Strategies for Sensory Challenges

My grand-daughter is age 7 and I take care of her. She receives speech, O.T., P.T. and feeding programs. She has a lot of sensory problems. I try everything to help her. I can’t take her out to eat because the smells make her go wild. Please help.

I am working with a child who has just started licking things: people, walls, toys, etc. Redirection makes him frustrated.   How can I help him reduce this behavior?

As an educational consultant in schools, I often see young children at desks with their feet dangling, the chairs are too high.  Could this be a factor affecting behavior and if so what can I tell teachers to do?

I teach 2nd grade in a very busy classroom.  There is one student who has major difficulty with certain academic tasks and will melt down whenever he gets frustrated.  We don’t know what to do when he gets like that – it’s very disruptive!  Sending him out of the classroom isn’t the answer.  What can I do to help him calm down?

My son will not try any new foods. When I even ask him to just take a bite of something different he starts yelling. How can I get him to try something new?

What would be the best way to help an 8 year old boy with ASD to adjust to moving to another home?  He seems to do fine until it is time to go to bed and then he gets terribly upset, crying and hitting himself. This behavior does not occur when he is able to sleep in his old bedroom.  His grandmother lives in his previous home so he has access to his old room.

What are some strategies to reduce or extinguish vocal and motor self-stimulatory behaviors that interfere with learning and community inclusion?

My 5 year old takes off her socks and shoes every 10 minutes when on her bus.  There is an aide on the bus, but the shoes aren’t always put back on. What can I do about it?

A three year old I am working with does not like the feeling of paint. He has just recently been diagnosed with Autism. What are some sensory activities I can do with this preschooler to help him out?

I teach high school math to life skills students. I have one student who continually calls out phrases in a perseverative manner. She also intermittently claps her hands. The other students in the class get upset and yell for her to “cut it out”. She is a good and caring student.  However, her behaviors interfere with the class and result in negative interactions with her peers. Additionally, she frequently asks for adult help or to have her work checked. All of these behaviors can be exhausting for the adults in the room by the end of the period.  Any suggestions?