Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Lights for our sensory space

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In my effort to turn our living/ family room into a sensory space/ room for my son Arif, one of the components that was missing was special lighting to provide visual sensory input. In today's post, I'd like to share with you some of the products that I've purchased and tried.

Thursday, August 17, 2017

Arif's first visit to We Rock the Spectrum, Ara Damansara

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Last week, I finally got the chance to take Arif to We Rock the Spectrum (WRTS), which is a special kids gym with an all-inclusive philosophy for kids with all levels of abilities. To me, what makes WRTS awesome are the uniquely-designed sensory equipment that are specifically-designed to aid children with sensory processing disorders, like my son Arif. 

At first glance, WRTS isn't a very big play area, but it packs a lot of sensory play into its space. We arrived early, so the place was empty and I got a chance to take these pictures.

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Here's a look at some of the swinging equipment that they have, which is excellent for kids with vestibular issues (more on this later on).

WRTS' slogan, "Finally a Place Where You Never Have to Say I'm Sorry”®, really hits home with me as an autism parent. When I take Arif to play areas, I usually have to deal with disapproving or confused looks from other parents, as well as angry or upset kids, when Arif behaves inappropriately.

Did Arif enjoy his time at WRTS? Read on to find out!

Friday, August 11, 2017

Creating a sensory play area @ Home for Arif

We live in a small home, but I've always felt that it's the perfect size for us. And though we don't have an excess of space, we make it work. 

Each space in our home is multi-functional and flexible to suit our changing needs, and our living/ family room is by far the most multi-purpose space we have. We sleep, eat, watch movies, study and read here and it's constantly evolving. This year, it has developed yet another purpose - a sensory play area for Arif. 

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I wanted to create a sensory play area for Arif because on top of his autism, he has Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). Having a sensory area at home can help calm and stimulate his senses. In addition to helping him with his sensory needs, the space also caters to his home-based therapies and learning activities.

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To turn our living room into an adaptable sensory room/ space for Arif, we use a foam play mat by Design Skin as a comfortable and safe surface.  The red Cake Sofa is also by DesignSkin. The swiveling egg chair and tunnel are from Ikea's Children Section, while the round and peanut-shaped exercise balls are from Lazada.

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Besides displaying some of Arif's favourite books on a ledge on the wall, I also keep Arif's toys organised in a cabinet. For small items, I use shoe boxes from Daiso that I label according to the activity, like - Sensory, Fine Motor, Art, Duplo & Matching and so on. 

And while I try to keep things as organised as possible.. accidents do happen....

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This alarming picture shows what happens when Arif doesn't get the sensory input he needs. Looks like a crime scene, doesn't it? I had just received and opened a package from Lazada and left the room for barely a few minutes. When I got returned, Arif was inside the box and everything else was all over the place!

When it comes to physical things, Arif is a sensory seeker, but when it comes to eating things and feeling textures, Arif is a sensory avoider. Trying to keep a sensory balance and adapting our home to suit his needs is one way for our family to support him. Our sensory space is a work in progress and I'm always looking for ways to improve or add to it.  

If you'd like to create a sensory space for your child, do check out my Pinterest page on Sensory Play and here are a few links to read up on:

Benefits of a Sensory Room


Sensory Room on a Budget

I've also included below, a few videos of awesome sensory rooms that I found on YouTube for your inspiration. Have fun creating your sensory space!







Wednesday, August 9, 2017

First visit to Starling Mall, PJ

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We decided to visit The Starling Mall in Damansara Uptown last weekend, because a friend told us it's a relatively quiet mall. When we go out, we need to consider if the place is suitable for Arif, who is autistic, because he finds crowded or noisy areas uncomfortable.

The Starling is "The Mall in the Park," which accounts for the nature-inspired theme throughout the mall. A "starling" is a type of bird that is best-known for their murmurations or flocking behaviour and the mall actually has an installation of a starling murmuration, as you can see below.

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The starlings here have a steampunk feel, as they have gears and bolts, like they're robot birds.

What else did we see at the mall? Click below to find out.

Thursday, August 3, 2017

Tracing & Scribbling

For autistic children like my son Arif, occupational therapy (OT) is important, as it helps them with sensory integration and to overcome certain deficits (read more here). So in addition to having him work with occupational and speech therapists, I also conduct therapeutic activities at home to supplement his therapy.

I also like to think of these sessions as an introduction to homeschooling, so that Arif gets used to the idea of learning at home. One of the activities we like to do is pre-writing skills and improving his pencil grasp. 

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As you can see above, Arif has what's called the cylindrical or fisted grasp. To help him with his prewriting activities, I printed a few tracing pages and laminated them so that they could be used again and again. Arif uses a dry erase pen (whiteboard marker) to trace the lines. Most of the time, he just scribbles all over the place, so to help him trace, I need to guide his hand.

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Sometimes, he does what's called the palmar or digital grasp, as you can see above. It's interesting to see him scribbling all over a particular character on the worksheet. I wonder what's going through his mind when he does this!

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And sometimes, he does both the fisted and palmar grasps at the same time! At present, he likes using both hands to draw or write, but his right hand seems to be the more dominant.

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He holds the eraser quite well, holding the paper beneath to stop it from moving. He likes cleaning up after he's made a mess :)

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And after some time, when the paper isn't exciting enough... he'll indulge in some body art! Messes are okay and perfectly welcomed in this house, because it's another sensory activity for Arif.

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In case you're wondering, I also give him pencils and colour markers with regular unlaminated paper, so that he can experience the different textures and pressures needed. 

Though he's doing a lot of scribbling, which seems meaningless, it's actually good practice for holding a writing instrument. Watch this short video on the importance of scribbling:


If you'd like to print out some free activity worksheets, like the ones I'm using here, feel free to visit my Pinterest board: Tracing, Colouring & Cutting Worksheets. Happy scribbling everybody!

Welcome 2019: Time to Grow

Happy New Year everyone! I'm so so excited for 2019 and everything that it'll bring. I'm starting the year with gratefulness for...