Keeping Warm with a Winter Sensory Diet

It finally feels like winter today. I will miss the mild temperatures as I have never liked the cold. Even as a small child, while my brother & my friends were outside sledding, building snow forts & snowmen and having snowball fights, I would only last a short while before I began to feel cold & uncomfortable.

As an adult, even when 'bundled up' in the winter, I still get that cold feeling in my bones as soon as the temperature drops and the wind blows. I can't stand the feeling of cold air blowing into my face and eyes.

I also dislike ice skating, (but love roller skating) the feeling of cold air conditioning & fans blowing right on me in the summer, swimming in a cold pool, washing my hands and showering in cool water (as in when you have an old hot water heater and the 'hot' is not very hot at all) and I prefer not to have ice cream and other ice cold foods and beverages.

(And for as much as I love to create art, I also can't stand the feeling of finger paint, clay, glue, dirt, dough or any other sticky substance under my fingernails.)

Judging from this list, you may get the idea that I'm a Sensory Avoider.  If we knew when I was a child, what we know now, I might be called Tactile Defensive. (I almost wish I had, because then maybe there would have been an explanation for these 'quirks' instead of being called 'prissy', 'shy', 'moody' or 'weird'.)

The Tactile Sense is our sense of touch and is controlled by our largest organ, our skin. Input from skin receptors send messages to our brain about what we feel: touch, pressure, temperature, pain and even the movement of the hairs on our skin. A disruption in this or any other sensory processing or sensory integration is termed ‘Sensory Processing Disorder’.

While we all have a sensory preferences, it does not necessarily indicate a processing disorder. It is only a  disorder when it significantly impacts one or more areas of functioning.  Some common clues indicating a disruption or disorder of tactile processing can include:

• sensitivity to clothing textures, seams & labels
• reacts to dirty hands or feet
• itchy, tickly skin
• fidgets/wiggles
• dislikes hair being brushed/cut/washed
• prefers being covered up with clothes or prefers wearing no clothes where possible
• unusually sensitive to being too hot or too cold
• over reacts to pain
• reacts badly to being touched unexpectedly
• hates to stand in line
• reacts badly to being in a crowd or has a particularly wide personal space
• fails to register if too hot or too cold
• dresses inappropriately for the weather
• seems to crave and/ or avoid touch

My reaction to and avoidance of the cold was (and still is) mild compared to what some children with SPD experience. However, my own experience helps me to understand better and empathize more with others who have sensory challenges.

Last year, my daughter and her friends asked (and begged) me to help them build a snowman during the  "Snowmageddon 2010" Storms. Being 11, I knew there would not be many more years that she would ask me to play with her in the snow. For her sake, I did my best to confront and address my avoidance of the cold.

The first thing I did was move around a bit and had something warm to drink. (I had a cup of soup.)  Then I put on a hat, a scarf, earmuffs, fleece, gloves and an insulated coat (with the recommended layers underneath). After about 15 minutes, I still felt cold again. I went inside, warmed up tried again, sadly with the same result. (My daughter, being compassionate and understanding, forgave me anyway.)

In my search for ways to keep myself warm, inside & out this winter, I found some excellent tips for Winter "De-Sensitizing" here on the  Sensory Smarts  web page. I hope these will help you, your child and your students enjoy & keep warm and integrated during the upcoming winter months!

Read More Sensory Diet Tips  (on "Sensory Smarts")  here.

* What are some other ways you use to help children integrate senses and/or stay warm during the winter?

Please feel free to leave your tips and suggestions below!

To find more Sensory Games and Activities please visit:
BodyLogique.com



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