The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is a protocol we love to use at our clinic. This protocol helps children (and even adults) with their state of control. It has been shown in the research to improve social and emotional difficulty, auditory sensitivity, anxiety and trauma related challenges, inattention, and social engagement.

• What is it?

SSP is a set of specifically formulated music that your child will listen to while wearing an air conduction headset. They will be able to participate in enjoyable seated activities in a quiet room while they listen to the music.

• How long does it take?

The research has demonstrated best results with SSP when it is done for one hour on 5, consecutive days.

• How does it work?

The SSP was created by Dr. Porges after nearly four decades of research and is based on Dr. Porges’ Polyvagal Theory. This theory looks at the relationship between the autonomic nervous system and social-emotional processes. The SSP stimulates nervous system regulation with the specifically processed music. The music trains the auditory system to focus on certain frequencies of speech, most importantly, the frequency of human speech. The music stimulates two Cranial Nerves (VII and X), which function to increase attention to human speech and tune out background noise and to stimulate self-soothing.

• What can I expect after SSP?

According to the SSP website and experience in our practice, “Following successful completion of the intervention, individual will be better able to focus in school, therapy, and everyday life and experience a clamed emotional and physiological state.”

At our clinic, we have had parents report “improved eye contact”, “increased speech”, “increased social interaction”, “happier child”, “decreased anger”, “improved play with others” and “improved attention”.

To read more about SSP, visit their website:

https://integratedlistening.com/ssp-safe-sound-protocol/

In the clinic, we are commonly asked about Dyslexia and Dysgraphia. While as occupational and physical therapists we do not give diagnoses, we can help you to recognize the symptoms of these problems and refer you to a place where your child can be evaluated. We can also help your child with remediation and accommodation for these deficits to help them become more independent and successful in their classroom and daily life environment. According to understood.org here is some helpful tips for discriminating between dyslexia and dysgraphia:

-What is dysgraphia? An issue that involves difficulty with the physical act of writing. Kids may also find it hard to organize and express their thoughts and ideas in written form.
-What are some signs I may notice?

• Illegible handwriting
• Slow, labored writing
• Mixing print and cursive letters
• Spacing letters and words oddly
• Poor spelling and grammar
• Difficulty gripping a pencil
• Incorrect punctuation
• Run-on sentences and lack of paragraph breaks
• Trouble organizing information when writing

-What is dyslexia? An issue that involves difficulty with reading. It can also affect writing, spelling and speaking. Kids may find it hard to isolate sounds, match sounds to letters or blend sounds into words
-What are some signs I may notice:

• Struggling with reading
• Trouble sounding out words
• Difficulty memorizing sight words
• Avoiding reading aloud
• Poor spelling and grammar
• Not understanding what he’s read
• Confusing the order of letters
• Trouble following a sequence of directions
• Difficulty organizing thoughts when speaking

As occupational therapists we commonly address handwriting and therefore assist many children who have a dysgraphia diagnosis. Here are 4 strategies we use in the clinic to help these kiddos with written language:

1). We use a multisensory approach for letter formation. It is important that children learn correct letter formation for efficiency, neatness, and rate of handwriting. For a child with dysgraphia, learning letter formation may be more difficult so we like to use a multisensory approach including kinesthetic experiences of building the letter, auditory experiences of a verbal sequence or song to form the letter, visual experiences of seeing the letter formed, and whole arm/body movements to practice letter formation. Make it fun!

2). Focus on one thing at a time. A child with dysgraphia may have difficulty with many aspects of handwriting including letter formation, spacing, legibility, letter sizing, line orientation, etc. Trying to work on all of these components at once can be overwhelming! A great strategy is to focus on one area of written expression at a time, while ignoring the rest so the child can develop each component adequately.

3). Teach keyboarding skills. If a child is falling behind in the classroom because they are not able to keep up with written work, teaching keyboarding skills may be beneficial and allow the child more success because they are not having to focus on the motor aspects of handwriting.

4). Practice writing with a metronome. This is a technique we use to improve speed and fluency of handwriting. A child with dysgraphia will probably display slow, labored writing, so use of a metronome can help with processing speed, attention, and efficiency.

If your child has a dysgraphia diagnosis and needs help with handwriting, give us a call! If your child is displaying some of these difficulties and you just aren’t sure how to help, we would love to give you some recommendations on how to best help your child. Call us at 972-404-1718 with questions.

Resources:

https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/dysgraphia/the-difference-between-dysgraphia-and-dyslexia

Sleep can be a challenging subject for parents of kiddos who have sensory processing difficulties. Difficulties with sensory processing can affect a child’s ability to fall asleep, stay asleep, wake up refreshed, and coping mechanisms when tired.

Adequate sleeps is essential for self-regulation (think of how cranky adults get without sleep). So here are 6 strategies that could be helpful for your child:

1. Get enough sensory input throughout the day! Vestibular input (movement sensed by inner ear), proprioceptive input (input to muscles and joints), and tactile input (sensations on the skin) are all types of input that every child needs. This input is like nutrition for the brain and it helps to develop self-regulation strategies. If your child has had limited movement experiences that day, perhaps because of too much screen time, then their brain is deprived of vestibular and proprioceptive input. If they are not playing and creating with their hands, their brain might be deprived of tactile input. These areas of deprivation can lead to more difficulty with self-regulation and therefore sleep. (http://asensorylife.com/sleep-challenges.html)
2. Deep pressure activities before bed. Deep pressure is calming to the nervous system and can help children enter a more relaxed state. These types of activities can include lying down to read a book under a weighted blanket, rolling your child up tight in a blanket or towel like a burrito, having your child cuddle up in a bean bag or cocoon swing, or a deep pressure massage.
3. Slow, rhythmic vestibular input. This type of input is also calming to the nervous system. Try slow rocking in a rocking chair or having the child swing back and forth in a cocoon swing or other type of swing where the child can lie down. Be careful: rotary input (spinning) can have the opposite effect!
4. Soft lighting. Bright lights are stimulating to the nervous system, soft lights are calming. Some children love looking at a lava lamp or similar device for calming visual input.
5. Music. Low, classical music can be calming to the nervous system. Try a classical YouTube playlist during your bedtime routine.
6. Don’t eat right before bed. If you body is in an active process of digestion, this can actually negatively effect sleep. Try to make sure your child eats at least a couple hours before bed time.

 

FROM THE RESEARCH:

As published by the Occupational Therapy Journal of Research in 2012, a study conducted actually found that children with increased sensory sensitivities had increased difficulty with sleep. They found that children with sensory sensitivities “have higher levels of cortisol and lower melatonin before sleep” which leads to a worse overall quality of sleep. More specifically, children with auditory, olfactory, and visual sensitivities demonstrated more difficulty with sleep.

(OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health • Vol. 32, No. 1, 2012 Sensory Processing, Physiological Stress, and Sleep Behaviors in Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorders. Stacey Reynolds, Shelly J. Lane, Leroy Thacker.)

 

If your child is demonstrating difficulties with sleep and you think it might be related to difficulties with sensory processing. Come see us! We would love to help you implement strategies at home to help your child.