Changing the Environment
A maxim to remember when dealing with your child with sensory integration disorder is, “When you can't change the child, change the environment.” This means that if your child has trouble with something, you can change things around so that she never has to deal with it in the first place. This takes forethought and ingenuity on your part, but it pays off beautifully in a less-stressed child and a more relaxed parent.
Once you've done your behavior analysis and identified patterns that link your child's misbehavior to his sensory integration difficulties, think about what you could do to avoid those patterns. Think about the things around your house that cause your child the most stress. Identify sights or smells or activities that regularly spur a breakdown. Then consider how you might change things to accommodate your child's needs.
My child has tantrums over things one day and tolerates them the next. Does that mean it's not really a sensory integration issue?
No. Your child's overall level of stress on any given day may make her more or less tolerant of sensory integration problems. Then, too, some kids swing from overreactive to underreactive within the same sensory area, so something that bothers your child one day may not even be noticed on another.
Instead of constantly reminding your child not to play with small breakable items because he's too rough with them, move the items out of reach. Instead of yelling at him for hopping up from the table in the middle of homework, let him sit on a big inflatable exercise ball while working so that he gets the movement his body needs. Instead of criticizing him for not using his fork, find things that he can be allowed to eat with his fingers. Quietly changing the environment can save you from nagging and your child from failing.
