8 Sensory Strategies to Manage After School Meltdowns

8 Sensory Strategies to Manage After School Meltdowns. (45 mins)

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Course overview

Jessica Kirton, Occupational Therapist and Advanced Sensory Integration Practitioner shares easy and practical strategies to support children who bottle up their sensory integration difficulties all day at school and then melt down as soon as they are safely home. The course is designed for parents and families, with quick and easy strategies for the first hour after coming home from school.

The strategies on this course are suitable for younger children, up to age 10, and Jess gives alternatives and options which do not require additional equipment or resources to put in place. Parents can build a regular and predictable afterschool routine to co-regulate their child. You can create an individually tailored 'calm and decompress' sequence by combining as many of these eight strategies as they need. As always, Jess ensures that parents understand why these strategies are being suggested with straightforward explanations of the evidence-based sensory principles which underpin them.

What You Will Learn

Introducing whole-body awareness techniques in ways that feel safe and supportive
Using muscle and joint movements to calm and destress
When to introduce rocking movements
Different touch-based strategies with different effects
Using auditory, scents and flavours as part of a planned and predictable co-regulation routine

Course curriculum

1. How to use this course
2. Meet the course leader, Jess Kirton
1. Welcome
2. Who this course is most useful for, and what we are going to cover
3. What this course does not cover and why
1. Use interoception to help your child 'check in'
2. How to do a body scan with your child
1. Using the muscles and joints to regain a sense of calm
2. Proprioception - How to do it
1. Rocking and swinging movements to feel settled and calm
2. Introducing vestibular movement strategies
1. What is deep pressure, and why might it be helpful
2. Deep pressure, how to do it
3. For some children, gentle deep pressure can be added in to help
4. Oral Tactile sensory strategies to explore
5. How to introduce Oral Tactile strategies to calm and relax
1. Think carefully about auditory input
2. Auditory strategies
3. How to weave auditory input in to your calming and settling after school routine
1. Make small changes to the visual environment
2. Strategies to try with visual input
1. Using familiar smells and tastes to help your child feel secure and calm
2. How to use smells and tastes for afterschool meltdown management
1. Why do sensory strategies work?
2. What's the theory behind them?
1. What has been covered
2. Take home points
1. Check your learning
2. Get started
1. Download your course notes
2. Glossary

About this course

31 lessons
0.5 hours of video content

Lecturer

Jessica Kirton

Occupational Therapist and Advanced Sensory Integration Practitioner

I am an Occupational Therapist and Advanced Sensory Integration Practitioner. I have been working as a Children's Occupational Therapist for 11 years in a range of settings including NHS, private practice, special schools, mainstream schools and specialist intervention for early years. I have also completed some voluntary work overseas. I have set up OT services across schools and worked as a Lead OT. I am now a self-employed independent therapist pursuing my dream to set up my own practice alongside working as a lecturer for Sensory Integration Education.

Reviews

Amazing concise & practical info!

Angela busby

This is super helpful, easy to finish quickly and very practical! 8-9 great strategies I’m going to try straight away to help after school meltdowns. Loved it thank you!!!

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Very helpful!

Menia Baka

This easy to understand and follow webinar is very helpful in order to give the proper advice to parents or caregivers that struggle with the sensory overload of their children!

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