"You know, when you transition kids into using some sensory strategies when they are feeling upset or overwhelmed and they're really starting to act out. A lot of times we, misinterpret beahaviors or when we think kids are actively trying to be naughty quote on purpose, when in actuality they're overwhelmed and they're trying to find a way to, really regulate their system. So that's where the sensory system comes into play and the best way to do that and is to find out which of the strategies best support your child."

Speaker 1: Oh, there we go. Hi, I'm Jen Eggert of Lakikid's ask an autism parent. This month our focus is on sensory strategies. Today we'll be discussing different sensory strategies and when to use them with Jeana. I can't wait to discuss this topic with you, but first, let's watch a quick video from Lakikid. Okay.

Speaker 2: And I want to show everybody this is a great fidget tool. If you've got a kid that really struggles with keeping their hands to themselves, this is awesome. So this is a marble maze. This all three of these things are very Lakikid I should say. This is a marble maze. So they sewed amaze in here and let me see if I can find the marble.

Speaker 2: Oh, it's right here in the piece. Okay. So you're gonna to push it along, squeeze it out, and go along the maze. And I can attest to the, this being really fun and kind of addicting in a good way. It keeps your hands busy and keeps you wanting to do stuff. each side has kind of a different texture to it. So those tactile seats, yours are really gonna enjoy it. It's also, believe it or not, proprioceptive input as you squeeze that ball along cause it's kind of tight. It's, it's doable but it's tight. So you have to push with your hands while you get appropriate susceptive input and you just, it's like infinity so you can keep doing it forever and ever and ever. And it keeps us hands busy. This is a good one for a car ride too. If your kids are close enough that they can touch each other and they're constantly touching each other. Right.

Speaker 3: We keep you busy.

Speaker 1: Thank you all for joining us today. I'm so excited to break down sensory strategies and when to use them with you and with our guests, Jeana. So now I'll wait for Gina to come on and we will get started. Hi Gina. Welcome. So today we're discussing sensory strategies and when to use them. first I want to start with what are the most common sensory strategies?

Speaker 4: Well, a lot of times you see, kids and occupational therapists in the classroom interview strategies like taking a breath or using a squishy ball or swinging a little bit understood related

Speaker 4: then a role from whatever is going on around, such as like if they have a really noisy environment and you're the little bit of a break to kind of move them into an area that's a bit more pointed and then use a variety of sensory strategies that will really, calm the nervous system. And I mean, that is what's really helpful to adults dope and kids when you become overwhelmed.

Speaker 1: Exactly. I just want to say that this week. Hi Angela. Hi Jennifer. I want to say that this week we have actually been using a product that you made that we'll get into later. for those of you that know Riley lost her best friend this week. So sensory strategies have been heavily on my mind because as Jeana and I and most of you know, during times of emotional stress, sensory strategies become even more important. Now, Jeana, how do we know when to use sensory strategies?

Speaker 4: You know, when you transition kids into using some sensory strategies when they are feeling upset or overwhelmed and they're really starting to act out. A lot of times we, misinterpret beahaviors or when we think kids are actively trying to be naughty quote on purpose, when in actuality they're overwhelmed and they're trying to find a way to, really regulate their system. So that's where the sensory system comes into play. and the best way to do that and is to find out which of the strategies best support your child. And I think that that is so important that every child is unique, and every child, they all respond differently to different sensory components. So if your child is, like to rock it to calm down, or if they like quiet space to calm down, or sometimes children drink smoothies out of a straw that calms them down or something tactile, like squishy balls or stretchy band. So there's just so many different ways that kids can use materials to help their internal sensory system.

Speaker 1: And I just want to say you were talking about kids when they're overactive. We see it as naughty when it could be sensory strategies. Say that Riley, instead of being overactive, she tends to close herself off and we have to recognize that that is also a time where they could use more sensory strategies because they don't know and she closes herself off so that she doesn't feel right. And that's a key thing I want to mention. Just it doesn't always work. You have to know your child,

Speaker 4: you do have to know your child. And every child responds to situations completely differently. and I know we talked about this last time. What they, how they respond in one situation may be totally different in another situation. And I think that if we, if we know our children and how they're responding, that will help us determine what strategies are best for your child in every day situation. We out in the community or at home, is very important to remember. So yes, there's under-stimulated and overstimulated and it's going to be there.

