Another new addition to Olivia's sensory program is her baby pool filled with 200 (phalate free) balls. She did not take to the ball pool right away, but today she was seeming to enjoy it more, especially throwing balls out of the pool! I have to tell you that cleaning up after this sensory activity is so very much easier than cleaning up after the sensory box filled with rice and beans! Someone asked why we do such sensory activities with Olivia. Because Olivia has Down syndrome her senses are not as integrated as a typical child's. Some sensations feel much more alarming than they should and some sensations don't register in her brain as easily as they would for a typical child. Olivia's neurological and cognitive connections are not operating as they should. Although we can never completely cure Olivia of this, through lots of intense sensory play, they have found that these kids' brains learn to make better neural connections.
Typical children also need to have lots of sensory experiences. The brain of a child is developing and children learn through their senses. Sensory activities help typical children's brains grow and develop also. Think of good old fashioned childhood play: sand box and finger paint. Sensory experiences!
So although it may seem at times, as we share with you sensory experiences, that we are creating for Olivia, that we have lost our marbles, keep in mind that we are about the business of helping her brain and neurological system grown and develop as best we can. If that takes 200 balls and a baby pool in our sunroom, then that is our new decorating scheme!
1 comment:
I love it. Great idea. You guys are going to take Olivia to the full extend of her abilities and that is great for her. So many people won't put worth all the effort you guys do. You two are some of the best parents a child could have.
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