FAQ / Programs
FAQ, Programs
The program caters for all children and young people aged 2-14 years old, with or without a behavioural problem. We all benefit from the use of sensory experiences to self-regulate our emotions whether we are a child or adult, have a behavioural issue, emotional challenges, a disorder such as ADHD and ASD, or simply want to learn the skills to successfully self-regulate our emotions for our own emotional and physical wellbeing. The Sensory Gym program specifically addresses children with behavioural problem to assist them to raise their body awareness and learn to introduce sensory regulation into their daily life to empower them with the skills to identify what they are feeling, how they want to feel and the capacity to choose sensory experiences both planned and in the moment to shift their body and emotions into a better feeling and level of alertness suitable to their environment and the demands of the current task. This program comes from the desire to improve the quality of life for children and young people with behavioural issues by supporting them to reach their full potential without the limitations of their emotional challenges lowering their ability to function at their best level academically, socially, emotionally, physically and creatively. All children are welcome to participate in the program as self-regulation is a lifelong skill that we all benefit from learning.
The sensory gym is a parent-child education centre that is driven by the child’s sensory and emotional needs and is enhanced by the shared experience of fun and enjoyment by both the child and their parent or carer. Playfulness between your child and yourself in the sensory experiences is a key element of the success of the sensory regulation program. If your child is not having a good time with the sensory activities they will not embrace them as significant factors to their emotional wellbeing and will fail to stick with incorporating them into daily life as important strategies to living a better life that they can control to improve how they feel and experience the world. Your insight and rapport with your child builds the safety felt by the child in experimenting with the various sensory experiences and encourages their willingness to try then accept, negate and potentially extend their sensory window of tolerance, felt as ease and comfort in their sensations, to regulate their emotions. Your bond with your child will be strengthened. The sensory gym is an opportunity for you to learn the skills of sensory regulation in a practical, purpose-built setting that you can take home and incorporate into your family lifestyle for a more intentional approach to emotional self-regulation as a family unit. There is an additional aspect of the sensory program, the parent coaching program where the specifics of the challenges and tribulations of incorporating self-regulation into your child’s life are discussed and strategies identified for modifying the program to best meet the emotional and behavioural needs of your child. You will be shown how to safely support your child in the gym alongside the coach and will take away practical suggestions to try at home. You are required to be present to support your child in the sensory gym with your level of participation in the gym sessions dependent upon yours and your child’s comfort.
Enrolments are taken for the sensory gym and parent coaching program each term and children can be re-enrolled as often as required, dependent upon vacancies being available. The program is an individual session between the coach and the child plus their parent or carer. Discounts are available for families with multiple children enrolled with each child having a dedicated session for their parent or carer to work with them only and the coach. Sessions are 50 minutes at a set time each week for the duration of the school term.
Participation in the sensory gym requests that the parent or carer participates in the parent coaching program. They are joined aspects of the Sensory Tuning program with the cost of enrolment covering both elements. The parent coaching program complements the training principles taught in the sensory gym sessions. Whilst strongly encouraged that parents or carers participate in this coaching to successfully support their child undertaking the sensory gym program, it is not mandatory. Children and young people will experience behavioural breakthroughs at a faster rate if their parent or carer is providing support by modelling themes taught in the sensory program and are appropriately guiding and reinforcing their sensory regulation exploration and discoveries. To make the sensory regulation program accessible for families living out of area, who have challenges in regularly attending the gum sessions, or who have financial challenges, the parent coaching program is available as a stand-alone program. Funding in the form of sponsorship of one child per term whose family experiences financial difficulty is being sought to award to a child that would benefit from participation in the sensory gym program.
Gym sessions are one 50 minute session per week held over a 10 week period that corresponds to each school term. Gym sessions during school time for pre-schoolers are available in addition to after-school hours to cater for school aged children and young people aged up to 14 years. The parent coaching sessions are held on a Thursday evening each week over the 10 week term for a duration of 30 minutes.Topics discussed include issues that arised during the week, upcoming events that may require additional planning and forethought to avoid potential behavioural issues and optimise successful participation in the occasion, clarification of sensory regulation and support strategies for incorporating sensory regulation into the child’s and family’s lifestyle.
Activities that stimulate the senses including movement activities such as climbing, swinging, scooter boards, crash mats, jumping, rolling, sliding, balancing, co-ordination activities such as kicking, throwing and catching, fine motor skills such as craft work, tactile stimulation include sand and dirt play, goop manipulation, fidget toys, water play, brushing, varied texture handling, body wrappy, weighted toys, music and auditory play and stimulation, oral stimulation through taste, texture and crunch experimentation, massage, smell preference experimentation, scented oils and scent vials, tinted glasses, visual stimulation through lightened and dimmed ambience, visual imagery, visual toys and features such as strobe lights, oil in water and aquarium. Large and small equipment will be available for the child’s safe and supported experience in identifying sensory sensitivities that cause discomfort and anxiety and tho sensory preferences that provide calm and comfort which allows them to return and maintain them in a just right state of self-regulation. The activities are child-focused, driven by the child’s needs in the moment to feel alert, calm, experimental, challenged to safely extend their level of tolerance of their comfort zone or maintained in a state of just right level of arousal for their environment and the activity at hand. The parent works alongside the child to encourage and support them in a playful manner with the guidance of the coach. The child’s right to feel safe is acknowledged and respected at all times as a matter of prime importance and the number one requirement of the sensory gym.