Speaker 1: I just want to say to anyone, if you have questions, type them in the comments section so that we can address your questions. Tonight is the last night with Jeana talking sensory strategies. So we want to make sure all of your questions get answered. So please let us know if you do have questions. Angela White says I wrap up in a blanket and close in. Angela is the parent of an autistic child and also deals with a lot of sensory and similar traces, children as adults with autism,

Speaker 4: right Yes, definitely. I mean that that appropriately or you're feeling that appropriate stuff when you're wrapping up in a blanket is that pressure against your muscles in your body, that's calming you down

Speaker 1: and especially when you have a soft blanket or the texture you like, it gives even more.

Speaker 4: Right Right. Definitely.

Speaker 1: Angela says that her son jumps, that's his thing.

Speaker 4: Yes. That vestibular system. Yeah, that's huge.

Speaker 1: And I know we have one mom who son, the minute he gets home, he's socks off on the trampoline.

Speaker 4: Yup.

Speaker 1: He never really understood it until we discussed sensory systems that he was seeking something. She always thought he just was running home and wanted to play. Now she looks at it differently.

Speaker 4: That's his calming strategy. How you self regulate and kids over time learn what's best for their personal sensory system, and you're seeing that if they run to the trampoline every single time they go home, they have learned that after a day at school that's the thing you need to do to self regulate.

Speaker 1: Exactly. And I'm so excited about our talks about sensory system and last month our talks with an OT about similar but more hands on sensory strategies. I really think I'm really excited because parents are seeing what their children are doing, are not, these behaviors are not just them going out and being silly. It's actually strategies that they have built for themselves.

Speaker 4: Right. And it's purposeful. Yes. Really purposeful and intentional

Speaker 1: and that's a huge difference that we have to make as parents. Is this a behavior or is this a purposeful need?

Speaker 4: Right. Exactly. Exactly.

Speaker 1: Now I want to talk about something that you created. You created this sweet little soft party with an amazing book. Do you want to talk to us about that?

Speaker 4: Yeah, I do. So as I created, this said, it's called Soothing Sammy and you just put it up and it is teaching kids how to use a variety of different objects to address their need that different parts of the day. So if they're over stimulated or under stimulated, soothing Sammy is a way to communicate to them in a simple visual way that they can understand how to use some of those sensory strategies to calm down. And that's exactly what we're talking about. Where you are talking about squeezing balls and taking drinks and, and listening to songs or looking at pictures and using a lot of those, the visual and auditory and the vestibular and her receptive ways to calm down. And the best way to do that is to have a spot in your house where kids can go to enable in order to access materials that help them calm down. And so that's what soothing sammy does. and so students say, I don't know if you want me to talk about it in the book or

Speaker 1: it's up to you if you want to read us a small section.

Speaker 4: Right So what happens is, like kids when they feel upset or overwhelmed, they go visit Sammy who's a golden retriever and it's a little dog house. And all these pictures are very, very simple and the words are very

Speaker 4: to keep it less overwhelming and less overstimulating for children. So what the program is teaching him in Sammy's house, they have all of these things that help them calm down like a drink, a snack to crunch a ball to squeeze. And when kids see the kids in the book doing these things, is a visual cue for them to know that they can also do those And so when kids don't have a lot of that receptive language skills yet, they may not understand you when you say, Hey, why don't you go squeeze a ball or get a drink of water.

Speaker 4: Or they're in this time frame where they're not really hearing what you're saying. Having some of these visual tools will help. And so that's the purpose of Sammy is, is to communicate to the kid. These are things we can use to calm down, in a variety situation.

