MARC’S SENSORY OASISSensory-based Occupational Therapy

www.marclandry.ca

M y N e w s l e t t e r

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S i t t i n g i s t h e n e w s m o k i n g

Don’t sit still, but DO YOUR WORK!!!!

Workshops that Focus on:

Brain Differences, Behaviour, & Learning

Sensory Processing & Self Regulation

Resilience & Stress Management

Kindergarten Readiness

And More...

CLICK HERE for a description of all my workshops, or request a new focus.

Hey! My Brain Doesn’t Work That Way!

THESE WORKSHOPS wi l l he lp you understand how Brain Differences (not choice) create more ‘behaviour differences’, how Sensory Processing and Modulation work, as well as how to support automatic Self Regulation, attention, resilience, and stress management.

Evening Workshops in South Surrey

Part 1 - Jan 19 About your Brain

Part 2 - Jan 26 About Sensory Processing

To learn more or register, see last page

I also have availability in my schedule for individual sessions and Sensory Profile Assessments.

The best teachers are realizing that children do more work, and better work when they are moving. These are teachers who are strong and confident enough to overcome the visual distraction of teaching to a group of moving people. Those brave enough and determined enough to manage th i s a re discovering AMAZING results, and they are changing EDUCATIONAL PRACTICE. One teacher wrote how she was given two pedal machines to try. Not really believing it would achieve anything, she assigned them to two boys that she had labelled as “unmotivated trouble makers”. She told them they could use the pedal machines if they sat in the front row, and what happened amazed her! The two boys became engaged in ways that

they had never been. They were more verbal, more participative, and their interaction was almost always on task! And, the whole time, their feet were busy under the table. Occupational therapists know that language centers work better when the body is moving, and that this also stimulates the l imb i c s y s tem , r e su l t i n g i n increased motivation and more positive attitudes. And all this without drugs or discipline!

Of course, many teachers still become very distracted by the sight of moving students, and so they have a hard time allowing students to have their neurological needs met, because of their own neurological sensitivities. BUT, there is good news!! Your nervous

Adults were invented to PROTECT K IDS R IGHTS

Firstly, you need to stop thinking that you need to make your child sit still, be still, or have still hands! Try this when you are reading a story or talking. Let the child have some play-doh or lego, and ask a question here and there to see if they are listening.

Secondly, you need to help your child learn what kinds of movement helps and what kinds do not. Some kids do well with a tangle, or thinking putty, while others need more whole body movement and still others need oral sensory, like chewing.

Once you know what works for your ch i ld , you need to share th is information with the educational team. You are sharing what your child needs, not asking for a favour. “No” or “We do not allow that” are NOT options, and you should be sure you understand this from the start. When someone gives you one of those answers, calmly and simply say “That does not work for us - Please tell me who I need to talk to in order to make this happen.”

It is best if your child has a few thinking tools. It is also good if s/he can be in control of them. If they are small enough, they can go in or near a pencil box. They should be in a place where the learner can easily access them, without having to ask, and without having to distract the class.

These should be introduced as tools. They can be called THINKING TOOLS or LISTENING TOOLS, but should NEVER be referred to as toys. Calling them tools, and explaining them as such, is honest and real and decreases peer distraction from watching to see how they are used they are used.

Consider reading ARNIE & HIS SCHOOL TOOLS to your child and to the class! Make sure reluctant adults are also listening!

Safe House !If you care about EDUCATION - LET THEM MOVE!

system i s a l s o s ub ject t o neuroplasticity!! This means, that if you start small (so you remain calm) your nervous system will adjust to small changes. As you observe the positive results, you wi l l become better able to tolerate the moving that supports learning, and pretty soon you will take it for granted and not even notice it!!It is often harder to UNLEARN the old as it is to LEARN the new, but eventually, you have to have read enough research, seen enough videos, heard enough stories, and had enough reflection to realize that the old school “criss-cross applesauce” is dead and needs to remain so. At a recent workshop, two adults c a m e u p t o m e a n d a s k e d permission to knit as I talked. Each one told me that they remembered better when they could do this, and it was not a sign of boredom or disrespect. If it initially distracted anyone, they got over it. Another participant told me she had to draw in order to remember. Many of us old school kinesthetic learners just take notes like crazy, even though we never review the notes.How can you generalize what you know to young learners? Maybe it is easier for you to realize this through using movement breaks

and sites like GO NOODLE which allow you to give all your learners a good movement break at the same time. Maybe you’ve used exercise band or small fidget tools to allow learners to have active fingers or legs while learning. There is a bit of a rush to create websites and marketable programs to facilitate movement in schools. One example is www.readybodies.com/Some people feel that these programs provide structure that makes it easier to implement movement strategies in small , contained doses, and this is great for many teachers. Those with more experience or confidence often begin to realize that the specifics of a movement activity are not magic, and that many creative movement activities are possible. Teachers and students can spontaneously create and implement movement breaks, and these are often best because they engage the imagination and the limbic systems of everyone involved, meaning they are carried out with more widely active brains.Whether you use a canned approach, specific equipment, open ended movement options, ample fidget items, or dynamic seating, you are embarking on new adventures in learning, and helping education to be friendlier and more meaningful for more learners! This is ground breaking stuff - KEEP IT UP!!

