Overviews are
available throughout the year in an effort to help parents
help themselves. These courses are designed to enable
parents to determine if their child has sensory integration
related challenges, identify what they can do at home to
support their child's development, and augment therapy
services currently being received.
Sensory Integration is a function of the brain
which accepts, interprets, and utilizes sensory information,
enabling people to successfully interact with others and
their environment. In her work, Christy focuses on:
-
developing a strong and comprehensive sensory foundation
which includes the proprioceptive, vestibular, auditory,
tactile, and visual systems;
-
designing a "Sensory Diet" or daily home program to
address the individual sensory needs of the childand
support neurological changes; and
-
educating both parent and child about relative sensory
needs and behaviors which may stem from a sensory
processing disorder.
To this end, Christy has designed a series of
four progressive classes to
provide parents and caregivers a basic understanding of
Sensory Integration, strategies to influence behavior,
language to help the child and adult become aware of when
to use the strategies, and information necessary to
create a therapeutic play space within the home. Private
consultations, after completing the series, are available to
families on a limited basis.
An introduction to the
basics of Sensory Integration will be given to help parents
and caregivers understand the association between SI concerns,
attention, motor development and behavior. Additional
factors which influence sensory processing will also be
reviewed, giving you food for thought as to how you can
optimize your child's development.
A Sensory
Diet is a selection of activities that help to meet your
child's neurological needs and, thereby, support development. This overview covers the characteristics and rationale of a
sensory diet. Categories, examples of activities, and daily
routines will be reviewed to create a
tailor-made routine for your child at home. Prerequisite:
Overview One
This class
focuses on giving children strategies for understanding and regulating themselves. It helps increase awareness of both the parent
and child of the negative and positive impact of sensory
input. This program offers the child a way to verbalize feelings, opening up a communication system for
moving towards positive arousal and functional states. Prerequisites: Overviews One and Two
This class
covers creating an environment for play that supports your
child's Sensory Diet needs. Specific ideas on what equipment
to get and where to get it will be given along with a
general discussion of how to use this space for positive
sensory experiences. Prerequisites: Overviews One, Two, and Three
"These classes helped our entire
family!" Julie W., daughter, age 3, Atlanta, read Overview Testimonials here
Indiviudal consultations are
available for those who have attended the overviews and,
ideally, have a designated play space in their home. Your
child will have the opportunity to explore the equipment in
Christy's clinic under her guidance. The focus will be on
reviewing your child's Sensory Diet, helping you utilize or
further develop your available play space at home, discussing
the therapeutic appropriateness of different activities or
equipment, as well as exchanging ideas for using this equipment in a
variety of ways. This service is offered on a limited basis
(not to exceed five sessions).
