Adjustment to everyday life for touch or tactile challenges

	Touch
Activity	Overreactive	Avoider
Dress	Select tight, natural fiber clothing. Select firm underwear, with or without “tight” spots, like elastic. Wear clothing that provides even pressure on skin, and gives freedom during movement.	Select firm fitting natural fibers underwear with or without elastic. Use tight clothing and heavy blankets. Wear tight-fitted clothing.
Eat	Identify favorite food flavors, textures, and temperatures and stick with them.	Use one food temperature and limit textures. Try coated utensils.
Play	Provide a buffer space for child to play without getting bumped easily.	Identify play area with space away from other children.
Going Out	Identify preferred surface textures. Wrap your body around child when holding.	Keep child out of crowded spaces.
Bath	Press firmly on child’s skin. Place mat with or without preferred texture in bottom of tub.	Use cotton knit for washcloth and toweling. Press soap bar directly on the skin. Warm up wipes.
Sleep	Provide a favorite blanket for child to hold.	Direct fans/vents away from the child.

	Touch
Activity	Underreactive	Seeking
Dress	Rub lotion before dressing. Select highly textured socks and clothes.	Select highly textured underwear. Provide textured bed clothing of child’s choice. Add accessories, like head bands, wrist bands, and belts.
Eat	Provide varied and textured food options. Serve food with varied temperatures.	Include multiple foods, textures, and temperatures in one meal.
Play	Add texture to handles and toy surfaces. Provide different surfaces for play, like linoleum and carpet.	Add textures to finger paint and toy surfaces. Encourage bare foot play on a variety of surfaces.
Going Out	Bring textured toys along. Be sure the child is wearing textured socks and underwear.	Bring textured toys along. Be sure the child is wearing textured socks and underwear.
Bath	Use rough and varied textures for wash cloths and towels. Use textured soaps, like oatmeal. Use sprayer to vary water texture.	Let child pick among several wash cloth textures. Use exfoliating soaps.
Sleep	Move hands along the child’s body while waking.	Massage child.