I remember when the OT said to me, “Veronica, you are doing everything and nothing is working. The windows of learning should be opening and they’re not. Joshua is a bit of a conundrum.”

Hearing those words was gut wrenching. We waited weeks for our visit with this OT and after long intense conversations, going through checklists and siting observations….that was her statement. 😩

I felt hopeless. I was hoping for an answer or help. A strategy that would give our son and family some calm….a place to start looking, a starting point to finally understanding our son…and how to help him.

Joshua was about 20 months when this happened. We entered the early intervention program at 18 months as he wasn’t walking or talking yet.

Distressful & Quirky Behaviours

From the day Joshua was born he couldn’t handle other people being around him, holding him or even looking at him. He would just scream….and scream….and scream. At 2 months old while terribly attempting to visit family, all I could do was hang out in the front hall of their homes and he would stare at bold abstract art. That was the only thing that kept him calm.

Once he learned to sit up, every object you gave him he flipped….continuously. EVERY. SINGLE. OBJECT.

We thought this behaviour was just a quark and had no idea that it meant something.

When he was about 20 months he started to crawl with his head on the floor, doors and walls. He did this ALL. DAY. LONG. I am not exaggerating unfortunately. I had no idea why. 🤷‍♀️

In the meantime, diaper changes consisted of me pinning him down because he always wanted to be on his tummy.

Getting his socks and shoes on resulted in 30 min meltdowns. Sitting at the snack table was too much. Not giving him the entire bottle of paint to play with was a meltdown.

Waking up from naps flowed into a 30-60 min meltdown in which he would intensely shake his body (that was terrifying….cause I didn’t know what it meant).

Turning on lights, parents dropping off and picking up resulted in me being slapped across my face, trying to play with other children in the block centre ALWAYS ended in screaming.

I was at a loss. 🥺

I was not able to do my job and support all the children.

Accepting the idea of sensory needs

My mother, who is an early childhood music educator and has worked with children for over 25 years, had lovingly mentioned sensory processing to me at 2 months, 6 months, 14 months….each time I wasn’t ready to hear it.

Finally around that 20 month mark, I decided to look into sensory processing.

While reading the book, The Out of Sync Child by Carol Kranowitz, I learned about the tactile system and how some children are very sensitive to different textures and some crave it by engaging in experiences we may not understand. At this time, our son was rubbing his head on the floors, walls and doors consistently as I mentioned earlier. I decided to focus on this and learn more.

I quickly did a Pinterest search for sensory paths and put together a homemade sensory path consisting of bubble wrap, felt, old dvds, and a bag of rice. It was taped on the floor in our living room.

That day Joshua was on the sensory path every 20 min and stayed there for about 5-10 min bear walking, crawling, rubbing his head, jumping and touching it with his whole body. You know what happened….he was calm THE WHOLE DAY.

This was my ah-ha moment. When I saw HOW MUCH he needed sensory input to be calm and feel good in his body. But seeing how long and often was a clue into why he wasn’t able to engage in social play…cause he was so unregulated all the time. The diaper changes went better that day, he didn’t cry as much and he was happy.

That is all I wanted, for my son to be happy. He was barely 2 years old and was so distraught all the time. That is no way to live at such a young age.

Making sensory accommodations

After that day I was on a mission, to understand our sensory systems and what the other behaviours we were struggling with could mean and how to help him.

Little by little I researched all 8 sensory systems learning that you can be oversensitive and under-sensitive in each sense and slowly made accommodations in our preschool program and home life. I created a sensory diet for him that helped him stay regulated more during the day.

Understanding our sensory systems obviously helped our son….but it also helped me to be better able to support all the children in my program. I was finally able to create the kind of program I wanted and nurture the children better. It freed up my time from reacting and managing the behaviour to understanding it and creating a proactive space…one that all the children felt safe and understood in.

As hard as those months and years were, I am so grateful for the knowledge and communication from our son. I had to learn to listen differently.

Professional Development for ECE’s

If you’re relating to this story and new approach to understanding behaviours, this is what I share with you inside Supporting Sensory Needs online workshop. Join us live in a 2 part series on September 19 + 26, 2024. {registration will be opening soon!} You’ll take a deep dive into each of the 8 sensory systems and discover what the behaviours mean and how to support the child.

I share our sensory journey through each of these senses and our struggles and triumphs so the children in your programs can finally be understood and you know what to do. I know that budgets are limited, and the ideas you’ll learn and see in the pictures and videos are all inexpensive and items you probably have already.

What your fellow ECE’s have to say about Supporting Sensory Needs

What makes this workshop even better is how it has helped my fellow educators.

“The Supporting Sensory Needs workshop was invaluable, as it has allowed me to communicate effectively and gain the supports needed for a child in my care.” – Nina Prout (Childminder)

“Of all the sensory processing disorder workshops I’ve attended, this is by far my favourite. The workshop was very easy to follow, easy to understand, and very informative! Thank yo so much for sharing your personal experience.” – Nancy Anaya (Early Childhood Educator)

“Her knowledge on sensory needs covered everything I needed to know to prepare myself for teaching children with a sensory processing disorder and it was great to learn from someone with first hand experience.” – Laura England (Author & Early Childhood Educator)

“Veronica’s insight and innovative ideas regarding supports for children with sensory needs gave me so much new perspective and inspiration to bring back to my own classroom and teaching practice. Veronica’s passion for early learning radiates and I find I’m often referencing resources and ideas she’s shared with me each day in my own work.” – Madison Bashaw (Educator & Early Years Specialist)

I am so passionate about sharing my knowledge and experience on sensory processing because it truly helps the children, educators and families to all understand, communicate and support each other more easily.

Behaviours are communication….we just have to listen differently and take an innovative approach to supporting children through these tough moments.