October is Sensory Awareness Month

Fall is a transition time both in terms of the season, themes and schedule changes that accompany it.  Let’s start with the back to school transition and some of the challenges that go along with this change for children with sensory processing issues.  Instructors Alice Hammel and Ryan Hourigan discuss the struggles and offer practical tips for coping on this topic in their helpful post entitled “The Friday Before School Starts”.

October means transitions with special events. Trips to the pumpkin patch, classroom group activities with art projects like using fall leaves or carving a pumpkin,  (See my blog on “A Harrowing Pumpkin Tale”  for a firsthand look at what this is like for a child with tactile defensiveness)  culminating in the bustling school/home/neighborhood Trick or Treat Parties.  Then just a few days later, more transitions with the one hour time change for those that follow Daylight Savings Time.  

It’s no wonder October has been designated National Sensory Awareness Month!  There are articles, fundraisers, activities and tips designed to shed more light on our children and students with the “hidden disabilities”…those with SPD issues.  Won’t you join us in celebrating October? Please share your tips or sensory strategies.   For more information visit the SPD Foundation .