Playing Smarter! How do you make the most of the time spent with your special needs child?
Often times, feeling the need to help their special needs child, parents will try to step into the role of therapist and forget to simply play with and enjoy their child. How can we get the best of both worlds?
Instead of ‘structured therapy time’, make every interaction count by being mindful of the value you’ll be adding to your child’s experience, simply by the way you pick them up and move with them throughout the day. Dance in partnership with your child when you play with them, being mindful that your are providing a positive learning experience in every interaction, every word you speak, they way you gaze at, touch and move your child as you interact with them.
When you gently toss your child up in the air, you increase the sensory input to their proprioceptive and vestibular system. Most parents do this naturally without thinking. Somehow we feel that we need to be careful, acting as though special needs children are more fragile then they really are. Of course, for some there are real cautions that apply. And then for the rest, sometimes we forget to PLAY with them and SIMPLY having fun.
Integrating therapy into everyday play and interaction helps you become your child’s best therapist without the burden of wondering if you’re doing it right or if you’re doing enough for your child, questions most parents will ponder from time to time.
When you begin to ‘move with attention’ while interacting with your child, over time it will become second nature AND your child will benefit from the movements you impart as a result.
Practical Tools for You
Make every interaction count!
Have fun while putting your child’s clothes on, slowly bend and stretch the arms and legs as you do so and watch how your child is paying attention to what you do. Spend an extra minute putting their shoes on while they sit on the floor or lie on their back. Gently challenge your child to bring one leg up in the air. Notice if your child is paying attention to what they’re feeling as they move and are moved by you. Do you feel their leg soften to allow for the lifting?
Dance with your child while carrying them around. Kids love rhythm. As you alter the speed and pace of your walk, notice the effect it has on your child. Do they become more relaxed or tense? What’s your child’s favourite rhythm? What rhythm relaxes your child and which tenses your child up?
At bed time, gently touch and massage your child’s hands and feet. With the intention of feeling the structure of the bones and the shape of the muscles, slowly and gently explore the landscape of your child’s body. When you touch your child this way, you’re providing the opportunity for their brain to establish a ‘body map’. By increasing the sensory awareness of your child to the different parts of their body, it brings their attention to an internal sensation of how it feels to be touched with the inquisitiveness of finding out, versus the touch to stretch, mobilize or to create a change by force.
You’ll begin to notice an immense benefit when you interact and help your child bring attention to their own movement. It strengthens your relationship with your child while supporting them to create a relationship with their own body. It also enhances their ability to direct their movements with greater ease.
