Books
- Growing an In-Sync Child: Simple, Fun Activities to Help Every Child Develop, Learn and Grow
- In-Sync Activity Card Book: Simple, Fun Activities to Help Children Develop, Learn and Grow
- The Goodenoughs Get in Sync: 5 Family Members Overcome Their Special Sensory Issues
- The Out-of-Sync Child Grows Up: Coping with SPD in the Adolescent and Young Adult Years
- The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun: Activities for Kids with SPD
- The Out-of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Disorder
Events
Books
Articles
“The Out-of-Sync Child has become the parents’ bible to [Sensory Processing Disorder].”
The New York Times
“Warm and wise, [The Out-of-Sync Child] will bring both hope and practical help to parents Continue Reading
Jane M. Healy Learning specialist and author of Your Child’s Growing Mind
“[The Out-of-Sync Child] is great! It is a real contribution to the parents of the Continue Reading
T. Berry Brazelton, MD Founder, Brazelton Foundation, Children’s Hospital, Boston
(2005) Indoor Obstacle Courses for Parents and Teachers
/in Articles, Articles About Carol, Articles by Carol /by Jennifer CassellPublished in Sensations, Volume 3, Issue 2, September, a newsletter for the benefactors and friends of The KID Foundation (now STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder)
Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly, and kids gotta climb, jump, and balance. While dangling from banisters, scooting under turnstiles, teetering on curbs, and jumping into puddles may dismay grown-ups, children persist with good reason.
How do kids learn to think and relate to the world around them? By scanning their surroundings; touching wooden, metal, rubber, or concrete surfaces; grasping and releasing handholds; changing body positions; maintaining equilibrium; and experimenting with different movement patterns. Furthermore, they are having fun, and “fun,” Dr. Ayres wrote, “is the child’s word for sensory integration.”
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(2004) In Praise of Mud
/in Articles, Articles About Carol, Articles by Carol /by Jennifer CassellPublished in S.I. Focus (Winter issue), and adapted from a 1990 article originally in Carol’s column, “Gentle Reminders,” in Parent and Child magazine
A child comes to school on a soggy day. Tentatively approaching a puddle, she sticks in one spotless boot, watching with interest as her foot sinks into the mud. She puts in the other boot. She is entranced. Looking up, she says to her teacher, “Is this mud? It’s fun! Is it okay?”
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(2002) Wisdom from a Preschool Teacher
/in Articles, Articles About Carol, Articles by Carol /by Jennifer CassellPosted on Child.com, September
A mother tells me how excited she is about her toddler’s “educational” computer game. Just click the mouse and presto – one, two, three oranges bound into a bucket. Click again, and they reappear, one, two, three. Isn’t that a fabulous way to learn counting? What is my opinion, as a preschool teacher?
“How about giving him a bucket and three oranges?” I ask. “Then he can touch and hold them, smell them, toss them, and enjoy a real experience.”
“That seems so old-fashioned!” she says.
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(2001) Taking Care of Yourself When Your Child Has Special Needs
/in Articles, Articles About Carol, Articles by Carol /by Jennifer CassellUnpublished – Written for the now-defunct clubmom.com, August 2001
Before takeoff, you buckle your seatbelt and listen to the flight attendant review emergency procedures. You hear that if the oxygen masks drop, you should adjust your own before assisting your child. Likewise, if you are on a lifelong journey as a special mom, you must care for yourself so you can effectively care for your child.
Self-care, however, requires TLC (Time, Liberty, Cash), resources often in short supply.
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(2000) Music and Movement Bring Together Children of Differing Abilities
/in Articles, Articles About Carol, Articles by Carol /by Jennifer CassellPublished in Child Care Information Exchange magazine (May 2000), and in Curriculum: Art, Music, Movement, Drama – A Beginnings Workshop Book (Exchange Press, 2006)
Typically-developing children are usually adaptable. They sing and dance, play rhythm instruments, and willingly try traditional preschool experiences. Children with special needs, however, may prefer sticking to the same-old-same-old activities that make them feel successful.
Whatever the skill level of your preschoolers, a variety of sensory-motor activities in your curriculum can satisfy most children’s needs. Music and movement activities, with their flexible structure, can foster every child’s creativity and competence.
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(2000) How Does Sensory Processing Disorder Affect Learning?
/in Articles, Articles About Carol, Articles by Carol /by Jennifer CassellPosted on SPD Foundation’s website (May)
Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is not classified as a learning disability, but it can certainly hamper a child’s ability to learn. To illustrate, here are stories about two preschoolers whom I taught in my music and movement room at St. Columba’s Nursery School in Washington, DC.
Robin, 4, is over-responsive to touch sensations (she avoids them). Larry, 3-1/2, is under-responsive to movement (he craves it). Let’s look at these intelligent, healthy kids with an eye on how sensory issues are not only getting in their way now but may also interfere with learning and behavior in the future.
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