5 PLAY ACTIVITIES FOR YOUR TACTILE DEFENSIVE CHILD

By Antonia Llull View Bio

Antonia Llull

Antonia, better known as Tonina, has been a practicing occupational therapist for over 20 years, specializing in Pediatrics. In her career’s journey, she has founded/directed a multidisciplinary rehab clinic and a private school for students with special needs (in Orlando, FL) and has been part of the rehab medicine management team at a top rated hospital in Manhattan. Tonina continues to work with children and families while building educational programming for parents and professionals. Founding MPowerMe and mpowermetoys.com culminates her clinical experiences and her love for discovering, sharing, and collaborating with her community to foster growth and creativity in children of all ages and skill levels. She strives to share about the use of toys, games, gadgets, literature, and sensory accessories to build children’s social skills, physical performance, ability to respond adaptively to their environment, and foster their continued journey as life-long learners.

Sensory rich experiences from birth and beyond support development and mastery of skills. For children who misinterpret sensory information various environments, activities, and situations can be taxing, frightening, and confusing – leading them to react in a maladaptive/atypical manner. If your child has sensory processing disorder (SPD), you understand the upheavals that can occur at home and out in the community. You are also the best observer of what affects your child positively and negatively. Use your observations and active listening (to your child’s verbal and non-verbal communication) as a guide to action.

Here, you will find examples of how to support fun play experiences with your child who may have sensory processing disorder with tactile (touch) defensiveness*.

• Your child may react in a hypersensitive/overreactive manner and appear fearful or aggressive in order to avoid a sensation; and/or may also be hypo-responsive and seek certain sensations excessively. Depending on the situation and environment, children with SPD typically shift between avoiding reactions and sensory seeking. This phenomenon can be confusing.  

• It is critical to observe your child and pay attention to which types of fabrics, textures, toys, activities, and/or social situations seem to cause a negative response. For example, quick touch, light touch, tickling, and/or unexpected touch especially from behind; rough or wet textures (finger paint, sand); temperature changes, or crowded areas.

• Believe your child when they say something “hurts.” Do not force participation.

• Try to avoid irritating textures/tastes/tactile activities prior to and during academics or other new learning challenges. 

• Movement and pressure – play that includes resistive muscle action can calm and re-focus children with tactile defensiveness. These activities include deep pressure through the skin and joints; and resistive activities like pulling, pushing, jumping, hanging, kicking, and lifting. When you combine this “heavy-work play” with tactile exploration, it allows them to shift between potentially over-stimulating activities to activities that calm/re-focus.

• When playing, look for signs of over-stimulation in your child – i.e. he or she is taking unsafe risks, they have uncontrollable laughter, they are overly silly and/or severely hyperactive they are inattentive or avoiding eye contact, or he or she is excessively pushing and shoving.

• Further, if they have a change in pallor, are repeatedly yawning, or suddenly looking lethargic, stop the activity quickly and shift to an activity that you know calms your child. For example, a warm bath, slow rocking in a chair or rocking while in a big bear hug, getting under blankets. Learn more about tactile processing, tactile defensiveness, and shutdown vs low arousal state.

Focus your play time on activities you know they enjoy and then gently introduce new tactile aspects to that play activity using the information shared in this article. Use the recommended or similar activities to play with your child or view more fine motor/tactile activities*. Allow your child’s inclinations to lead you, as you present them with choices. If they typically say “no” initially, let them watch as you do the activities – visual familiarity with the activity can help them make that initial attempt to interact. 

*Before introducing your child to any of the activities presented in this article, use these key considerations to identify when a change in the play environment is necessary for your child. Note: The play activities discussed here are not individualized and may not be beneficial for all children with SPD. If your child has an occupational therapist, please confer with them.

For more information about sensory processing disorder visit my website at MPowerMeToys.com.

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• Playtime Activities

  Promote bonding, sensory processing, and support skill development:

  1. “I am the Sandwich or Taco” game – Pretend to make a big sandwich with your child as the main “stuffing.” If you child likes tight bear hugs and heavy blankets, use this physical play to provide the swaddle-effect that calms your child.
  
  
  2. Build towers with large foam blocks, then knock them over by throwing water balloons, balloons filled with different items, bean bags made with various textured clothes, or wet/gelled cotton balls.
  
  
  3. Create color art – Use colored water in spray bottles to spray large posters, white t-shirts or hanging sheets to create “cool” abstract art, clothing or bed sheets. Using a water bottle in each hand will facilitate bilateral coordination.
  
  
  4. Hide and Seek – Bury small 3-D distinct shaped items (keys, paperclips, spoons, coins, erasers, plastic animals, clothespins) in shoe box-sized bins filled with clean sand, or uncooked rice or corn. Have your child look for them with his or her eyes closed to identify the objects through “feel” vs. sight. For whole body play, do the same with larger bins or mini baby pool.
  
  
  5. Scavenger Hunt – Make tin foil balls with your child hiding beads, pom poms, putty, or some small treasure or treat your child enjoys inside some of them. Hide the balls around the house or outside for a scavenger hunt. Once found, you and your child can open them carefully to find the “treasure” inside. Play in teams for increased socialization.