Play Sensory Detective

What can I do?; Sensory Detective; Learning Challenge Detective

Home; School; Stims; Play; Social; Other

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Behavior	Interpretation	Area	Intervention
Makes sounds constantly.	Is auditory seeking.	Hearing	Provide toys that make sounds. Provide musical instruments. Talk to the child, make sounds together.
Play is disrupted by sounds.	Is auditory sensitive.	Hearing	Play even tempo background music during play time. Monitor child’s need to move away.
Mouths objects.	Seeking different tastes found on objects Seeking input to muscles or joints especially in the mouth Decreased discrimination, seeking different textures. May find this calming. May be seeking Body Aware input. May like the Touch input of the item.	Taste, Body Aware, Touch	Use safe unscented cleaners on toys that have safe finishes. Allow the child to chew on gum, gummy worms (chill to harden), jujubes, hard candy, coffee stirrers, latex-free tubing, straws, or have snacks that are crunchy or chewy. Allow the child to chew on clothes if it does not cause harm. Provide a water bottle with a sturdy straw that the child can drink from. Consider alternatives with a strong oral emphasis.
Prefers only to engage in sedentary activities (i.e., television, computer, video games).	Limiting actions may be a way to avoid activities that present unpleasant sensations and unpredictable movements. May have poor self-concept about abilities based on motor planning difficulties that result in uncoordinated movements. Anxiety about skills or performance affects his ability to generate ideas or problem-solve.	Motor Planning, Body Aware, Balance / Movement	Embed physical movement into routine activities such as making the bed, emptying the trash, pushing the book cart, etc. Incorporate movement into the child's sedentary activity. For example, to play a video game, the child must first walk up a flight of stairs or get the video game from the highest shelf. Add music to the task providing a structured starting and stopping point. Utilize the child's area of interest to elaborate on the activity. Provide a visual support that demonstrates the steps of a nonsedentary activity.
Tastes or smells all objects before playing.	Is olfactory and/or Taste seeking.	Smell/ Taste	Provide toys with safe finishes. Clean toys with safe scented cleaners.
Drops heavy parts of a toy/game.	Has weak muscles and poor endurance.	Body Aware	Use proprioception and gross motor activities to increase coordination and strength.
Tires before game is complete.	Has weak muscles and poor endurance.	Body Aware	Use proprioception and gross motor activities to increase coordination and strength.
Unable to sustain movements during play.	Has weak muscles and poor endurance.	Body Aware	Use proprioception and gross motor activities to increase coordination and strength.
Engages in rough play during recess, gym class, and organized sport activities.	Has unclear understanding of own strength. Seeks Body Aware input. May not be able to judge where her body is in relation to other children.	Body Aware, Touch	Prior to contact sports, have the child participate in gross-motor activities (i.e., jumping, wheelbarrow races, crab crawls, tug-ofwar) that increase proprioceptionness. Have the child wear a compression-type garment (Spandex™ or Lycra™) under regular clothes. Make recess a series of planned activities that look like an obstacle course, including hanging by hands or feet, pushing, pulling, or jumping.
Rubs toys on face, arms.	Is Touch seeking.	Touch	Add textures to finger paint; toy surfaces Encourage bare foot play on a variety of surfaces
Selects a narrow range of toys, textures similar.	Is Touch sensitive.	Touch	Provide prefered textured toys. Provide a buffer space for child to play without getting bumped easily
Can't hold onto toys/objects.	Has fine motor challenges or Touch sensitivity.	Touch, Fine Motor	Use fine motor activities to increase coordination and strength.
Is hesitant to access playground equipment or participate in games and play where feet lose contact with the ground.	May be afraid of falling and needs the reassurance of being connected to the ground.	Balance / Movement	Allow the child to direct the movement initially. Grade the activity to a level with less challenge or threat to the child. Provide supervised practice opportunities in advance of participation in the activity with others. Incorporate additional proprioception stimulation with weight or Touch input by briskly rubbing prior to activity.
Avoids play that includes movement.	Is Balance / Movement avoider.	Balance / Movement	Honor quiet play. Make toys easily accessible.
Becomes overly excited/anxious when moving during play.	Is Balance / Movement sensitive. Has a low tolerance for movement.	Balance / Movement	Create predictable patterns for movement play.
Craves movement activities.	Is Balance / Movement seeker.	Balance / Movement	Place favorite toys in places to increase climbing, crawling, etc. Play balance and movement games. Put toys away one at a time.
Rocks excessively.	Is Balance / Movement seeker.	Balance / Movement	Place favorite toys in places to increase climbing, crawling, etc. Play balance and movement games. Put toys away one at a time.
Has trouble locating desired toy on cluttered shelf.	Has poor visual discrimination.	Visual	Use visual discrimination activities to increase ability.
Has trouble with matching, sorting activities.	Has poor visual discrimination.	Visual	Use visual discrimination activities to increase ability.
Irrational fear of heights or over cautious.	Decreased ability to determine heights or distances. Decreased ability to determine relationship to others or the ground, decreased ability to navigate	Visual, Balance / Movement	Play visual, balance, and movement games.