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Home > Resources > Patients and visitors > Sensory Regulation Advice

Sensory Regulation Advice

Diagram that shows the arousal steps from deep sleep through to stressed and agitated

Regulation

Arousal is the level of alertness in the body. Optimal arousal is when the alertness level is ‘just right’ for the situation (e.g., optimal arousal at night is low enough to sleep, optimal arousal at school is high enough to concentrate and learn).

Regulation is the ability to adjust the arousal level to match the task and the environment. Levels of arousal fluctuate throughout the day and regulation adjusts accordingly.

Dysregulation is the opposite of regulation, when a child is not at the optimal level of arousal for the situation. It is difficult to maintain optimal arousal for any situation at this level. 

Levels of Arousal

A table describing the levels of arousal and what they might present as

Co-Regulation is when somebody helps another person to regulate. Younger children often require support of an adult to help them learn how to regulate themselves. This could be support to calm down or to increase their alertness level.

Self-Regulation is when a person manages to regulate themselves without support from others. Children often need access to regulation strategies that they can use.

All individuals experience times throughout their day when they become over alert, under alert. As adults we develop strategies to help us to return to a calm alert state. For example, having a hot drink, deep breath and a break (calm), chewy sweet, move away from desk (alert). Children benefit from support to develop strategies. Some individuals may benefit from more input than others.

Calm Sensory Space

A child can display tricky physical behaviours when feeling frustrated or upset. At these times they will benefit from immediate calming strategies.

Try to provide a safe place where the child can express anger physically. Activities could include:

  • Thumping a therapy ball/pile of cushions. This may be particularly affective if rhythmical fist thumping is encouraged, think drum beats.
  • Jumping and crashing; use a large beanbag/trampoline.
  • Cushion/’punch bag;’ this could be created using a laundry bag filled with a single duvet or scrunched balls of newspaper.
  • Kicking a ball against the wall.
  • Playing with firm theraputty can be used to stretch and squeeze to let out frustrations.

Access to a ‘chill out zone’ at home, a space where they can go when feeling overwhelmed.

  • ‘Comfort corners’ using beanbags, old, large soft quilts/soft blankets (ideally with nice smell), dark sunglasses, headphones/ear defenders/calming music, dim lighting.

Most children benefit from regular movement breaks to encourage their regulation, promote a calm and alert presentation. Regular access to heavy muscle work activities can be particularly beneficial (proprioception). These are activities when muscles are working harder, e.g., pushing and pulling tasks such as tug of war, weight bearing on her arms over a ball, etc. This can also include chewing a firm snack. Heavy muscle work/proprioceptive activities will increase the feedback your child is receiving to their muscles, encouraging their body awareness, perception of force and may also have a calming influence.

Try to spot potential ‘triggers.’ For example, if you know you child may experience distress in a particular activity such as a transition, hair brushing, etc., try to deescalate before the task by completing sensory strategies and calming activities before and after these task (as well as regularly throughout the day).

Please see ‘proprioception’ and ‘vestibular’ information leaflets.

Flexible Trug/Bucket

  • The trug bucket can be used as a portable safe space that they could access to give her deep pressure by squeezing their body into a small space.
  • You could add the Lycra sheet over the top of the trug bucket so that they can get deep pressure by pushing up against the Lycra. Squeezing into a small space and then climbing out of this will increase the proprioception they receive.
A child in a flexible bucket

Peanut Ball or Yoga Ball

Peanut ball activities are great for getting calming proprioceptive input to the whole body.

One child lying on their front on a peanut ball and another child lying on their back on a peanut ball
  • Roll over the ball on their tummy or back. Ensure to complete slow rhythmical rocks back and forth so that their head and knees lightly touch the floor (when on tummy). 
  • The ball can be used to bounce on either straddled or side sitting. Follow bouncing activities with deep pressure.
  • The ball can be used to apply deep pressure by rolling the ball over the child whilst they are laid down, adjust the pressure applied depending on what the child prefers.
A child lying on their front on a mat whilst having a yoga ball rolled over their legs.

