.)
- Unscented products (unscented laundry detergent, shampoos, soaps, deodorants) for individuals who cannot tolerate strong scents
- Essential oils (aromatherapy): lavender, rose, and vanilla for calming
Vestibular (Balance and Spatial Awareness) Techniques:
Under-responsive:
- Swing at playground or on home swing set
- Spinning on toys (i.e. Sit n’ Spin)
- Hang upside down from monkey bars
- Riding roller coasters
- Play airplane (spinning child around holding arm and leg)
- Swinging in hammock
- Gymnastics
- Dance
- Obstacle course
- Trampoline
- Swinging motions (calmingalerting): linear (back and forth), orbital (round motion facing forward), rotary (spinning). Under-responsive individuals will most likely enjoy more alerting motion (rotary) but can use linear or orbital motions to calm body.
Over-responsive:
- Trampoline (holding onto bar)
- Obstacle course
- Rocking chair
- Play on see-saw
- Swing at playground or on home swing set
- Swinging in hammock
- Swinging motions: start with linear motion (back and forth) to begin desensitizing, once comfortable with linear motion move to orbital (round motion facing forward) and eventually rotary (spinning)
- Dance
Interoceptive (Internal Sensation) Techniques:
Under-responsive:
- Visual schedule
- Visual cues/signs
- Yoga
- Mindfulness
- Breathing exercises
- Temperature activities
Over-responsive:
- Yoga
- Mindfulness
- Temperature activities
- Breathing exercises
