Sensory Motor Activities for Early Development: A Practical Resource (2024)

Sensory motor activities are crucial for children to learn from their environment. Bridging the gap between theory and practice, this revised edition is a complete package of tried-and-tested sensory motor activities for children, covering basic movements, interoception, sensory and body awareness and early visual perceptual skills.

Providing an overview of the sensory systems, the authors offer practical strategies for parents/carers and practitioners to link knowledge to practice when communicating and engaging with a child. The authors present both familiar and novel activity ideas, explaining how they provide sensory stimulation to the relevant sensory systems and may help to support the child’s development, sensory processing and regulation levels. New material includes:

• greater emphasis on understanding the sensory systems and how they link to the activities
• a brand new chapter on interoception
• revised recording methods, including Goal Attainment Scaling as an outcome tool
• an expanded list of activities.

Sensory Motor Activities for Early Development, 2nd edition is an essential text for all parents/carers and practitioners who use sensory motor activities in a playful way to help the development of children with a range of needs. It will be valuable reading for those working with children who do not initiate movement, who require help with their movement, who need to refine their movement, who need encouragement or motivation to engage in purposeful movements, or those who need activities to provide sensory stimulation.

Introduction

Chapter 1 Working with the child, parents/carers and practitioners

Chapter 2 Introducing the sensory systems and interoception

Chapter 3 Stimulating sensory and body awareness

Chapter 4 Encouraging basic movement

Chapter 5 Promoting hand skills

Chapter 6 Encouraging spatial and early visual perceptual skills

Chapter 7 Working in groups

Chapter 8 Using creative activities

Biography

Chia Swee Hong has extensive knowledge and experience in working with children who have disabilities/special needs. He has retired from full time lecturing in occupational therapy and is currently a special mentor for students in higher education. He has been an external examiner for the Sensory Integration Course at the University of Ulster and co-authored a number of publications including Occupational Therapy in Childhood and Tools for Continuing Professional Development and is a member of editorial board including Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools and Early Intervention.

Heidi Rumford is a Practice Consultant Occupational Therapist who specialises in working with children who have a wide range of physical, neurological and learning disabilities, including children who are on the Autistic Spectrum. Heidi is a qualified Sensory Integration Practitioner, holding a post graduate certificate in Sensory Integration and has attended a number of additional post graduate training in Sensory Integration including the use of Ayres Sensory Integration® with children on the Autistic Spectrum, training in the rating of Ayres Sensory Integration Fidelity Measure© and Sensory Attachment Intervention. Heidi is a Certified Play Therapist and has completed additional training within the field of play therapy including Child and Parent Relationship Therapy and she is a Parent-Child Attachment Play Practitioner.

Praise for theFirst Edition:

"This manual is a useful resource for parents, carers and paediatric occupational therapy departments." - British Journal of Occupational Therapy

"This positive book encourages all people working with a child to have fun and shows that one activity can be used to achieve several aims...would be a good addition to any paediatric department." - Therapy Weekly

"The idea for the manual is excellent and it is a useful book to have in ay department..." - Sensor Net

"The book is full of good examples, thus providing stimulation and practical ideas of how to use the activities/ideas given." - NAPOT

"This book would be a useful addition to every paediatric therapy bookshelf." - Physiotherapy

"It is always a pleasure to see a book which aims to take the mystique out of treatment" - Bulletin

"This book would be an excellent addition to any library, giving a well thought out and coherent approach to those children requiring assistance with sensory development." - UK Federation for Conductive Education

"The manual is a practical guide for the carer or the newly trained practitioner in Sensory Motor Activities for early development." - The Laban Guild Quarterly Magazine

"This is a practical and easy to read non-academic spiral bound book." - Senior Occupational Therapist

Praise for theSecond Edition:

"This is a very useful and practical overview of developmentally appropriate activities, with worked examples, reflective activities and a very thorough overview of the sensory systems and how they link to activities. The illustrations support the reader’s understanding of the activities and the spiral bound format aids its use in practical situations and in moving between sections." - Mary Mountstephen, SEN Magazine