Motor Based Sensory Processing:
A child with a postural disorder "does not want to" do it.  They may have difficulty maintaining a stable position.  They could have difficulty with weight shifting to crawl or walk, and may slouch when sitting.  They loose their balance easily and "trip on air." They have difficulty with tasks that require them to use both sides of their body symmetrically, such as, clapping, jumping, and catching a ball. They do not have a hand preference and have difficulty with tasks that require them to cross midline with a hand, foot, or even eye.  An example of this would be reading across a line on paper or using one hand to paint or write.
 
A child with dyspraxia tends to feel like they can't do the task.  They may have difficulty sequencing or ordering movements or completing multiple tasks.  They are awkward, clumsy and appear accident prone.  They tend to have a hard time motor planning tasks like skipping, marching, or rolling. Fine motor control for writing, opening packages or using utensils is also difficult.  They have difficulty tracking a moving object and drawing or copying from the black board.  They may also show signs of difficulty with oral motor skills like articulating words, holding their mouth closed, chewing, swallowing, or blowing bubbles.
 
Disclaimer:
While many children may demonstrate different sensory preference and avoidance, for children with SPD their sensory processing affects their motor function or activities of daily living.

 

For more information about Sensory Processing Disorder check out The Out-of-Sync Child.

 

Knowing the bay area, we will still have some pleasant weather ahead of us in the next couple of months.  So, get outside with your kids and enjoy it! Here are some activites to try that are easy, fun and will help promote your child's gross motor development.

 

Soccer is a great activity for kids.  We know that you will most likely not be able to simulate an entire soccer game so let's break it down to parts of the game you can recreate.  You can start as simple as just encouraging your child to kick a ball and have them chase after it.  It doesn't matter where the ball goes at first. Kicking promotes single leg balance, which is an important skill for more difficult tasks such as stair climbing and hopping.  Chasing the ball will get the cardiovascular system working as well.  If you want to make the task more challenging set up two objects (cones, rocks, anything you can find!) a few feet apart and encourage you child to kick the ball so it goes in between the two objects, thus simulating a goal.  You can progress the difficulty by moving the two objects closer together so the goal is smaller. Once your child is used to kicking towards a target, you can kick the ball back and forth with them.  For an older child, you can collect several cones/objects and form a line with a couple of feet in between in each cone.  Then show your child how to weave in and out of the cones while kicking the ball and keeping it close to them.  All of the above tasks are great for balance, coordination, motor planning, and overall fitness.

 

Similar to soccer, we can break down parts of baseball to make it easier to recreate at home or at the park.  You can start by simply playing throw/catch.  With a younger child you will probably use a medium-large sized ball and they will be using two hands to catch and throw.  This skill helps promote eye-hand coordination, visual-motor responses, and bilateral use of hands/arms.  For an older child who has already developed a hand preference, you can use a smaller ball to encourage one handed throwing and begin to introduce a glove for catching.  Batting is a more difficult skill to master.  However, it is a realistic task for kids as young as 2-3 years old.  To begin teaching this task to your child, a batting tee is very helpful.  Once they are making consistent contact with the ball on the tee, try taking it away and tossing them the ball softly and then WATCH OUT! You'll be surprised how quickly the ball comes back to you.  Tip: Begin with plastic bats and whiffle balls for you child's safety and your own.  The benfits of batting are similar to those of throwing and catching.

 

We've given you just a few examples, but any sport you can think of can most likely be broken down into smaller tasks that your child can master one by one.  For more ideas for indoor/outdoor activities and games check out Family Fun.

 

Also, don't hesitate to ask your therapist for ways to modify certain sports or activities to accomodate for any impairments your child may have or for how to make it more specific to your child's needs.