Speaker 4: And so what you do with Sammy in the back of the book, there's instructions on how to build a Sammy house for Sammy. And that's what you use the plush dog and you build a half of it on an empty box or a container. And I have three different versions here and you know like with the items that are assessed in the book, like the ball to squeeze and a song to hear. And that's what Sammy lives in. So this is the box that Sammy comes in, some of the families, just use this box to build Sammy's house. And I have some things in here, like a place did gel. This is just like a place mat I got at the dollar store, but it's not slippery to put it on the floor and the kids can jump or they can go visit things out. And we grabbed a picture out or one of those wishing balls that you haven't.

Speaker 4: I have another one that's great. Just an empty crates and that could be for standing house and to put your child's favorite cup in so they know that they can get a drink of water and that that's another ball. There's the washcloth they can use to wipe their face or get it cold and put it on their face to calm down. And there's a CD in here. They want to listen to a song. And then there's baskets. Some people use gear also with baskets and put the dog in. but it's something that being mindful of is that even though there's about 10 or 12 different calm down strategies in the book, sometimes having too many options in a box could also be overwhelming. Right So Sammy comes with it. Can you see this behind me There's a cringe. Maybe show us a little better.

Speaker 4: It's if you can see, let's see here. There's a printout of all the different things that real kids are doing. You see that great care squeezing up all up here, looking at pictures of flower, using a washcloth, jumping that if kids want to request something, they can point to one of these pictures or if you're using the pet system or something else, you can use that instead. But create an if then chart with words or like what I did is I even put cut them out and laminate them and put them on a key ring and put them in Sandy's house for a child to request what they're actually interested in using the calm down. So you can limit that to two or three options, put them in and they can pick out the pictures and hand them to you to show you what they need to calm down with.

Speaker 4: Or you know, your child best. And maybe they do this with the jumping and you want to have Sammie's house up here with Sammy the dog in the book in it and then the place mat or jumping in front of them so they know automatically that they can go jump there to calm down. And so it's, it's a way for kids to understand visually what their body needs to do, to be able to regulate them. And you can use that in a variety of situations. The best part about Sammy is that you could have a box for the car, you could have a house at home, you can have a house that wherever, and if you Sammy, they see a picture of Sammy or they see the Sammy dog.

Speaker 4: Know that, that's what the sammy box is for. I think that's the most important thing is kids, especially with autism, with the communication delay or sensory, need that they need very visual and very hands on ways to learn all these new strategies. And that's what Sammy does. That's what I listen for. Certain things that to take away from this is that we need to break things, skills up in a really small increments so kids can understand very simple steps and be praised for that. And once they're calm, talk about why they were sad and, and move on to the next part of your day.

Speaker 1: And I just want to say, this week Riley's whole class has been dealing with the difficult situation I explained earlier and her teacher actually had a huge setup of different areas with sensory strategies knowing that most of the children in her class are neurotypical. There are a few like Riley who have autism and she wanted them to have the skills that they needed and the tools they needed to get through the longest week of school that they will ever have to go through.

Speaker 4: Right. Exactly.

Speaker 1: And I think we, we need to look at it more than just at home, but involving our educational team.

Speaker 4: Right, right. And the nice part about something like, as Sanny said, is that if you want to introduce this as part of something they can use in the classroom, they can do that with like a picture I included with this is like a postcard of the front of what this looks like, just the front of the cupboard. And you can use that postcard wherever you are. And when kids see that, they automatically know what you're trying to convey to them. by using those calm down skills, I picked a dog because I feel like there's a lot of, support shots out there and it kind of goes together that he is he through to help support them and learn these new skills. and it's a positive experience. It's not a negative experience. And three, the kids go to his house and he gives them all these different tools and calm down and at the very end they're happy and running around and playing.

Speaker 4: and they go on to have a fun day at the very end. Right So it's not like, Hey, it's not like a timeout situation or something where it's negative. It's really a sensory break and a time to, to gather yourself and give your body what it's craving. so that you can move on with your day. And I think that that is one of the most important aspects of teaching our kids these sensory strategies is it's not a bad thing to do. It's something your body's asking for. And we're here to support them in a way that best meets their needs, both communicating with them. And actually that hands on interactive. what I think

Speaker 1: now, I know Sammy and his book do not come alone. Do you want to explain that?

