You know, I'm glad you brought the Irlen up. I read about that in your introduction and forgot to ask about it. I'm looking into it right now on their site. Don't know if getting an Irlen tech in north Louisiana will be too expensive for me right now, but I'm looking into it.
I don't have headphones currently, but that's partly because, even though making music is very healing for me, listening to it is often painful or annoying. I don't know if ear plugs will be helpful, but I was considering that.
I only wish I could fit my laptop on my lap while on my therapy ball. lol I think I'd live there if I could. But I am rearranging my living room later this week, so maybe I'll set a table up for my laptop and put the ball next to it. That would be helpful. And you know, just the balancing is great for your core muscles, so you actually are getting some exercise.
I'll let you know how my contact with the Irlen folks work out.
(06-08-2010, 03:56 PM)D1G1T Wrote: Well, let's see what I can suggest here, to help get you started. From someone who's been at it for about 2.5 years already. (Though I'm sure we'll have plenty more experienced that I am join here).
Rule of thumb though, when creating a sensory diet:
1. Get rid of everything you hate, as much as possible. Find substitutes that are less offensive whenever necessary and possible.
2. Find the things you love, that calm and center you, and find ways to integrate those into your daily routine.
Oh man, you are so right. I am in the process of trying to do this for my house, meaning getting rid of the offensive. Since I'm pretty defensive of many things, cleaning is more than a chore, and my husband isn't much better on that score. lol Add a toddler in the mix, and it makes things even more interesting. But all excuses aside, I'm trying to get there.
Quote:Okay, are you able to tolerate wearing sunglasses? That's a start. I have to say though, often the thing that's helped me through the most has been to take breaks when in brighter areas. I used to work in a grocery store, and man was that awful! Well, I would spend at least a few minutes every hour in the bathroom with the lights out, giving myself joint compressions to help balance my systems as best I could. Sensory breaks are critical. Find a good place where you can be alone and tailor it specifically to your needs.
Ok, I'm not so good to myself with the sensory breaks. My current job is very stable as far as most input, but... my boss is lonely and bored, and he thinks it's funny to annoy me. Flicking my ear, sneaking up on me, tearing up (unimportant) papers I've printed, etc. Part of the reason for the hopeful job change. I need to take bathroom breaks, I guess. lol Sunglasses, though, I use all the time in the car. I can't survive the trip home without them.
Quote:Beeeen therrrre... 
(I need to find a good hugging emoticon!)
Here's what's helped me the most with avoiding harmful auditory input - earbuds!!!
Do you have any of the earphones for portable music that go directly into your ear? That's what I'm referring to, and they are a lifesaver! They act as an ear plug by blocking out external noises, but they also give you the ability to drown it out with your favorite relaxing music 
. I stick those in and use them the whole time when I'm at school (between classes), when at the mall or a store, or whenever I'm in a place that is bombarding. Can't tell you how much they've done for me over the past couple years.
As many times as I've heard people say this, I think I'm going to have to try this. I'll just have to be REALLY choosy about the music; lots of music drives me nuts if it's even a little out of tune. I guess that's why I like the piano so much. lol
Quote:You could look into massaging yourself, especially your arms, legs, and back. Take warm baths. Use heat compresses. These are all ideas. Another would be, whenever you're giving yourself this input, to do joint compressions as well. From a seating position, press down on your knees 10 times (toward the floor) and then in on your knees 10 times (toward your body). Be pretty firm to reduce light touch and increase deep pressure. That can give you almost a half hour of improved focus. I do it whenever I'm particularly frazzled, and it it's always helped me at least a little. You may also want to look into getting a mini trampoline, as that also gives good muscular feedback.
I LOVE the knee compression idea. I'm starting that one right away. I've had a difficult time understanding how to work the joint compressions without just, well, jumping. I have weak ankles and knees, and I'm hoping that, with a better sensory diet, I'll reduce my "chewing" cravings enough to make a healthier diet for myself and lose some weight. I'd love to work a trampoline, but I'm a bit scared to try it.
Quote:Okay, not so bad, but try to find less harsher cleaning chemicals. Make sure the room is always well vented, and try to limit the time spent using these, and have others pitch in and do some of the cleaning from time to time (if that's possible, lol). Just a couple thoughts...
I've been researching "crunchy mama" styles of cleaning recently, and they usually eschew harsher chemicals for cleaning. I'm definitely looking to try that. As for venting the room, I can't stand to clean otherwise. My husband has learned that one the hard way.
Quote:Okay, so 'taste' may not be such an issue, but pay close attention to what is called Oral Defensiveness. It's the textures that may be causing the swallowing sensory issues. I know that's what it is mostly for me, and believe me, I've had many years where I was terrified of swallowing stuff. There are also tactile stimulation devices that help to reduce oral sensitivity, but again, that's likely to require an OT. Just beware of the textures, find what doesn't work for you and avoid it whenever possible.
