little sensory tricks to help kids with ASD and ADHD

If the child is able to sit, but is constantly fidgeting with their hands, touching and poking etc you should probably try a simple bead fidget. These are strings of beads (usually pony beads) attached to a belt loop. Since Cutie is right handed, I keep his beads on the left because he has to use the right hand for writing.

We started with a very simple one. As I saw how effective they were, I began to make more interesting ones based on the designs of Army Ranger Pace Counting beads and golf score beads (both use different stringing techniques to allow the beads to be moved and stay where the child wants them). I love the Ranger Beads because we actually got the real thing, Cutie is about to be 7 and he gets teased as it is. With the Ranger beads, there is not much to tease about- Army Rangers use them. Cutie now has 12 choices and picks one out every morning! He has told me that they work great for him, I have also heard this from several older children with ADHD.

You can buy or make them, I bought the Ranger and Golf beads and make all of the rest.

We use Aron's Thinking Putty (chameleon) but regular old silly putty works just as well! Allow the child to squooosh it around in their hand while they write with the other hand. The big advantage putty has over bead is that the child can still have their hand on the table to hold the paper, the disadvantage is that a child with poor attention is easily distracted by watching their hand squish the putty and the writing hand tends to drift over to get a taste of the action as well.

You can also use the putty for fine motor exercise. Hide some small objects (like pony beads) in it and have the child pick them out! See if the child can hold each object with their pinky, ring and middle fingers (as a collection) while picking out more with their thumb and index fingers. Be sure to find and put away the objects when you are done as this is a supervised activity because of the choking hazard.

This works best if done every hour initially and then gradually reduced- Cutie now uses it only as needed, but the first year we did it was every hour. He learned quickly to love it and stopped fighting and about 6 months in his behavior improved drastically. You are providing proprioceptive input and triggering the release of certain chemicals in the brain. These chemicals have a calming effect (if done correctly- if you do it incorrectly the child becomes VERY hyper- FIRM PRESSURE is correct).

Start at the shoulder (on the top side of the arm) and apply firm pressure as you slowly sweep the brush down to the fingertips. Then, start just below the armpit and sweep down toward the palm until you reach the fingertips. Repeat on the other arm. Then, start at the hip (front on top of the leg) , firm pressure as you sweep down to the toes. Repeat on the other leg. Last, have the child lay on their tummy, applying firm pressure, sweep the brush from the shoulder blade down to the toes- you should be 1/2 way between the spine and the side of the child (NOT TOUCHING THE SPINE).

Never use the brush on the abdomen or spine. You should also avoid the head, but the child may take the brush to do their hair etc, that's ok.

Any old brush will not do. The wrong type can easily cause an excitatory response (if the bristles are too soft) or pain if the bristles are too firm.
Surgical scrub brushes work very well, you can continue re-use daily them for this purpose (not if they have been used for their actual intended purpose please) Ask your child's doctor, they may be willing to give you a freeby. Sometimes they contain soap, you have to really rinse those out first.

Alternatively, you can buy a Willbarger Brush online, ours was $7.

Lay the task on the floor next to a pencil or crayon etc. Place a medium exercise ball in front of the task. Ask the child to write their name. When they have completed this, rock the ball gently back and forth (head to toe) about 5 times. If they loved it, tell them they can have more after each question on their homework (find a way to break up the work into frequent reward rocking). The physical exertion to stay balanced on the ball helps to channel some of that energy as well as being a fun and unexpected way to do homework!