THE SENSORY MADE SIMPLE PODCAST

Transcript

Welcome to Sensory Made Simple, a podcast dedicated to helping moms figure out how to understand your child's sensory needs and how to support them, whether it's tackling meltdowns, eating new foods, or just getting through the day without feeling completely drained.

Hi, I'm Dr.

Sam, a pediatric occupational therapist and busy boy mom.

And each week, I'll share simple, realistic tips that fit into your busy life.

Because believe me, I get it.

Adding one more thing to your plate feels overwhelming enough.

No complicated terms, just easy to follow strategies to help your child feel calm, confident and understood.

So grab your coffee, chances are I've got mine too.

Pop in your earbuds and let's figure this out together.

A little note before we begin, please be advised that this information in this podcast is not medical or occupational therapy advice and is just for general and informational knowledge.

Okay, let's get to the show.

Sensory challenges really do look different for every single child.

Some kids are constantly jumping off things, crashing into everything, and touching every single thing in sight, while others just seem calm or totally withdrawn until they hit a breaking point.

This isn't just their personality.

Their brains are also processing sensory input in different ways.

Some kids take action to meet their sensory needs, while others don't.

We call this active and passive responses.

When you get this, it's easier to prevent meltdowns and help them feel more in control by getting the input their body needs to stay regulated.

Today, I'm going to teach you everything about active and passive sensory responses, what they mean, why it matters, and how it can actually help you prevent those meltdowns.

So, what are active and passive sensory responses?

Those sound like really big words.

You know I'm not a fan of big words, so let's break them down.

It's actually really simple.

Active responses means that a child takes action to help their body get the input they need or to get away from something that's too much.

So, you might see someone who has an active response going to crash into something, going to spin, running away, fighting the noise.

On the other hand, passive responses mean that kids are not taking action to meet those needs.

Even though they might need stimulation, their body might need it or they might need to get away from it, something's overwhelming to them.

They don't actually do anything about it.

And then for a lot of kids, you'll see that pop because they never got the input that their body was looking for.

So again, active responses are when we take action.

So active action.

Passive responses are when we are not taking action to meet those sensory needs.

But why does this actually matter?

How is knowing this going to help you with your child?

Let's start with active.

When a child is actively seeking out or avoiding sensory input, it's their way of regulating their body.

They're looking for input because their body needs it.

This is great.

They may crave more stimulation, again, like spinning or jumping to calm their bodies or to feel grounded.

But the challenge comes in when they push themselves too far, or they're looking for that input in ways that are unsafe, like jumping off the couch.

Or they may avoid sensations to the extremes, like hitting or throwing things at friends.

Okay, so number one, why knowing that your child has active sensory responses matters, is because if they are having active responses that are too much, that are too big, too scary, too dangerous, or are hurting other kids, hurting themselves, we need to teach them effective ways to help their body and get that input that they are looking for.

Number two, why this matters is because those active responses are a clue to us.

They are telling us, my body is out of sync and I need help.

These are those subtle cues that we often miss.

We talked about this a couple podcast episodes ago, but these are those clues, those active sensory responses are a clue to you hey, my body is out of sync and I need help before it's too much.

Now let's talk about those passive responses.

With a passive response, kids are often not doing anything about their sensory needs.

They may be experiencing overload, but because they don't take action to address it, they might shut down, withdraw, or just be totally disengaged.

For example, a child may not speak up when they feel overstimulated and may sit quietly, but then at home, they might explode because they couldn't do anything to process the input and to get their body organized.

Or they might need more input, but they didn't know what to do and they couldn't do anything about it, so they're totally dazed and sleepy instead of being present.

Now, why it matters for this kid is because it's really crucial to help them learn how to take action, whether it's recognizing when their body needs a break or showing them how to ask for the sensory input their body needs.

And again, all of this is a clue to us.

When we're starting to see these subtle hints that these kids are giving us, that's when we'll know, oh, okay, I need to teach them to ask for some sensory input here.

I need to teach them to move away from the sensory input.

So these active responses and these passive responses are clues to us as part of your child's sensory profile.

And we use these clues to help prevent those dreaded meltdowns.

Listen, meltdowns are quite possibly the most challenging part for parents, right?

You feel awful, they feel awful, there's a lot of guilt surrounding it, there's a lot of fight or flight response both for you and them, and I know that you are desperately working to try and avoid those.

