Sensory Regulation at Home
A practical digital guide to read on your phone, tablet, or computer.
Look inside the guide
Real pages from the guide. Tap a page to enlarge it and explore before you buy.
Explore the contents
Read sample as text
Page 6
Offer support without making it a test If the child already uses suitable ear defenders or another agreed support, keep it accessible and let them indicate whether they want it. Do not insist on a particular tool because another child likes it. Discuss persistent sound discomfort or uncertainty about hearing protection with an appropriate professional. Agree on a place to pause and a way to ask for it. At a family meal, this might mean a nearby seat away from speakers or a short break with a familiar adult. Check that the route is safe and that the child knows where the adult will be. A Family Example During dinner, a child covered his ears and moved away from the table. His father turned off the music and offered the child’s familiar ear defenders. The child chose to sit nearby before deciding whether to rejoin. The family did not make returning a condition for receiving help. A Practical Step Choose one sound or light source you can control during a recurring activity. Agree on the adjustment and note whether the child finds the activity easier to access. What can we change in the setting before asking the child to work harder? When the Noise Is Too Much Sometimes sounds around me feel too strong. I may cover my ears or want to move away. My family can notice and help. I can ask for my ear defenders or show my break card. I can spend time in a quieter place. We can decide wha
Page 12
Agree on what an adult should do when a familiar signal appears. This might mean stopping a noisy appliance, offering a known break option, or ending an optional activity. Responding early should not depend on the child becoming visibly distressed first. Make help simple and available Use a calm, brief message and allow space. Reduce avoidable noise or other demands when possible. Offer a safe route to a familiar quieter place and keep necessary supervision. Do not block access to communication, force eye contact, or require a spoken explanation before helping. [1] T ouch is not automatically comforting. Use what you know about the child’s preferences and the immediate safety needs, and avoid crowding them. A quiet space should not be a locked room or a punishment. If the child repeatedly risks injury, work with qualified professionals on a specific safety plan. Review later without blame Give the child time to recover before discussing what happened. Later, ask one manageable question or offer a way to show what helped. Accept that the child may not know or may not want to discuss it immediately. Adults can review their own actions: Was the exit hard to find? Was a break request missed? Was the activity too long? Choose a practical change for next time. Recovery should not become an interrogation, and an apology should not be required before basic support is restored. A Family
Page 21
The child’s preferences Helpful options, things to avoid, and the child’s own view where available. Support and owner What will be available, where it will be kept, and which adult is responsible. Communication How the child can ask for help, decline, pause, or request something else. If the plan is not enough How to stop or adapt the activity and who can provide further help. Review date When to look at the experience again and who will take part. Review What Helped Review a few ordinary examples. One good or difficult day does not prove that a strategy always works or never works. Useful change Which adjustment did the child appear to find helpful? The child’s view What did the child communicate about the activity or support? What did not help Difficulty, unwanted effects, or support that was unavailable. Other differences Changes in setting, timing, health, or routine that may affect the comparison. Next decision Keep, adapt, stop, or seek more advice. Explain the reason briefly. Person and date Who will follow up, and when? A Worked Plan: A Quieter Family Meal Define the actual difficulty In this fictional example, the child leaves the table when the blender starts and covers both ears. He sometimes eats comfortably at the same table when the kitchen is quiet. The parents write these observations separately from their interpretation. Noise may matter, but the record does no
Sensory Regulation at Home is a practical guide to understanding sensory needs, reducing overload, and helping an autistic child participate more comfortably in everyday life.
Parents and caregivers will learn how to identify sensory patterns, build an individual sensory map, adapt sound, light, clothing, movement, personal care, and daily routines, and support recovery after sensory overload. The book also includes practical planning tools and illustrated social stories that can be used at home and in educational settings.
Digital PDF edition. Written by Moses Ovadia.