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Carolyn answers some of the most common questions about SSK and "sensory" kids. Want more facts and advice from Carolyn and SSK? Check out our blog!

1. Who is a "sensory" child?

Systems for Sensory Kids defines “sensory” kids as those with anxiety disorder, sensory integration dysfunction, learning challenges, ADD/ADHD, obsessive/compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, high-functioning autism, Asperger's syndrome, or other sensory challenges. Though a diagnosis is an important part of the process of understanding your sensory child, the SSK Sensory Organizing® System focuses on helping you identify the unique challenges or behaviors you are seeing in your child, and teaches you how to tap into structure, routines, visual aids, and organizing tools to change behavior or support a task.

2. What is SSK Sensory Organizing®?

Systems for Sensory Kids and SSK Sensory Organizing® techniques are the marriage of my experience as the parent of a sensory child and my experience as a professional organizer. The same basic tools used by professional organizers can be adapted to apply to support sensory kids in their everyday lives. In order to help our sensory kids be successful (and keep the rest of the family running smoothly as well), we need to tap into systems that use routines, organizing tools, and visual aids. SSK Sensory Organizing® employs these tools to create unique daily systems that work for families.

3. Why do these techniques work for sensory kids?

Many sensory kids with different diagnoses can have the same strengths, and the same common behaviors and challenges. For example, a visual homework plan will help a child with attentional challenges stay on task, help an anxious/overwhelmed child know what to expect, help a rigid/explosive child know the mix of desired and undesired activities in the plan, and help a child with executive functioning challenges plan and sequence to get homework done. The common factor is structure - which is precisely what the SSK Sensory Organizing® System seeks to help families create.

4. There are so many little challenges every day for my sensory child. Where do I start?

Our sensory kids are working very hard to hold it together outside the home, and are constantly navigating situations which feel overwhelming to them. The main goal of a Systems for Sensory Kids structural plan is to have time at home run more smoothly for our sensory kids, as well as for the rest of the family. The best place to start when developing a plan to support your sensory child at home is to identify the top two or three times of day which are consistently hard for your child. Then, choose one of those times to support with a new routine, additional structure, and a visual aid (i.e., a picture schedule, white board, or laminated checklist).

5. How do I support my ADHD child during the rush to get out of the house in the morning?

Sensory kids with attentional challenges struggle to stay on task. They are easily distracted by what is going on around them, and can have a low threshold for frustration. This distractibility and frustration is especially apparent during time-pressured transitions. The key here is to break it down. Have your sensory child do as much as possible the night before, like making lunch, picking out clothes and putting them in the dressing area, and packing the book bag. This limits the morning routine to the necessities of getting dressed, eating breakfast, and brushing his or her teeth. Also, reduce the number of times your sensory child goes up and/or down the stairs to their bedroom or bathroom. Extra trips equal extra distractions. If that means you get an extra toothbrush and toothpaste for the downstairs bathroom for weekday mornings, so be it!

6. My anxious child gets overwhelmed and nervous about new situations. How can I prepare him?

For our sensory kids who struggle with anxiety, it can be helpful to come up with a way to prepare them for a new experience ahead of time, and give them a loose idea of what to expect. Books from the library, online tools (websites, apps that have “social story” videos), making your own social story with real life pictures, or creating a sequential word-and-picture schedule to explain the anticipated flow of events are all ways to prepare your anxious child for new experiences. Another tip: Save what you make for future reference and to highlight a successful past experience.

7. How can I help my extended family and friends understand my sensory child?

Helping our friends and extended family understand our sensory kids is not an immediate event, but more of an evolution; a step-by-step process. As we know, the hallmark of many sensory profiles is inconsistency, so your friends and family may see many different versions of your sensory child when they are with him or her. This, in itself, is hard for many people to understand. Since you want your friends and family to have the opportunity to connect with your sensory child, give them the information they need to understand in bits and pieces. My rule of thumb is to give family a way to connect with your sensory child through fascinations and interests, and an idea of main triggers or consistent challenges. For example, you might say, “Tommy needs about thirty minutes to get used to a new place, but once he is settled and playing, he loves anything to do with Legos and Spongebob." Also, inform visiting friends and family of your household routines, so they can support them, instead of inadvertently disrupting them.

Carolyn Dalgliesh founded SSK to offer practical support and solutions to parents of sensory children. With her passion for problem solving, healthy living, and systems management, Carolyn is ideally suited to assist you in creating an organized, functional environment for your child.