One idea I found helpful was to have a space in our house for our son to go and be quiet and calm down. I found great ideas from other parents, from Pinterest and from my son's OT. There are a few things to remember when putting one together.
1. It needs to be there space. It's like a "room" that is their own, so asking permission to go into their space is a must from you and siblings
2. It needs to be filled with things they love. We had an eye-spy bottle,velvet blanket tacked up on the walls (he loved the feel of it), his bean bag chair, his puzzle ball, along with other sensory items he loved (like his "stuffies") (Check out the facebook page B-inspired Momma for some great ideas for sensory crafts and possible things to put in your child's sensory room)https://www.facebook.com/B.InspiredMama/?fref=ts
3. It should be a closed off space with less light. Sometimes even light can be over-stimulating for our little guys (and gals). You don't need it behind a door, even a curtain will do. We decided to use our son's closet space (clothes removed), we used a shower curtain rod with a cloth curtain he could leave open or close.
4. No one else can use the space (unless allowed by your child who "owns" it. This is important, because it needs to be available for your child when they need a time out...but don't use it as a time out! Haha! Otherwise it will defeat it's purpose.
5. Create the space with your child. This place is their space, so get their input, ask them what they want to put in their "room". They are so creative and will think of lots of fun things you might not have thought of.
Having a space for them when they are in flight or fight will help them to calm down enough for reason. I will discuss how to handle fight or flight in a future blog, I am still learning how to handle it myself. The larger the child, the greater the sensory need, and my son is now 9! They grow up fast!
For more ideas on what to put in your sensory room check out my blog post Sensory Tools.
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