Model

Through our research, specific play themes have been identified to enhance both sensory motor and social emotional capacities for each Sensory Emotional Personality™. In other words, there are specific ways to play with a child based on the way they process and respond to sensory motor experiences.

Why play?

When we observe the play of children, we are invited into their world of experiences. Play provides a place for exploration—with the body and the mind. Play provides a place of safety and connection. Play allows for opportunities to practice regulation of emotion and regulation of action and behavior.

To support play in the themes described above, specific toys are recommended for each Sensory Emotional Personality style. Recommendations are also made for ways to use common items around your house to engage in sensory motor exploration of the play themes. These items are designed to provide many forms of sensory input—proprioceptive, vestibular, tactile, auditory and visual. In conjunction with the play theme, the experience of sensory input is provided with the goals of enhancing sensory registration, sensory modulation, sensory discrimination, postural stability, postural control, motor planning and motor coordination.

Just as play themes and sensory opportunities have been identified in our research as the ones to best support each Sensory Emotional Personality™, so have affect strategies. One definition of affect is to move emotionally. Affective gesturing is the use of facial expression, gestures, body position, and tone of voice to send an emotional message to others. Within the Sensory-motor Emotional EngageMent Frame of Reference while playing a specific play theme using specifically chosen sensory opportunities, we are also using specifically chosen affective gestures based on the child’s Sensory Emotional Personality™. These strategies are special ways of communicating and interacting with an individual to bring about regulation, engagement and positive relationship experiences. For example, the use of exaggerated facial expressions along with big gestures brings a burst of awareness, connection and engagement with our unaware yet deep thinkers who present with sensory under responsivity. The use of anticipation, curious facial expression with gestures inviting interest in what will happen next, leads to upright postural shifts and the co-occurring feeling of bravery within our needy yet compassionate children who present with postural weakness and instability.

You, the caregiver of your child, are a very important part of this model! As mentioned earlier sensory motor and social emotional challenges immediately effect the relationships within a family. It is the learned responses based on the play, sensory and affect strategies that are provided by the caregiver that brings carryover of this approach into the everyday life of the child and family.

Your response to your child builds meaning onto their way of processing and responding to others and the environment. Therefore, there is a specific role that is recommended for you within each Sensory Emotional Personality style. This role combines the sensory, affect and play based strategies described above into a succinct way of being for you.

Exploration of the other Sensory Emotional Personalities™ within the family and how they impact the overall regulation, engagement and relational health of the child and the whole family are of important consideration as well. More on this later!