The Importance of Cognitive Stimulation in Sensory Regulation

We have all learned and been well-versed on what a sensory diet is and how to create one whether it’s four ourselves, or the little ones in our lives. If "sensory diet" is an unfamiliar term to you, check out this blog post here to learn more.

Have you ever been implementing a sensory diet with a little one in your life and noticed that it is having the opposite effect of what you want? Are they becoming more energized or more out of control of their bodies? I’ve been there too and wondered what I’m doing wrong. If movement is clearly what their body needs, why is it having the opposite effect?  We may be missing an important piece of the puzzle! Read on to learn more. 

Sometimes when a child is lacking in stimulation for one of their sensory systems, then they finally get the sensory input that they are craving, we can notice an overstimulated response. If they’re sensory needs have been neglected all day while at school or somewhere else and they finally get access to that input, they can go overboard. Their bodies are looking for more and more input to the point where they are no longer in control of their movements or maybe even become unsafe. Think about being forced to go all day without eating and then having access to all of your favorite foods. Would you eat to the point of feeling unwell? It’s similar when our children are finally getting the sensory input that their bodies so desperately need. 

So what should we do? Try incorporating a cognitive component to the sensory activity. This helps children keep their bodies under control. By engaging their cognition, they are required to slow down, think and focus on the cognitive task while receiving the input that they need. Cognitive stimulation can be as simple as adding a puzzle to the sensory activity. Try lying on the belly on an exercise ball to complete a puzzle placed on the floor. It can also be as simple as adding a balance component to the sensory activity. This encourages them to slow down and utilize controlled, precise movements to complete a task.

Try walking across a balance beam or walking through an area of small items placed on the floor while trying not to step on or knock anything over. Rhythmic movements and predictability also promote regulation. Try counting together while completing a swinging activity, tossing a ball back-and-forth, rolling forwards and backwards with the belly on an exercise ball, or jumping up and down on the floor or a trampoline. These are all ways to engage the mind and keep the child a little more focused so that they don’t become out of control with their movements.

Adding a challenge helps promote a feeling of success and accomplishment in addition to providing the input the body is craving. Incorporating memory into a sensory activity is a great way to engage the brain. Have them look at a simple shape, picture, letter, or word then complete a sensory activity, obstacle course, or exercise. See if they can remember the image and recreate it through drawing or writing. Other ways to incorporate the visual system and cognition are hiding objects or letters around the room. They must then work on visual scanning and attention to search for and find the items. Feel free to provide hints such as getting warmer or closer or colder or further away. To incorporate proprioceptive and vestibular input, spread letters out across the floor and ask them to spell age-appropriate words by locating all the letters and placing them in order while they lay on their stomach or with their belly over an exercise ball and their hands on the floor.

There is no need for a teaching degree to incorporate cognitive activities into the sensory activities they're already engaging in. You can even ask trivia questions as they complete an obstacle course or try to balance on one foot. Instead of trivia, try asking questions related to the topics they're learning in school. You’d be surprised at the increased engagement, compliance, and regulating effects their sensory diet will have when it also engages the brain.