What is a Sensory Diet?

Felicia Sexton, Occupational Therapist, Change for Life

As we go about our daily life, we are continually surrounded by a buffet of sensory input. Whether working in a brightly-lit office or simply walking down a crowed street, our lives are filled with sensations. The different types of sensory input can the broken down into seven senses: auditory (sound), visual (sight), taste (oral), touch (tactile), smell (olfactory), proprioceptive (body awareness), and vestibular (balance and movement). The first five are the most common senses that we know and use. Proprioceptive input is any activity that provides pressure to joints and muscles. Anytime we squeeze through a tight space, hold something heavy, hug someone or jump up and down we are receiving proprioceptive input.

The way our brain processes the sensory information we receive from the world around us, can impact how we go about our day. Even though we may experience each of the senses throughout the day, just like with food, everyone has unique preferences for certain types of sensory input. We may start the day with a cold shower to wake us up, or perhaps position our desk to be in bright light or a quieter spot, maybe even go out of our way to avoid certain strong smells. These preferences can be referred to as a sensory profile and can be used to create a sensory diet. A sensory diet refers to the type and amount of sensory input a person needs in order to function throughout their day at an optimal level. Sometimes without even knowing it, we all have ways of meeting out our individual sensory needs. For example, after sitting for a long time, we may find ourselves tapping a leg or flicking a pen (increasing tactile or movement input). Some people may chew on a pencil when feeling stressed or drink a cup of tea to help them relax. There are countless sensory strategies that can be used to help us stay alert when feeling tired, or alternatively, calm us down when feeling agitated, stressed or just needing to relax.

One thing that is important to note, is that there is no right or wrong sensory profile or diet. Similar to one person preferring sweet foods and another person preferring savoury; a sensory profile is just a part of what makes us individuals. Knowing our own personal sensory preferences can help us pick strategies that keep us working at our best.

For children, it can sometimes be challenging knowing what sort of sensory inputs match their sensory needs. This is especially the case when it comes to sensory information they have never experienced before. Some sensory information can be overwhelming; bright lights, loud noises, strong tastes or even certain smells might become distressing if they fill up a child’s sensory needs too quickly. Alternatively, a child might actively seek out colourful toys, things that make fun sounds, certain food or smells they find appealing. Helping a child explore their sensory needs can help them develop good sensory strategies and allow them to better engage with daily activities, both at home and in the community.

Knowing what type of sensory input a child might find alerting, exciting, calming or relaxing, means that those sensory inputs can be used to create effective sensory strategies. Potentially decluttering a visually stimulating desk or listening to calming music, might help a child concentrate. Some children may prefer more active sensory inputs, such as taking a break from tasks to bounce on a trampoline or do star jumps. The key to a beneficial sensory diet is to find that “optimum sensorimotor input” a child needs before, during, or after an activity to keep them going. Remembering, that for each child this is going to be different. Each sensory diet should be based on an individual child’s needs and preferences.

A sensory diet can include sensory input from any of the senses and often includes a list of activities that can help your child meet their own personal sensory needs. These activities can include sensory inputs that their body is craving/seeking or ones that help to keep their body calm (activities that helps them settle, focus and self regulate. Sensory strategies can also be used to address a child’s sensory tolerance or sensory sensitivities. For example, when a child becomes upset during grooming, picky eating and other sensory behaviour. By using sensory strategies and a sensory diet, it can help your child to function at their highest potential and participate more fully in their daily life activities.

If you are interested in finding out more about your child’s individual sensory profile and sensory diet, you can contact an occupational therapist for help with developing strategies and supports for both you and your child.

The Non-Diet Approach – Weight Loss Is Not The Answer.

Kimberly Nelson, Dietitian, Change for Life

Weight loss counselling (essentially dieting) is the traditional treatment modality that Dietitians are trained in, despite flaws in the evidence base and evidence demonstrating that it is ineffective and can cause more harm than good. Research shows that dieting is almost synonymous with weight regain within 2-5 years (NHMRC, 2013; Mann et al, 2007). The Non-Diet approach (essentially weight neutral counselling) does not refute the associations between health and a higher weight but queries the causative factors driving them. A systematic review of 16 studies by Clifford et al (2015) demonstrated that a weight neutral approach resulted in weight stability at 5 years, improved biochemical markers, sustained healthy behaviours and improved psychological outcomes such as self-esteem, disordered eating and depression. Most importantly there were no negative outcomes.