The more I read, the more I think I'm REALLY going to have to look into working with an OT, even if it is only for short term. The oral defensiveness was almost completely out of hand a month or so ago, so much so that I almost couldn't eat at all. For a heavy person like me, that's almost unheard of.
I'm still struggling with it; I can't eat soup almost at all, for example.
Quote:Ah... and the underlying sensory system reveals itself. When that vestibular sense is off, it can effect all the other senses, or at least indicate dysfunction elsewhere. I also have a ton of height problems and can't swim. I get motion sickness from car rides and all that stuff that you'll often encounter with vestibular issues.
Feel free to continue avoiding these activities for the time being. They are known to trigger issues for you, and I don't advice doing them over and over again, ever. When you have an OT, which I would recommend getting one once you can, they'll have plenty they can do for this sense. For now, continue to take it easy on this system. Giving yourself good 'crashing' input would also be beneficial, like the kind of input you may get from a trampoline. Daily walks and working out can also help.
Funny story about avoiding those activities. I once had a visiting director in a show that wanted to have me on an open staircase for a chorus role. When I told him I couldn't do it, he started telling me about this "diva" (with the undercurrent that I was being unreasonable) to give up her fear of heights for a show. He then guaranteed me that he would be able to cure me of fear of heights in a day's time. When we came back for rehearsal, he announced to the whole group that he was going to need volunteers to stand on the staircase because (he sneered) Sarah can't deal with heights. What he didn't realize was that the whole group knew very well how terrifying heights were for me, so there immediately came three or four volunteers and a murmur of, oh yeah, we need to get her down over here. (snicker) He never brought it up again.
I definitely appreciate someone telling me to avoid those things. Do you know how emotional you got me when I read that? Somehow, permission to relax and allow my fears to not be pushed beyond their limits... wow. I like permission.
Quote:You may also want to look into using hard, sugar free bubble gum for chewing input. The harder, the better, generally. The reason you're having the gag issues with the other stuff may have been caused by the texture. You want to really give your mouth a workout here, to keep from teeth clenching and other things you may be doing that are potentially more destructive. Otherwise, these are very common stims.
Oi veh, you are right there. Texture is a beast.
I'll keep working on that one.
Quote:Good! Therapy balls are great . I have 2 in my bedroom, myself. They should also help with your vestibular/balance issues. These are typically recommended by OTs, so keep up the good work with this.
Yay! The ball is my friend.
Quote:Ah, this sounds like great tactile and proprioceptive input right here . You may also want to consider doing this during the mid-day, to keep the good feelings lasting all day .
This ball used to have a "mate," and I need to find it so I can have one at work and one at home.
Quote:Good idea with the stirrers. Refrigerator tubing is also a good one. I love chewing on that stuff, lol. There are other chewable stuff available that you may want to look into as well. Other chew toys.
I don't guess I know what refrigerator tubing is. I'd like to find something with a little more chew to it, because my jaws aren't exactly thanking me. lol
Quote:Ah, music is always a great sensory input device, I would say. I played trombone for several years and that was very good input for my mouth, muscles, balance, everything. If you love the piano but can't fit a full one, what about a keyboard? I know it's not quite the same thing, but could that fit, and could you afford one? It would probably be a good investment for you there.
I'm wondering about this one. For me, the vibrations of the strings, the pressure necessary to push down the keys, the pedal actions, all of those things were so critical. I'm willing to try it. I'm researching for options. Maybe I can find one with a somewhat realistic key pressure feel. That would be awesome.
Quote:I think a lot of sensory defensives are working at libraries, so if something bugs you, odds are it may be bugging someone else there. I know plenty of SPDers are working at my job. I can tell just from talking to them and how much we all sympathize with each others quirks , man is it ever obvious, lol.
Haha! Yeah, now that I know what's up for me, I have started seeing SPD signs everywhere. lol One of my best friends who works in the library is definitely a candidate, in my mind. I'm going to see if he's interested in talking about it.
Quote:Well, I hope this is helpful for you . And don't worry about writing such a long post, I've written far larger posts on even narrower topics, lol. Take good care, and let me know if you have any questions. This is definitely a topic for our wiki as time goes on!
Oh man, would I ever love to have that as a wiki topic. So many places talk about different ideas for sensory diets with general terms rather than specifics. It makes things a little difficult for we the self-starting crowd.
This has been enormously helpful. Thank you so much for giving me a boatload of ideas. I'm sure I don't have to tell you how much that means to me right now.
And yes, a good hug smily would be very much appreciated. (((hugs)))
