Giving support to parents. Explore resources and articles helpful to parenting special needs.

Susan Orloff, OTR/L,Tweets About Chewable Jewellery

Susan  Orloff, OTR/L,Tweets About Chewable Jewellery

You know the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words”? Well the team at SentioLife Solutions is convinced that a testimonial from a parent, educator, therapist or a disability service that uses and recommends our chewable jewellery is worth a thousand paid ads! We thank Susan Orloff, OTR/L‏ @OTRlovesKids for tweeting about our chew necklaces to support a Tweet I had posted about our chew pendants. Does she really know about KidCompanions Chewelry and our newer SentioCHEWS?

Continue Reading...

Child with Autism and Breaks in Routine

Child with Autism and Breaks in Routine

A child with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may have greater difficulty in accepting changes of routine. This may be due to their greater need for predictability or difficulty when a pattern of routine is disrupted. Vacations, family visits, or field trips can be over-stimulating and distressing for the child with autism. If this is the case with your child, prepare BEFORE a scheduled change in routine occurs like before school breaks and for summer vacation.

Continue Reading...
2 Comments

Durable Chew Necklaces for Adults with Autism and Sensory Issues

Durable Chew Necklaces for Adults with Autism and Sensory Issues

This post shows you the events that took place before SentioLife Solutions received an awesome testimonial telling us that our SentioCHEWS, our durable, second line of chew necklaces, can also satisfy the strong urge to chew and bite by adults as well as kids, tweens, and teens. So this post will help all the adults out there who have been searching for durable chew necklaces for adults!

Continue Reading...
1 Comments

Sensory and Focus Issues: Help Whining, Wiggly Kids

Sensory and Focus Issues: Help Whining, Wiggly Kids

Think your child has sensory and focus issues? Parents are always told that behavior is a form of communication. If parents can figure out what is causing their child to be constantly On-the-GO or to constantly be chewing, biting, mouthing toys, clothing, hair, hands or fingers, etc., then they can help them. If parents cannot help

Continue Reading...
5 Comments

Chew Pendants Allow Your Chewer to Get On with the Day!

Chew Pendants Allow Your Chewer to Get On with the Day!

Parents and OT’s, thanks for the many positive messages and photos about SentioLife Solutions’ chew pendants you post on our KidCompanions Chewelry Facebook Page and on Twitter! Your posts show us the many reasons our chew pendants, that also double up as Clip-on Hand Fidgets, have become so popular. We are pleased that the chew pendants

Continue Reading...
4 Comments

Anatomy of a Special Needs Child – Infographic by Masters in Special Education Degrees

Anatomy of a Special Needs Child – Infographic by Masters in Special Education Degrees

We were invited to share the Infographic titled Anatomy of a Special Needs Child by Masters in Special Education Degrees on our Special Needs Blog. 18.5% of American Children under 18 are special needs students. That doesn’t mean they aren’t smart, talented, or capable. Just that they have specific challenges that a “normal” student wouldn’t face.

Continue Reading...

How to Improve the School Life of Children with Disabilities – Infographic

How to Improve the School Life of Children with Disabilities – Infographic

The team at KidCompanions Chewelry Blog has received permission from UKS Mobility to publish the following infographic and they also wrote the introduction on How to Improve the School Life of  Disabled Children.  Disabled children often face a tough time at school due to lack of awareness surrounding disability, the absence of proper facilities, and negative attitudes towards

Continue Reading...

The Forgotten Child by Anne Ford – Sibling Issues

The Forgotten Child by Anne Ford – Sibling Issues

The following guest post titled “The Forgotten Child by Anne Ford – Sibling Issues” is printed with permission from the author. The team at Special Needs Book Review (SNBR) received the four books written by Anne Ford and John-Richard Thompson listed at the end of this post. We thank the authors for these books and for a guest post introducing their book published in March 2015 titled,”The Forgotten Child:“If She is Special, What am I?” Sibling Issues: When Learning Disabilities Cause Tension in the Home”.  Read about this book on our SNBR site. The following guest post explains why the authors chose The Forgotten Child:“If She is Special, What am I?” as the title for their fourth book.

Continue Reading...

What Is Irlen Syndrome? What Are the Symptoms? by Lauren Brukner, MS, OTR/L

What Is Irlen Syndrome? What Are the Symptoms? by Lauren Brukner, MS, OTR/L

I reviewed a book whose author has two children with Irlen syndrome and was happy to learn another author could tell us all about it! On Irlen.com I learned, ” Irlen Syndrome (also referred to at times as Meares-Irlen Syndrome, Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome, and Visual Stress) is a perceptual processing disorder. It is not an optical problem. It is a problem with the brain’s ability to process visual information. This problem tends to run in families and is not currently identified by other standardized educational or medical tests. This problem can manifest itself differently for each individual. This problem is not remediable and is often a lifetime barrier to learning and performance.”

Continue Reading...
3 Comments

Is It a Chewy or a Fidget? SentioCHEWS and KidCompanions Chewelry Chew Necklaces Are BOTH!

Is It a Chewy or a Fidget? SentioCHEWS and KidCompanions Chewelry Chew Necklaces Are BOTH!

Is It a Chewy or a Fidget? Both our lines of chew necklaces, SentioCHEWS and KidCompanions Chewelry, are sensory toys that are both used as a mouth fidget and a hand fidget. 

Now SentioLife Solutions, Ltd. has two very different chew necklaces in its COST, FEEL and its LOOK. Children with autism (ASD), sensory processing disorder (SPD), ADHD, Tourette syndrome, Down syndrome, FASD, etc. are very sensitive to certain materials and some prefer our original KidCompanions Chewelry on the market since 2007 while others really like our new SentioCHEWS. Our newest sensory toy was launched in Nov. of 2013. What is the story behind these two chew necklaces and are they used as a chewy, a fidget, or are they both?

Continue Reading...

Integrated Listening Systems (iLs) – Multi-sensory Program for Improving Brain Function by Lauren Brukner, MS, OTR/L

Integrated Listening Systems (iLs) – Multi-sensory Program for Improving Brain Function by Lauren Brukner, MS, OTR/L

This guest post on Integrated Listening Systems (iLs)  is written by Lauren Brukner, MS, OTR/L. Lauren is the author of The Kids’ Guide to Staying Awesome and in Control: Simple Stuff to Help Children Regulate Their Emotions and Senses, and we thank her for writing another guest post to introduce her book on our Special Needs Book Review site.

Continue Reading...
6 Comments

How Weighted Products Provide Proprioceptive Sensory Input

How Weighted Products Provide Proprioceptive Sensory Input
So many problems, so many choice, so many decisions…Parents of children with special needs must feel overwhelmed so many times! This post answers questions regarding weighted products. What weighted products are available for children to provide proprioceptive sensory input? How do weighted products help? Weighted products are used to diffuse tension and help promote a sense of calmness and comfort by using, for example, a cozy weighted blanket to enhance sensory integration. The blanket is perfect for bundling up while promoting relaxation and sensory feedback.
Continue Reading...
7 Comments