As a preschool teacher for 25 years, I observed many children with sensory processing differences (SPD), autism and ADHD. I wondered why they were uncomfortable touching finger paints, why they avoided swings and never let their feet leave the ground, why they broke crayons and tripped on-air, and why they felt inadequate playing and making friends. To help"out-of-sync" children become more competent in work and play, I learned to identify their sensory processing challenges and steer them into early intervention. My mission is to explain to families, teachers, and professionals how SPD affects learning and behavior, to offer practical solutions, and to see all children flourish.
Lindsey Biel's second book (less well known than her remarkable Raising a Sensory Smart Child) furthers her mission to explain sensory processing differences to occupational therapists, parents, and teachers. Her case studies are illuminating, as she describes her clients flourishing with individualized treatment. I love her positive approach, such as her Sensory Challenge Questionnaire that asks the child or young adult what sensory experiences are enjoyable, not just challenging. Her sensory strategies to use in the clinic, home, and school are the best!
Many children, teens, and even adults experience sensory processing challenges including out-of-proportion reactions to certain sensory experiences that most of us find commonplace. These challenges can range from mild to severe-from difficulty tolerating fluorescent lights and discomfort with certain clothing textures, to fight-or-flight reactions to unexpected or loud noises such as sirens or automatic hand dryers, or such strong oral sensitivities that the individual can tolerate eating just a few foods. They may struggle with one or more "sensory channels," or, more often, be quickly overwhelmed by the demand to process multisensory input (especially in busy environments with competing sights,…
Dr. Ayres formulated the theory of sensory integration and processing in the mid-20th century and published Sensory Integration and the Child in 1972. Preserving her core content, this updated version includes checklists, photographs, illustrations, tips for parents, and cases, to make her brilliant insights and practical solutions more accessible to families today.
This classic handbook, from the originator of sensory integration theory, is now available in an updated, parent-friendly edition. Retaining all the features that made the original edition so popular with both parents and professionals, "Sensory Integration and the Child" remains the best book on the subject. With a new foreward by Dr. Florence Clark and commentaries by recognized experts in sensory integration, this volume explains sensory integrative dysfunction, how to recognize it, and what to do about it. Helpful tips, checklists, question-and-answer sections, and parent resources make the new edition more informative and useful. Indispensible reading for parents, this book…
This book explains how to help children with sensory and regulation issues participate in daily life at home, at school, or out-and-about. "A SECRET" approach engages children through its seven components: Attunement, Sensation, Emotional regulation, Culture, Relationship, Environment, and Task. Parents, teachers, and therapists will appreciate these common-sense, on-the-spot, low-cost, problem-solving techniques. Using A SECRET brings hope and help, as you and your kids learn to enjoy being together and having fun!
Parents and teachers often struggle with the advice given by occupational therapists regarding support for children with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). What makes this book unique is the exploration of secrets that professionals sometimes hold close.
This book helps us see the big picture: A child's strengths, sensory differences, the family's role, and ways to support children in any context. The authors illuminate the complexities of choosing appropriate strategies and offer a framework to make creating a sensory lifestyle manageable.
This invaluable resource, updated and in a new edition, provides cost-effective, functional, and on-the-spot problem-solving tips to use at home,…
We have more than five senses. The sixth, seventh and eighth are the vestibular sense, the proprioceptive sense, and the interoceptive sense. Interoception allows us to sense our internal organs and experience "gut" feelings including hunger, satiety, thirst, itch, pain, temperature, nausea, the need to urinate and defecate, and sexual arousal. This book provides practical solutions for improving self-regulation, self-awareness and social understanding.
Many people take it for granted, but one of the most important skills we have is being able to understand signals from our body. How you know if you're hungry, thirsty, tired, etc. are key abilities to live a healthy life.
These are also skills that those with autism spectrum disorder tend to lack. Kelly Mahler's newest book gives professionals and parents a new way to consider teaching these talents to individuals with ASD. She describes the clear link between interoception and many important skills such as self-awareness, self-regulation, problem solving, intuition, and many more.
Kids who are out of sync because of sensory processing differences will enjoy this charming book written and illustrated by a third-grader. Abigail describes her classmates having a FIDDLE response to various sensations. (FIDDLE stands for Frequency, Intensity, Duration, Degree, Loneliness, and Exhaustion, as defined in my children’s book, The Goodenoughs Get In Sync).Abigail explains her friends' sensory challenges and suggests wise and easy solutions to help them get in sync.
The Sensory System is a system in your body that tells you how to react with the world around you. But some people react differently to the world around them than other people do. They sometimes react by screaming, crying, hiding, running away or even just yelling. "Stop!" These people usually react in this way because their body's nerves are telling them how to react when they are feeling either excited, frustrated, mad, sad, upset or just thinking they can't do it. This does not mean that they are better or worse than other people. It just means that they…
Some children don’t behave the way we expect, not because they won’t, but because they can’t. An often misdiagnosed reason is Sensory Processing Differences (or Disorder, when severe) -- "SPD." This problem may cause a person to be over-or under-responsive to ordinary sensations ... or crave intense stimuli ... or misinterpret sensations ... or be extremely clumsy, or constantly moving, or easily fatigued.
Written for parents and teachers, the book offers many examples of how SPD plays out. The 2022 third edition expands information on research, treatments (especially occupational therapy), and "look-alike" disorders including learning disabilities, ADHD, and autism. It suggests a drug-free approach and tips for developing a sensory lifestyle at home and school, bringing help and hope to challenging children and their grown-ups.
I’ve always been fascinated by group dynamics, large and small. Why things functioned well, why they didn’t. It’s possible my ability to empathize and use humor as a consensus-builder is the reason I was elected president of a homeowners association, a music production association, and even an agricultural group. Books were not particularly involved in this fascination! But in recent years, experiencing the breakdown of civility and trust in our political and cultural discourse, I’ve taken a more analytical view of the dynamics. These books, in their very different ways, have taught me lessons about life, understanding those with different beliefs, and finding ways to connect and move forward.
We’ve all experienced the overwhelming level of political and social divisiveness in our country. This invisible “virus” of negativity is, in part, the result of the name-calling and heated rhetoric that has become commonplace among commentators and elected leaders alike.
My book provides a clear perspective on the historical and modern-day causes of our nation's divisive state. It then proposes easy-to-understand solutions—an action plan for our elected leaders and citizens as well. Rather than a scholarly treatment of a complex topic, the book challenges us to take the obvious steps required of those living in a free democracy. And it…
Uniting the States of America: A Self-Care Plan for a Wounded Nation
Lyle Greenfield's "Uniting the States of America―A Self-Care Plan for a Wounded Nation" is a work of nonfiction and opinion. Incorporating the lessons of history and the ideas and wisdom of many, it is intended as both an educational resource and a call-to-action for citizens concerned about the politically and culturally divided state of our Union. A situation that has raised alarm for the very future of our democracy.
First, the book clearly identifies the causes of what has become a national crisis of belief in and love for our country. How the divisiveness and hostility rampant in our political…
