Playing = Learning
Books
Sensational Kids, Lucy Jane Miller, PhD, OTR/L
Dr. Lucy Jane Miller, a well known SPD researcher, brings together a lifetime of study to teach parents and others the signs and symptoms of SPD and its four major subtypes; ways the disorder is diagnosed and treated; sensory strategies for living with the condition; and methods to help SPD kids thrive.
Sensory Integration and the Child, 25th Anniversary Edition, A. Jean Ayres, PhD
This classic book, written by the originator of sensory integration theory, is now revised in a 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. Helpful tips, checklists, question-and-answer sections, and parent resources make the new edition more informative and useful. Indispensible reading for parents, this book is also an excellent way to improve communication between therapist, parents and teachers.
Raising a Sensory Smart Child, Lindsay Biel, OTR/L & Nancy Peske
For children with sensory difficulties-those who struggle to process everyday sensations and exhibit unusual behaviors such as avoiding or seeking out touch, movement, sounds, and sights-this groundbreaking book is an invaluable resource. Sensory integration dysfunction, also known as sensory processing disorder, affects all kinds of children-from those with developmental delays, attention problems, or autism spectrum disorders, to those without any other issues. Co-authored by a pediatric occupational therapist and a parent of a child with sensory issues.
Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight: What to Do If You Are Sensory Defensive in an Overstimulating World, Sharon Heller
Written by a developmental psychologist, this valuable book provides a wealth of information about sensory defensiveness. The book includes four sections-the first two focus on an overview of the condition, and the second two examine treatment, including diet, medication and relaxation techniques. Useful appendices list alternative treatments and resources. The writing is clear and relatively jargon-free, and sprinkled throughout the book are anecdotes from patients who have successfully battled sensory defensiveness.
Love, Jean Inspiration for Families Living with Dysfunction of Sensory Integration, A. Jean Ayres, Brian Erwin, & Zoe Mailloux
Captured in correspondence written by sensory integration pioneer A. Jean Ayres to her nephew Philip Erwin, Love, Jean provides hope, insight, and inspiration to parents of children who have been diagnosed with dysfunction of sensory integration. Interspersed with her letters, written in the 1970s, are Erwin’s poignant and sometimes gut-wrenching stories about what it felt like before, during, and after his aunt diagnosed his condition and renowned sensory integration therapist and researcher Zoe Mailloux’s insights for parents from a therapist’s perspective. The result is a book that gently unfolds for parents what sensory integration is and how parents of children with sensory processing differences should be filled with hope that help is on the way.
The Explosive Child, Dr. Ross Greene
Flexibility and tolerance are learned skills, as any parent knows if they’ve seen an irascible 2-year-old grow into a pleasant, thoughtful, and considerate older child. Unfortunately, for reasons that are poorly understood, a few children don’t “get” this part of socialization. Years after toddler tantrums should have become an unpleasant memory, a few unlucky parents find themselves battling with sudden, inexplicable, disturbingly violent rages–along with crushing guilt about what they “did wrong.” Medical experts haven’t helped much: the flurry of acronyms and labels (Tourette’s, ADHD, ADD, etc.) seems to proffer new discoveries about the causes of such explosions, when in fact the only new development is alternative vocabulary to describe the effects. Ross Greene, a pediatric psychologist who also teaches at Harvard Medical School, makes a bold and humane attempt in this book to cut through the blather and speak directly to the (usually desperate) parents of explosive children.
Sensory Integration, Practical Strategies and Sensory Motor Activities for Use in the Classroom
Addressing the needs of children with sensory integration dysfunction, this handbook offers practical, detailed information on identifying and addressing sensory integration dysfunction within the classroom environment.
Einstein Never Used Flashcards, Hirsh-Pasek, PhD, & Golinkoff, PhD
Authors and child psychologists Hirsh-Pasek, Golinkoff and Eyer join together to prove that training preschoolers with flash cards and attempting to hurry intellectual development doesn’t pay off. In fact, the authors claim, kids who are pressured early on to join the academic rat race don’t fair any better than children who are allowed to take their time. Alarmed by the current trend toward creating baby Einsteins, Hirsh-Pasek and Golinkoff urge parents to step back and practice the “Three R’s: Reflect, Resist, and Recenter.” Instead of pushing preschoolers into academically oriented programs that focus on early achievement, they suggest that children learn best through simple playtime, which enhances problem solving skills, attention span, social development and creativity
Websites
Sensory Integration Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation www.spdfoundation.org
Sensory Processing Disorder Resource Center www.sensory-processing-disorder.com
Sensational Kids www.sensationalkids.org
Equipment/Home program supplies
We often recommend toys, equipment, or home therapy supplies from the following companies.
Handwriting Without Tears www.hwtears.com
Southpaw Enterprises www.southpawenterprises.com
Pocket Full of Therapy www.pfot.com
Therapro www.theraproducts.com
Weighted blankets www.beanblanket.com
Therapy Shoppe www.therapyshoppe.com
Professional Development Products www.pdppro.com