I will try to keep my web page updated, especially the page entitles Movement Furniture. Several years of practice have convinced me that hokki stools are the best, most portable, most durable. The ECR4Kids Ace is a runner up. It allows a little less movement and this is better for kids with weaker balance and for nervous adults.

There are also pedal machines and all kinds of active devices, and I will try to research and post more of these.

Odin Books has more and more sensory items, including high quality oral-sensory items. They are located on Broadway in Vancouver, have parking in back, and also sell online.

Mastermind Toys has a fidget section, and offers a discount to educators. They are located in Coquitlam, Langley, and Abbotsford. ECR4Kids

ACE Active Sitting Stool

I buy this on Amazon.comIt is cheaper than hokki stool

but better than other poor quality knock-offs

I buy hokki stools on Amazon.com and ship to US. You can also buy from JMC Limited, cheaper if you pick up at Surrey office. contact erika@jmclimited.ca

This Stamina In-Motion Elliptical Trainer cost $72 USD on Amazon, and fits nicely under a desk!

NEXT Newsletter!!

TIE YOUR SHOES!An important skill!

Practical Ideas & Suggestions you can use Right Away!

Hey! My Brain Doesn’t Work That Way! A “PAY IT FORWARD” talk for parents, caregivers, professionals! Understanding Sensory Processing Promoting Self-Regulation Supporting Stress Management

Presented by; Marc Landry Occupational Therapist

!Science and your body - How Toxins and Medicines are damaging our species !Basic Brain hierarchy and Neuroplasticity !Understand the human stress response system and it’s impact on learning, behaviour, function !Incorporating Collaborative Problem Solving & Heavy Work !Using Sensory Strategies to face and manage stress

!Understand more of the senses !Learn more about Sensory Processing, how it changes from person to person, and how it affects how we feel and how we act !How to identify and meet a child’s sensory needs based on Neurological Threshold Continuum !Teaching Self Regulation (the Alert Program) and how this differs from “emotional regulation” !Using sensory and motor input to manage levels of arousal - Sensory Diet !Practical suggestions to help kids calm down

WHEN: Jan 19 (part 1) & Jan 26 (part 2) 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm WHERE: 18679 0 Avenue in South Surrey There will be signs posted as you enter driveway

Please register by e-mail to: marclandryot@gmail.com Please download handout at “My Workshops” page at

www.marclandry.ca OR Advise me that you would like to pay $5 for a paper handout.

Excellent

Handout!

E-mail me your questions or situations and I will address them as I speak. marclandryot@gmail.com

Important information to understand in supporting children who have autism, who

fidget, daydream, worry, have anxiety, can’t sit still, are male, and who need better self

regulation

This workshop incorporates years of clinical experience with Winnie Dunn’s Model of Sensory Processing, The Alert Program for Self Regulation, and the Stress Management program of the Groden Center, Inc. The work of Temple Grandin, Bruce Perry, Peter Levine, Ross Greene, and Simon Baron-Cohen have also contributed greatly to this workshop, to name a few. A useful bibliography will allow you to further explore any of the areas we discuss. The sensory part of the workshop was originally developed with autism spectrum disorders in mind. However, all people are affected by the sensory environment and this information can be generalised to most environments. Adult participants will also learn about their own sensory needs and sensory preferences, and how these affect daily life if not attended to.

All Humans are sensory processing machines! Learn how your sensory environment is always a factor - for better or for worse!

This workshop will increase self awareness and other awareness.

Limited Space! No Fee!

Part One

Part Two

Other newsletters I have written that discuss this and similar topics:

http://www.marclandry.ca/Marcs_Sensory_Oasis/Newsletter_files/newsletter%20April%202013.pdf

http://www.marclandry.ca/Marcs_Sensory_Oasis/Newsletter_files/newsletter%20January%202014.pdf

http://www.marclandry.ca/Marcs_Sensory_Oasis/Newsletter_files/newsletter%20April%202015.pdf

http://www.marclandry.ca/Marcs_Sensory_Oasis/Newsletter_files/newsletter%20Nov%202015.pdf