Vibration

  • Vibration is another way to get deep pressure and the child would be able to do it for themselves.
  • Ensure to press firmly rather than light pressure as this can be alerting.
  • Use the massager over whole body, arms, legs, back, hands, feet and jaw. Only use on parts of the body that they can tolerate.
  • Vibrating massagers can be found on a number of different websites in various shapes and sizes. The massager pictured is called: Beurer MG16 Mini Massager
Beurer MG16 Mini Massager

Lycra

Lycra (or a stretchy material) could be used to provide deep pressure to increase sensory feedback and enable the child to regulate their sensory system it provides a calm and organised effect on the body.

  • Let the child tightly wrap the Lycra material around themselves. Or wrap the child up and let them push his way out.
  • Wrap the Lycra around themselves shoulders and back. Ask them to push back against the Lycra.
  • If you have two adults, you can gently swing the child in the Lycra like a swing.
  • A sheet of Lycra can be purchased at 1st For Fabrics. Cool shades would be recommended, try to avoid bright colours. Therapist recommends mid tone blue, dark blue, black, dark purple, green, turquoise. These type of colours can also be see through once stretched. Over a metre would be suggested possibly 1m 50cm.
  • Body socks (see image for reference) can be purchased from a number of different websites and work in the same way as a Lycra sheet but your whole body is enclosed so you can stretch out and get the proprioceptive input.
A child stood in a large Lycra sock
  • Lycra swings are available for indoors and outdoors however can be very expensive, please speak to your therapist if you would like to complete a charity application for these sensory pieces of equipment.
A child smiling in a Lycra swing
  • Always supervise the child when they are using these products.

Weighted Blanket

  • A weighted blanket can help to provide extra proprioception (muscle feedback). These can be effective for children who move excessively, to calm and sit still for longer.
  • Weighted blankets can be loaned from the Toy Library at the Elgin Centre/Chowdene children’s centre.
  • The weight and size of the recommended cover must be appropriate to the child’s physical characteristics. Generally, it is recommended that the blanket should be no more than 10% of the child’s body weight.
  • A weighted object should only be used for 20-minute intervals and the child should always be supervised when using this. The weighted blankets must never be used as a restraint. The child must always be able to get free of it by themselves and their head and neck must always be free. A child must never be left without supervision because special attention must be paid to signs that mean the cover must be removed. These include; breathing difficulties, nausea, behavioural or physical reactions showing discomfort or anxiety in a child. A weighted cover should never be used during sleep, as it should be used for no more than 20 minutes and the signs that it needs to be removed cannot be observed when you are both asleep. Some parents use these as part of the bed-time routine, to help with calming before going to sleep.

Oral Stimulation

Sensory processing difficulties can result in the need to seek oral stimulation. Oral stimulation such as chewing can help with body awareness and self-soothing behaviour.

Some reasons for seeking oral stimulation include:

  • Medical: easing pain, alleviating discomfort
  • Sensory: seeking texture and taste, overwhelming environment, sensory overload.
  • Behavioural: lack of understanding, relieving stress and anxiety, avoiding something, looking for attention, noisy thoughts and uncontainable emotion.

Strategies to support oral stimulation include:

  • Please see ‘oral motor’ leaflet for ideas on how to increase oral stimulation.
  • The handheld vibrating massager can be used around the jaw to increase stimulation for 1 minute at a time.

Strategies to Use in the Community

Children often benefit from using deep pressure/calming activities prior to and after activities that are less tolerated. They can also be used in the community if they are struggling to regulate their emotions.

A hand with yellow therapy putty wrapped around it
  • Therapy putty has additional resistance so when stretching, squeezing and playing with therapy putty it can provide deep pressure calming to the hands. Therapy putty can be purchased from a number of different websites, it is recommended that they start with a softer strength and work their way up as they find each strength too easy.
  • Stretch Armstrong Mini- good for stretching and pulling which can have a calming effect.
  • Yuk-e ball – tough vinyl ball good for pulling, stretching and strengthening muscles in the hands.
  • Any fidgets that can be pulled, squeezed, stretched etc. will be good to provide deep pressure, calming input.