Our Occupational Therapists have put together this information to help you consider factors which may impact on a child or young person’s concentration and engagement with tasks at home.
To be able to concentrate on a task, we need to:
If your child is easily distracted by noise
If your child is bothered by visual distractions
It is important that your child’s posture is well supported when completing table top activities. This enables them to focus on the task, rather than being distracted and trying to get comfortable.
The ideal sitting position is shown in the picture. This shows the “90 degrees, 90 degrees, 90 degrees” rule, with the child’s hips, knees and ankles all at right angles.
Your child’s back and feet should be well supported when sitting at the table. This can be achieved through the use of cushions and a foot stool if necessary. It is also important to ensure that your child can reach the table from their sitting height.
We recommend you firstly watch our video workshop on ‘How Children Use Their Senses To Regulate For Learning And Play’ to give more information on sensory play.
Movement (vestibular) input is one of your senses. Messages from the vestibular receptors are located in the inner ear to help you understand movement and its relationship to the environment. We need a balance of regular movement breaks to maintain their concentration and arousal level throughout the day.
Proprioception is another one of our senses. We have proprioceptors in all of our muscles. These tell us about the position of our limbs as well as movements our body is making and the force it is using. Having appropriate proprioceptive awareness gives us consistent and clear sensory feedback about our body. This feedback helps us to organise our body for daily activities.
Proprioceptive activity is also the regulator of our senses and can help calm an overactive and excited child. It can also be used to increase a child’s arousal level and to wake up their body so that certain activities can be carried out. The following ideas would be beneficial to develop the above areas. Your child needs a diet of these activities throughout the day.
Find out which of these activities excite them and which activities calm them and use a combination of these activities throughout the day to balance their need for movement.
Movement (vestibular) input is one of your senses. Messages from the vestibular receptors are located in the inner ear to help you understand movement and its relationship to the environment. We need a balance of regular movement breaks to maintain their concentration and arousal level throughout the day.
Proprioception is another one of our senses. We have proprioceptors in all of our muscles. These tell us about the position of our limbs as well as movements our body is making and the force it is using. Having appropriate proprioceptive awareness gives us consistent and clear sensory feedback about our body. This feedback helps us to organise our body for daily activities.
Proprioceptive activity is also the regulator of our senses and can help calm an overactive and excited child. It can also be used to increase a child’s arousal level and to wake up their body so that certain activities can be carried out. The following ideas would be beneficial to develop the above areas. Your child needs a diet of these activities throughout the day.
Find out which of these activities excite them and which activities calm them and use a combination of these activities throughout the day to balance their need for movement.
Spread a rope along the floor and jump over it in different patterns:
How to access Occupational Therapy for Children and Young People.
To make a Request for Assistance please contact us on 02921 836910. Please click here for more information on our Request for Assistance process.
Contact details
Occupational Therapy for Children and Young People
1st Floor, Woodland House
Maes Y Coed Road
Cardiff
CF14 4HH
Phone: 02921 836 910
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