The Importance of Sensory Regulation in Therapy

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Before focusing on speech, language, feeding, cognitive, motor skills, it’s essential to regulate the child’s sensory needs. A well-regulated child is more likely to engage, participate, and respond positively during therapy sessions. Some strategies to help children with sensory needs include:

  • Use Visual Supports: Visual schedules and supports help children understand what to expect, reducing anxiety and promoting participation.
  • Multi-Sensory Approach: Engage multiple senses—visual, verbal, and tactile—so the child can better grasp and understand information.
  • Follow the Child’s Interests: Knowing and integrating the child’s favourite activities or toys helps sustain focus and attention during therapy.
  • Simple Language: Use clear, slow, and simple language when communicating with the child. Keep instructions direct and to the point.
  • Allow Stimming Behaviours: Stimming behaviours, such as hand-flapping or rocking, often help children self-regulate their nervous systems. Accept these behaviours during therapy, as they can help the child focus.

Incorporating Sensory Activities into Speech Therapy for Children with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD):

Children with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) often struggle with processing and responding to sensory information, which can impact their communication, learning, and social skills. Incorporating sensory-based activities into speech and language therapy can be highly beneficial in supporting these children. By addressing their sensory needs first, we can help them become more engaged and ready to learn, improving outcomes for speech, language, and feeding skills. Here’s how professionals and parents can work together using play-based sensory activities in speech therapy sessions.

Sensory-Based Activities for Speech Therapy

Sensory play can be a powerful tool for developing communication, vocabulary, and social skills. Below are some activities that can be incorporated into therapy sessions to promote speech and language development:

  1. Physical Movement and Sensory Play:

Activities like jumping jacks, stretching, playing with moldable sand or sensory bins (filled with various textures), and swinging can provide the sensory input the child needs to stay engaged. These activities can be used during sensory breaks or integrated directly into therapy to stimulate language and communication.

  1. Obstacle Courses:

Obstacle courses are excellent for encouraging both sensory and language development. While navigating the course, children can learn and practice spatial concepts (e.g., “over,” “under,” “through”), directions, and opposites. The act of completing tasks before moving on to the next obstacle also helps with following instructions and concept knowledge.

  1. Sensory Play with Materials:

Using materials like playdough, sand, or water beads can provide the perfect backdrop for language stimulation. These activities encourage:

  • Vocabulary Expansion: Introducing new words such as “squishy,” “stretchy,” or “smooth” during play.
  • Sentence Fluency: Prompting the child to use complete sentences while discussing what they’re doing.
  • Comprehension of Questions: Asking a mix of yes/no and open-ended questions helps build understanding and response skills.
  • Following Directions: Providing simple, multi-step directions for the child to follow during play.
  • Pretend Play: Encouraging imaginative play can strengthen expressive language skills, allowing the child to practice storytelling and dialogue.
  1. Problem Solving and Inferencing:

Sensory play often presents opportunities for problem-solving. For example, a child may need to figure out how to scoop water beads into a container or mix two colours of paint to create a new shade. These moments offer valuable language-building opportunities.

Sensory Integration Therapy (SI) in Occupational Therapy:

Sensory Integration (SI) therapy is commonly used by occupational therapists to help children with SPD improve their ability to process and respond to sensory information. In SI therapy, children are gradually exposed to various sensory stimuli in a structured, repetitive manner. Over time, this helps the brain adapt and respond more efficiently to sensory input.

SI therapy may include activities such as:

  • Exploring sensory bins filled with different textures
  • Jumping into ball pits or on trampolines
  • Playing with clay, slime, or shaving cream
  • Walking barefoot on various surfaces
  • Engaging in balance activities or using swings
  • Heavy work activities, like carrying weights or pushing objects

These activities can be reinforced at home to complement occupational therapy sessions. An occupational therapist will design a sensory diet tailored to the child’s specific needs, helping them regulate and respond more effectively to sensory stimuli.

Sensory Diets in Therapy:

A sensory diet is a tailored plan of sensory-based activities designed to help a child stay calm, focused, and alert. These activities can be incorporated into speech therapy and occupational therapy sessions to help children regulate their sensory systems. Examples of sensory diet activities include:

  • Jumping on trampolines
  • Swinging (back and forth, side to side)
  • Rolling on exercise balls
  • Heavy work activities like pushing a cart or carrying a weighted backpack
  • Reading sensory books.
  • Engaging in Mindfulness activities involving the senses.

These activities can help prepare children for speech therapy by calming or alerting them, depending on their sensory needs.

Environmental Modifications in Therapy:

Making environmental changes can also support children with SPD during speech therapy and psychomotor therapy. Reducing distractions, offering alternative seating options, and providing a calm, organized space can make it easier for children to focus and participate.


Incorporating sensory-based activities into speech therapy can greatly benefit children with Sensory Processing Disorder. By addressing sensory needs first, speech therapists and parents can help children become more engaged and responsive, leading to improved communication, social, and academic outcomes. Working together with occupational therapists to create sensory diets and modify environments can further support the child’s sensory regulation, making therapy more effective.