The Non-Diet Approach is a paradigm based on the principles of Health at Every Size® (HAES®), which rejects the focus of weight as a determinant of health and sees it as a consequence of numerous factors affecting an individual’s health. It accepts and respects the natural diversity of body shapes and sizes; values eating in a flexible way by listening to our body’s internal cues; and moving for enjoyment rather than a desire to be thin. The Non-Diet Approach is the model of Dietetic practice of HAES®. It’s 5 core principles are grounded in accepting and embracing – body cues, all foods, body shape, joyful movement and non-diet nutrition to enhance self-compassion (see model below). Healthy behaviours like being physically active, eating the recommended serves of fruit and vegetables and having higher self-compassion, have more of an influence on a person’s health than their weight (Clifford et al, 2015). By taking this weight neutral approach with our patients and treating people with a BMI above the ‘healthy’ range the same as those considered to have a healthy BMI, we can reduce our own weight bias and improve our ability to actually help those who are stigmatised for being in a larger body.

Memory In Young Kids: Helping with Learning and Attention in Learning

Dr. Malini Singh, Psychologist, Change for Life

Being able to focus and pay attention is important for learning and holding one’s attention.  This is important in three ways. First, your child has to pay attention to take the information in. Secondly, the information has to move to the part of the brain that retains the information and add to long-term memory. Lastly, the information has to be recalled, so that it can be remembered at the right time.  Many children struggle with these processes and it can be difficult to know where the difficulties lie for each child. A few tips can help in improving children’s school grades and in learning new tasks.
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Calcium requirements for children

Dr Malini Singh

Calcium is a nutrient that we hear about quite often. Most commonly, it’s associated with strong bones and teeth and in the prevention of osteoporosis in old age. Calcium is also very important in the proper functioning of our heart, nerves and muscles. Read More “Calcium requirements for children”

Helping Healthy Technology Use for Teens

Dr. Malini Singh, Psychologist, Change for Life

Today’s teenagers live in a high-tech world.  Most have their own tablet, smart phone, and access lots of online resources for school and to connect to their friends.  Regulating your teenager’s screen time may seem like a constant battle, and parents worry about the effect of technology on their teenager’s physical and mental health. Read More “Helping Healthy Technology Use for Teens”

Starting Prep: A Whole New World

Dr Malini Singh, Psychologist, Change for Life

Yes!! It’s that time when you have just finished buying your first school uniform and cannot believe your toddler is now ready for the big world called school.  It is an unforgettable moment to see one’s child in their uniform and arrive at school for the first day. All the photographs and proud moments are shared with friends and family.  School is such big change for families and children. There are lots of new rules and challenges for a child used to the open spaces and learning environment of kindergarten. Read More “Starting Prep: A Whole New World”

Why all the talk about the W-sit?

Rachael Thomas, Change for Life, Occupational Therapist

While developing motor skills, play skills, and independence, children move and change their body’s position all the time. One of the many positions you may find your child sitting in is a W-sit position, which is often referred to as “W-sitting”. This position was awarded its name because it involves a child bending their legs at the knees and spreading out from their hips to make a W shape. While many typically developing children move through this position from time to time during play, excessive use of this position is strongly discouraged and can result in challenges further down the track.

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Two-year-old children: what to look out for

An important question parents ask is what their two-year-old child should be saying or how they should be interacting with other children in their age group. Children from bilingual families can differentiate their languages as young as two years of age, and possibly earlier. In terms of developmental milestones, research suggests that there is no outstanding difference between bilinguals and monolinguals, when the learning opportunities for both languages are taken into account. Read More “Two-year-old children: what to look out for”

How to get kids to eat more veggies

Have mealtimes become increasingly stressful in your household? Are your children refusing to eat vegetables or try new foods? Fussy eating amongst toddlers and young children is relatively common. Below are 10 tips to get your kids eating more vegetables and trying new foods. Read More “How to get kids to eat more veggies”

Happy Parents: Happy Teens

One of the commonly seen problems in teenage years is the changes in mood and emotions. As the brain is changing rapidly, teenagers can be prone to feeling low and finding their world confusing. One risk of being depressed as a teenager is that there is a risk of experiencing greater levels of depression as an adult. An important factor that can help teens develop resilience is to model resilient behaviour from their parents. Adolescents whose parents have depression can be more prone to depression in adulthood compared to teenagers whose parents have healthy mental health. Growing research shows that the mental health of mothers plays an important role in how much adolescents improve when they get stressed and depressed. Similarly, the role of fathers can be very important in understanding how depressed mood develops and how severe it can get in adolescents. Read More “Happy Parents: Happy Teens”