Speaker 4: Sure. Yeah. So Sammy, that is good. So Sani will come with these downloads. You can print out if you want. And they also come with a curriculum, which I have on the wall over here, but it basically teaches you how to introduce Sammy to your child throughout,

Speaker 4: that is reading the book first and then decorating his house together. And then one by one adding those sensory items into the house with practicing what they're for. So squeezing the ball that day and then the next day crime's eating a crunchy snack and figuring out how that feels to them and if that calms them down, having that to their box. so it's over a week period. You're starting to add things to Sammy's house incrementally. So it's not like you just open a box and you throw a bunch of things in there and Sammy in there and then you put into the siding, expect the kids to know what to do with that. it's a very, laid out in a way that they will actually understand the concept about what it's for. And also Sammy comes with this. This is also a pronounced, that you can print out if you want to use it.

Speaker 4: And it's a, it's a chart and it has the red, the yellow and the green. And how they explain that is if your child is able to communicate with you and he's not, they do not want to feel, they don't feel ready to communicate. They're first they're upset, then they put Sandy's picture down there. See that picture down here You can go, they'll Crow or tape. And then when they are feeling a little bit better, they can move sand and get a yellow. This kind of needs, they're not really ready to talk here, but they're coming down. They're not really, they're not really overwhelmed. And then when they're ready to talk about what's going on, they can put it on the green one. And that's just there to signify to the adult, Oh, is it on the green one They're ready for me to come over to them.

Speaker 4: And they're ready for us to have a conversation. Another word for your child if they're not talking yet or if they don't have a lot of this community patients, you know, this is another visual way that they can communicate with you. a lot of times, you know, kids that are five, six or seven or eight or even older like this chart because this stops the parents from coming over saying, are you ready yet You want to talk now And they're like, I don't want to talk to you. Right. All right. So they can move Sammy up and down based on how they're feeling and when they're ready to have that talk. So that's also,

Speaker 1: I just want to say part of why I love this book so much guys, is because like she said, the language is extremely simple. So if your child is not verbal or is on the more profound side, they still get some understanding from it because it is made simply, but it's made in a way that they can understand.

Speaker 4: Right. And I can read your, I can read the first part of it if you want to. Okay. It just says, when I am mad, I visit soothing Sammy says, who understands me. In Sammy's house, There are so many things that helped me calm down. And then it starts talking about each thing as soothing drink, a ball to squeeze, a song to har, and a picture to see and keeps going. And it's very, very simple. And the reason why I had the illustrator make these with there isn't, if you notice there's one solid color in the background and the child doing the activity. So it's very calm. It's not overstimulating, there's not a lot of pictures on the walls or other

Speaker 1: Its very focused in on that one item.

Speaker 4: Exactly. So it was very, it was done in a way that, you know, kids can understand just by looking at that picture, what that child is doing. So when they look in the box and they find the ball and they see the little boy squeezing the ball, they know exactly what that ball is for.

Speaker 1: Yeah. And I want to say that everything in the book is wonderful, but some children, you may want to add other things to Sammy's house. It's not just limited to what's in the book.

Speaker 4: Exactly. And so in the back at the very end of the story, there's instructions on how to make Sammy's house and there's a whole bunch of ideas pages of things that are examples of things you can put in Sammy's house. And if there's anything extra that your child needs, if your child is when it needs things, the trampoline, then great. Put that Sammy's house right next to that trampoline. And this Sammy can have a trampoline in his house too. And that's totally fine. It doesn't have to be just what he has. but it goes through, you know, a student drink. He can put a child sized cup with water in it. A song to hear you can have a favorite CD or a toy that has a parent's voice recorded on it or a card, a picture cue card that the can give to you as a parent that they know that you'll play that favorite song on your iPhone, that they really need to hear. Or, a picture of a family member, like a mom or dad if that helps them calm down or a puppy or, I mean there's so many examples of things that speak to all of the different sensory components and in the back there's explains every single sensory area like tactile, what it means. And if you have a kiddo that is big on calming down when they're, then they touch, there's examples of what you can put in Sammy's house for those tactile,

Speaker 1: for tactile. Our Lakikid marble maze is actually a wonderful idea as well.

