Sensory Processing Disorder: Tools for Visual Stimuli

Here is part 2 in my Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) Tools of the trade series. This post HERE is the one that started it all, with a huge summary of what SPD is and our struggles with it with Froot Loop. Keep reading for some tools and toys that have helped us on our SPD journey.

Let's talk a little more about the visual parts of SPD. The visual sense works closely with the auditory and vestibular senses. Some warning signs for SPD:visual are:

Hypersensitivity to light, being easily distracted by visual stimuli or short visual attention span, squinting, rubbing eyes, frequent headaches, problems with eye contact, fear of the dark, hard time finding things right in front of them, handwriting problems, problems with stairs, losing their place while reading/copying, difficulty with puzzles, mazes, word searches, dot to dots, or hidden pictures, and problems knowing left from right. 

Some of the best things you can do to incorporate sensory integration for visual issues are to play catch, bat a balloon around, do those puzzles, mazes, searches, dot to dots, and other games. Some other ways to provide visual stimuli are listed below. 

Froot Loop loves his Liquid Motion Bubbler. It calms him down and helps focus his attention for a minute or two. 

Another fun visual stimuli is this Sand Art display. Turn it over and watch the sand settle. It's mesmerizing. I have one on my desk.

Another variation of the above bubbler is this Water Wheel bubbler. Froot Loop loves to watch it spin around!

Keeping with the colored water dropper trend, another option is a 4 color liquid box. 

A very recent addition to our collection is this Light Up Rail Twirler we picked up from the local science museum. Froot Loop picked it out himself because he was very drawn to it. I remember having one as a kid and finding it fascinating. 

Perpetual Motion displays are pretty cool and as a physics major, I just love them. 

We bought a Prism because Froot Loop was fascinated with the rainbows that came in our windows after I hung some prisms. He loves shining the flashlight through it and making his own rainbows. Plus, again, physics! 

Froot Loop has major trouble finding things, even when he's looking RIGHT AT THEM. We bought a Spot It Game (we have the junior) to help him with his finding skills. We've also started playing "hot and cold" type games with him, but he doesn't really understand the concept of that yet.

I think that about wraps up the visual tools we use. Do you have any others you can add? 

Part three, touch/tactile is coming soon!

For part one (auditory): click HERE

For part three (touch): click HERE

For part four (smell): click HERE

For part five (Movement/Vestibular): click HERE

For part six (Proprioception/Body Awareness): click HERE

For the introduction/overview of SPD: click HERE