Sensory Processing Solutions

A guide to help you find the right therapy program for your child. Every person—whether baby, child, teenager, or adult—interacts with the world in their own unique way. Yet some have a harder time than others due to a variety of sensory processing issues, which can lead to motor delays, learning differences, frustration, anxiety, emotional, behavioural, and social challenges, as well as diagnoses like ADHD and “autism spectrum.” As sensory integration expert Sally Fryer Dietz reveals, these children are not “broken.” We are all unique, some just need more options and new ways to approach the world in order to make better sense of it. Speaking from both her decades of professional experience as well as her own journey to help her oldest son, Dietz shares in-depth guidance to help you find the right therapeutic support for your child. Detailing common red flags at each developmental stage from infancy to grade school, she explains how children with sensory processing “glitches” are often misunderstood and put on medication rather than in therapies that can help them succeed naturally. Sharing how difficult it was to hear from her son’s teachers that he was having more challenges in school than his peers, she presents success stories from her family and from her sensory integration therapy clinic. She outlines therapies and treatments for body and mind that can help improve your child’s sensory motor development and function, such as sensory integration-based occupational, physical, and CranioSacral therapy. No matter where your child is on the spectrum of sensory motor integration, this guide showcases effective solutions beyond medication and can help you figure out what options are available to help children grow into happy and productive adults.

Sally Fryer Dietz, PT, DPT, CLC, CST-D, is a doctor of physical therapy, developmental specialist, sensory integration expert, lactation counselor, and Upledger CranioSacral Therapy Diplomate therapist and presenter. As a leading authority in therapeutic pediatrics—and the mother of two boys who learned in entirely different ways—she has helped thousands of children reach their fullest potential. She has taught her innovative therapy methods nationally and internationally. She currently lives in Dallas, Texas.

Preface to the New Edition Introduction: Alex 1 When Something’s Not Quite Right with Your Child 2 Making Sense of Your Child’s Senses 3 Your Child’s Sensory Motor Development 4 How to Be Your Child’s Advocate 5 Therapies to Help Build Better Bodies, Minds, and Lives 6 What Comes Next? 7 Alex Out in the World Afterword Questions Parents Often Ask Glossary Acknowledgments Index About the Author