Speaker 4: that's a great idea

Speaker 1: because you simply work the marble, I'll show you the backside where you can see the maze better. You work the marble through the maze. So they're getting that tactile, but it's also calming. And I've noticed with Riley she'll go like this while she does it right. She's getting a double input.

Speaker 4: Exactly. Exactly. So when you look through this with your children and you read about each area and you find out which one your child identifies the most with which, which ones help them the best, and then use the information in here, like for auditory Sandy demonstrates this. Provide providing music thing and dance to, or olfactory is the sense of smell. You can use, you know, lotion, you can use essential oils, you can use candles with whatever sends off that smell. And so they're all broken up into sensory areas. If that is helpful to you. and you, and you want to look at those aspects for your children.

Speaker 1: Honestly, as a parent, that would, I think the first thing I flipped to was the back so that I could figure out what would be best for her when we were going through the book. Right. I went through and I looked at the tactile things that she enjoys and the ones that Sammy looks at and kind of built from there.

Speaker 4: Right, exactly. And, and Sammy, I mean when I, when I chose what would go in the Sammy book, I chose things that almost everybody would have just so that it would be easy and simple. But like you had said you could add more stuff to Sammy pals or switch and change that. But I wanted everyone to be able to access Sammy and it has this plan. So that's why I chose the ball and the cup to drink and the spot to jump on and, and I tried to make sure that there was something for every area, every sensory area and every sensory component is identified in something. One of the things they're doing. So it works for that child. They'll see another child. Awesome.

Speaker 1: Exactly. I'm going to run to the questions for a quick minute. Angela, I'm not sure if we can answer this question. I'll try, but if not I will post it to Matt and see. But Jeana, maybe you have any suggestions for the replacement of for w sitting,

Speaker 4: the replacement for W sitting? Yes. I mean Debbie is that, does he calm down when he's W sitting? He can sit in. Is that what you're

Speaker 1: Angela does Is that calming for him maybe or are you just looking to replace it as a whole because of the hips in the way it affects the hips She'll answer back in a minute. I know she will.

Speaker 4: I, I really those, those sensory balls are sensory maps that kids can sit on. That to me helps with W sitting a lot.

Speaker 1: Well in Lakikid we have, I don't have them with me, but we have the balanced ball chair and we have the wiggle seat. So those would change the way your child would sit and take them off of that w sitting right. Rose says, what a wonderful tool. Angela says this sounds great for young children and Melinda loves the pictures and how bright and clear they are.

Speaker 4: Yeah, my illustrator did a great job of, I explained to her what I needed and she did a really good job.

Speaker 1: She did. Now I know you have a website that we can go to.

Speaker 8: Okay.

Speaker 4: Me. Yes, I do. And I think Jason has that actually posted it right now. Yeah, he has a directly to actual Sammy the family page.

Speaker 1: And this link folks will bring you right to Sammy's page where you can order.

Speaker 4: Yeah. And it can look about it, order it and look into

Speaker 4: Yes. I don't know. The other component you wanted me to talk about was the emotions and feelings stuff.

Speaker 8: Okay.

Speaker 1: Yeah. If you want to kind of get into that a little bit for us.

Speaker 4: So, so there's, there's three parts to calming down, right When kids are feeling overwhelmed, first they have to identify the fact that they feel overstimulated and they need to calm down, which is part of our job as parents and professionals is to say, Hey, I think you need something. Right And it teach them that. So when they get older they can identify the thing and then do it independently. Right. Kind of move themselves into that. So the first is for them to identify how they're feeling. And then the second is to actually learn how to use different components to calm down. And the third is how do they communicate why they were feeling that way. And I think that is one component that we often miss is that's great that kids can stop and calm down on their own. So we need to come up with a way for them to communicate why and how.