When you understand if your child is having active or passive sensory responses, it gives you that insight on how to work with their body, not against it.

So instead of thinking they're being lazy when they withdraw or when they're shut down or when they're sleepy, you'll realize that they might not know how to ask for the input they need.

And when they're jumping off the walls or doing something really dangerous, you'll understand that they're actively seeking sensory input, but are maybe not going about it in that safe or effective way.

Knowing this helps you recognize their hints the body is giving you, so you can take action and prevent those meltdowns before they start.

So when we notice that a child is out of sync, that their body is running too hot, too cold on that sensory thermometer, we're looking at these responses and we're saying, oh, wait, I realize that this means they're out of sync.

What can I do to help them get their body temperature, that sensory temperature, back to just right?

Before we go, I do want to share just a couple simple ways that you can help support your child, whether they have active or passive responses.

I'm just gonna give a couple here.

Again, this really all comes down to your child's specific sensory needs, your child's specific sensory preferences, and that is something I'm really gonna help you with in my Sensory Made Simple course when it comes out.

So if you are not on the wait list for that, make sure you get on the wait list at drsamgoldman.com/sensorywaitlist.

Okay, so for active kids, number one, create a sensory-friendly environment where they can get that input that they need.

So a safe environment where they can get the input.

This again is gonna look different for every kid.

Maybe they do really well with crashing into pillows, so we have pillows out for them.

Maybe they like to throw things a lot.

We have a stuffed animal bin that they could throw animals into.

Number two, provide options that meet those needs in a productive way.

So something like obstacle courses is often really good for active kids because it's a productive way with a focused task that helps them stay on track.

Or noise canceling headphones for some of those kids who need to avoid the input.

And number three, teach them to recognize when they are seeking input in a non-helpful way so that they know, hey, this is dangerous and even though it feels good, this is something that is not super helpful for my body.

This, on the other hand, is super helpful and is safe.

For passive kids, number one, teach them how to recognize when their body is at a sink because a lot of the time they're not even realizing or noticing that they are getting overwhelmed or that they are getting super sleepy, be super tired.

And then give them the tools to express their needs.

So we're going to teach them, hey, my body is at a sink.

And then this is what I can do to help my body when it is at a sink.

Number two, encourage them to take action.

Whether it's asking for a break, leaving that noisy environment or using a calming strategy like deep breathing.

A lot of kids benefit from things like cards that they can hand to a teacher or hand motion that they can show you they're overwhelmed.

Often with kids, we expect them to speak up, but when they're overwhelmed, when their body is at a sink, a lot of the time that ability to speak and ability to say something actually shuts down.

So giving them a different way is really helpful.

And number three, be patient.

It's really hard to be patient during this process and provide those gentle reminders to help them advocate for themselves and take control.

So I know this is just a start on how to support them, and I know it can still feel like a really big task.

You don't have to do this all by yourself.

I really am here to help you every single step of the way.

If you're tired of guessing what your child needs or you're stuck in that sensory overwhelm, you're not alone.

My Sensory Survival Guide for Parents takes everything that we talked about today, active and passive sensory responses and it also adds in other pieces of the puzzle.

So this is just one piece of the puzzle.

For example, there are eight senses and we add that all together into the bigger picture of how your child acts and behaves.

So my guide isn't just about pointing out sensory challenges, it's about helping you understand why your child responds the way they do.

So you can be more intentional with what you do to help them.

So if you're ready to truly understand your child and be on the same page, this is that first step.

So this is a totally free guide, by the way.

But it takes you through four really simple steps to start decoding your child's behavior.

Every single behavior is your child communicating with you.

When we tune in to those and we finally understand what our child's body is saying to us, we can stop working against them and start working with them to make every day way less chaotic, way more fun, and way more connected.

So go over to www.drsamgoldman.com/sensorysurvivalguide.

You don't want to miss this one.

It really is that good.

And again, it is free.

www.drsamgoldman.com/sensorysurvivalguide.

I'll see you next time.

Thank you so much for joining me today on Sensory Made Simple.

I hope you're heading off with a little extra confidence and some easy ideas to tackle.

Those sensory struggles head on.

If this episode was helpful or gave you a tip you can't wait to try, it would mean so much if you would share it with a friend or leave a quick review.

It helps more moms like you find the show and support their child too.

And remember, every small step you take makes a big difference for your child.

You've got this and I am cheering you on every step of the way.

See you next time.