Speaker 4: So next time they get stuck in that situation, they can get out of it before they become overwhelmed. And so I just agreed with you. Yeah. And yeah, and so that's why this emotions and feelings activities, this is sounds to you in digital format. and it's filled with a bunch of different way based hands on activities that teaches emotions and, and the words to use with them. So the, for this your kiddos have to be verbal, right I don't think there's any way around that for, for this particular part of it. but even the verbal, meaning they, they can use signs, they can use texts, they can use cue cards. But when the most important thing to know is that there are over 90 different motions that have been identified in the human realm of emotion. And that is a lot. So kids are up frustrated and overwhelmed.

Speaker 4: It's like we're trying to decode which of those 90 they are feeling and then that is not an easy task. And so these activities, take them through learning about each of those feelings and matching a feeling to a word so you can adapt any of these activities to using packs or, or words or signs or wherever your kids are at. But these were created for preschool age children. and I know we have some children that use system of communicating communication devices for them. Exactly. So, so that could work too. I just think the most important, the reason why I included this is because we need to remember that once the kids are calm, we want to be able to figure out a way that they can tell us why and how and how we can prevent that from happening in the future in whatever way that they are able to.

Speaker 4: these, I still, I have a bunch of learning activities on my website and this is actually one of those units that I pulled out of it cause it's about emotions and and just paired it with the soothign Sammy. So there's, there's hands on things like running. there's drawings, there's rolling around and then there's laughing and jumping and, and using, like green paper to say go and red paper to say, no. I'm not ready yet. And all sorts of things that, that use a variety of tools and learning languages. They help kids learn how to express their feelings in a way that we can actually help them. communicate. We can help them calm down so then you don't have to melt down. They can be redirected more easily, more subtly. So that's just, there's four components to the Sammy. There's the curriculum that comes with it, these activities, this Sammy dog and this thing. And then together you can see where, what is best for your child mentally and how you want to introduce the concept.

Speaker 1: I'm going back to Angela's question about w sitting. Yes. It's a sensory input that pulls on the outer leg muscles. I can get him to sit in different positions, but they don't give the input.

Speaker 4: Okay.

Speaker 1: And Angela, this is when we would say to use other things like a sensory ball or a wiggle seat or having him jump and stand up.

Speaker 1: these are going to tell you that w sitting is very bad for them.

Speaker 4: Yes. So yes, they were hoping to saying that. Yes. I like, you know, I went, I got this at Walmart at the dollar section and it's for jumping. It's a place mat. And I like it because it's visual and it gives the kid, there's a boundary, put it on the floor and they know they can just stand there and jump on and off of that as much as they want. and I think that that is so simple. Yeah. It works for, you know, that those large muscles for those kids that need that vestibular input and appropriate stuff did too. That's what she's talking about is the feeling of the joint pooling is learning appropriate protective stuff. So if you have a squishy ball even, but,

Speaker 1: Oh, it was very tactile. He's very, yeah, he's a very tactile and likes those big movements.

Speaker 4: Right, exactly.

Speaker 1: Angela said that your, emotions books sounds similar to Dr. Green's approach.

Speaker 4: I am not. probably, I know I can't comment and present on that. I haven't looked at that. But

Speaker 1: Dr. Green, it is when I was reading it, it is very similar to the approach that Dr. Green took.

Speaker 4: Okay.

Speaker 1: In helping children with autism by giving them different control. And that's what we're doing with Sammy. We're giving our children the control.

Speaker 4: Right but what Sammy does is create the idea of calming down come to life. It's like a, it's like a way to identify with something that I'm being taught as a child. I'm hearing it a lot and I'm seeing people telling me to do things and Sammy the book and the dog kind of bring that connected together in a way that kids can understand and identify with and they can think, Oh Sammy, Oh his kids when they go visit Sammy when they were, you know, not feeling muscle. I'm going to do this thing thing. And Sammy is this real life, not real life, but you know, real plush dog, that I can go touch his these and cuddle and hold. And, and he can help me feel better just like those kids there.

Speaker 1: He's also very soft. I mean I know you and I discussed the process of picking Sammy and it was not a simple process for you.

Speaker 4: It was not a simple process for me. You know, I have about 15 golden retrievers I have in my house and Sammy, why I picked this is because he is soft and cuddly and you have him in front of you, but he's safe for kids ages two and up, which is super hard to find. Usually it's three and up, and because chewing up, it's really hard to chew the eyeballs out. It's really hard to chew the nose out. and it's machine washable so you can, don't worry if they, you know, they lick it or whatever, you can put it in the washer. but Sammy is a very large enough that he actually looks like a, something I can use. It's not like a beanie baby. I think he's 12 inches long from toe down and y'all and he's eight inches high. You know, there was just a lot of thought that went into what is a young child going to see and how is this going to make it safe for them to use. and what is going to be easiest for the parents as far as keeping track of them. He's large enough, they clean and he is really kind of me. I need him. The whole goal is down. Sammy stay living in the house kind of. but half the kids end up sleeping with Sammy, real nice and cuddly that's fine if you want them to do that. But

Speaker 1: he's a great size for little ones and up because he is that perfect size in that his dimensions really like folks, he's the perfect size as you can see in my hands. He, his appropriate for all ages, like you said, to an up and that was important to you

Speaker 4: That was important to me. I wanted it safe for the little ones. That was my biggest, my biggest thing.

Speaker 1: Well, we know that

Speaker 4: giving sensory strategies is more effective when we start them as young as possible and build on them as they grow. Right. And you know, I've had some families ask me lately if they can use this with their 18 month olds or are there Nike levels and I tell them, you know, they're, they're really young to get this concept. You could start, I mean you can buy a Sammy kit and hold off to the like they're two to start introducing these things. But even just looking at the pictures and letting them hold Sammy, that's enough of an introduction. And Sammy on its own is a sensory component. He's squishy

Speaker 1: and soft. So I did that for a lot of kids. Love that for feeling

Speaker 4: exactly that for feeling is his ears will rip off cause there are some down.

Speaker 4: Yeah. So I mean you could introduce to them slowly as you need to with your child and any that's the most important part. These two together make it come alive and then you can add in, in the house when they're ready. And like we said before, you want to add in things slowly. That's where that the week long curriculum will open, I'm not seeing those. Oh. And then you add in the cards slowly, you know, start with one, then add another one, then add another one. And when your kids have identified what works for them, the best limited to those three that are in his house and so it's not overwhelming and not overstimulating for your child to see.

Speaker 1: Now I just want to cut in real quick and say that if you're looking for laminating but you don't have a machine, Walmart has the self laminating sheets you can buy.

Speaker 4: Yeah. And use the laminating machine is like $27 on Amazon and it was very, it's for one of those you can, because you know when you start laminating then you're going to want to eliminate everything because that's what I ended up wanting to do. Things last a lot longer that way. but the reason why you come digitally and I don't send them to you is because if something messes up, you have it, you can just reprint it.

Speaker 1: Exactly. Sorry, I was dealing with the tech technical difficulty or problem you.

Speaker 4: So yeah, you could just reprint however many of these you need. And it's super nice to have this in the car. Like I said before, I'm in a car, have them in your purse, have them hanging up on the wall at your house, how, you know, at grandma's house. And so the kids know exactly what these are for and easily identifiable.

Speaker 1: And you can also buy, you have them on the ring, you can buy the ring at most craft stores. And I believe Walmart sells the rings as well.

Speaker 4: They're just key rings. Yup. Neither key chain rings any will do. but yeah, it's just, I made so it would be super easy for you to implement and to teach your kids, you know, what they need, the strategies that they're so, and then you can put those in the house or hang them on the wall or make a little Sammy area in the bedroom if you want to. Or you can have them all in a box. The box that it comes with. Just keep it simple. Decorate the Sammy box, like

Speaker 1: you said, it could be as simple or as complex as you want and the decorating of the box I think is important for some of the kids. I know Riley, she likes the stickers in the certain colors and scented markers and

Speaker 4: exactly. Exactly. So that's why. Well there's a reason why I picked this box is because I have the Soothing Sammy on here so the kids know and then you can decorate it. It's a sturdy box. You can use this. Just cut the top off and use this as as the box for Sammy. Or if you want to get fancy, you can use a basket or crate stuck endings like to do that. If it's going to be in your living room and you want it in a basket,

Speaker 1: I'll go have the option of having a basket for the living room and one for the bedroom or the car.

Speaker 4: Exactly, and if there's not, you want to buy more than one dog. That's an option. Okay. You can order it. Let me know that when you check out and there's ad-ons you can add an extra dog on, you can add an extra book on. one thing I tell families is if you have more than one child and you think they both would want a house, I highly recommend having one dog for each child because having their own house is very, very important atmosphere. Five year old or seven year old Sammy house and using that as their Sandy house is not going to fare well with your seven year old

Speaker 1: well you may have a seeker and an avoider, so they would use totally different tools,

Speaker 4: really different schools. And it's also an idea, this is my Sammy house and this is my stuff that I gave this for. And then you can have your own Sammy has for you made for your, it just, there's a whole bunch of stuff that plays into that. But I think it's really important when you're teaching kids calm down strategies. I think it's really important for them to own their own space for that. And if it's their special special ball or their special lobby or they're special, I think it's really important that they don't have to share that with a friend. I think that that is just respectful for that child also kind of puts that the rules around that sibling, siblings stuff so that's always an option. If you need another Sandy or you buy one and you decide later you want another one. There's that option on the website so that's there. Cause I know that I get that question a lot from mom. They say Oh I wish I bought three of them because so you don't have to buy like three full sets of Sani fit. You could just,

Speaker 1: right. You could buy one book to share as a family and three dogs that they all get introduced to. Nope. Unfortunately we are at the end of our night. It is getting late here. It is almost bedtime for Riley. So Jeana, I want to thank you for joining us this month. I know it didn't work out. You were sick on week two. I was sick on week three. That's kind of been a messed up month, but I appreciate you coming and sitting with us and explaining Sammy. I really think he's an amazing tool for so many of our kids. And I want to thank all of you for joining us tonight. If you want to subscribe to join us live type five in our public chat and go from there. Angela. I will have him redo that. Jason, our link for the website is not working. If we can repost a working link, we will get to that. Remember this video will be saved. So will the comments. So if you do not get the, if we do not get the working link up right away, we will have it up as quickly as possible and we will post it in group because it's not working right now. So watch more of that than tonight.

Speaker 4: And I think you guys have questions. I'll be in the group for the next couple of days to answer questions and to help the links and stuff. So, yeah, so I if you have more questions that come up later you can just write a comment into the video and I'll come in and answer.

Speaker 1: Perfect. Some folks like she said if you need anything, Jason that link is still not working. We will post it in group. we'll make a separate post with soothing Sammie's link and I will go ahead and take Jeana in that post so if you have any questions for her she can kind of walk you through it and help you. So we will post that in group tonight as soon as I get Riley settled and I will tag Jeana and let her know. So again, if you want to subscribe, just put five in our chat right now to subscribe and don't forget we have a parent support group that we would love to have you join. Jeana is going to be there to answer questions and give advice. We also have other people that are in there that like we have Matt who is an occupational therapist assistant.

Speaker 1: We have different people in there to help you guys get the advice you need. We are also a very, positive group. I don't allow negativity, quite frankly. I've got enough going on in my life. If it's not positive, it's not for me. So thank you all. don't forget to check out our sensory deals group and have an amazing week and I will see you next Thursday at 7:00 PM Eastern time and we will actually be starting our month long discussion on parent advocacy, which I feel is extremely important. Until then, please remember, empower, support and educate by.