Sensory Processing Crash Course for Parents: Affirming Supports for Daily Life

In this 1.5 hour hour recorded course, Laura Petix will teach you how to support your child to move through daily routines with less sensory distress. You’ll learn how to recognize and understand your child’s patterns of sensory processing, and then you’ll learn practical, effective, concrete ways to reduce their distress during daily routines and increase their joyful participation in the activities that matter most.

Enroll for $59 and get one year’s access on demand. USE COUPON CODE SENSORY FOR 10% OFF THROUGH 5/27!

Adult and child lying on the floor together holding octopus plushies

Does Your Child’s Sensory Processing Impact their Daily Life?

Let’s talk about your child’s INTERNAL SENSES:

Vestibular

Maybe your child is fearful of swings, escalators, and theme parks. Maybe tipping their head back to rinse the shampoo out feels scary to them and causes a meltdown.

Or they are constantly moving fast, taking big risks at on the playground or getting in trouble for not sitting still in the classroom.

Interoception

Maybe your kid doesn’t hear the signs from inside of their body that they need to use the bathroom or eat until the signal is so loud it’s an emergency.

Or perhaps they notice and report every little ache, every throb, and they tell you about it all day long.

Proprioception

Maybe your kid is constantly leaning or propping their body up on something (or someone!). And they need extra time and support in order to learn a new motor skill, like tying shoes, or zipping, or fastening, jumping jacks, using utensils, putting clothes on, anything that requires some motor coordination

You may have a kid who we describe as 'not knowing their own strength' because they're often unintentionally injuring themselves or other kid. They are described as “clumsy,” breaking objects and bumping into others. breaking objects, and they might be described as being 'clumsy'.

Perhaps you have a kid who has a constant need to chew, squeeze, or bite things.

Let’s talk about your child’s EXTERNAL SENSES:

Auditory

Does it seem like your child has a hard time understanding the words you say to them, especially if there are other sounds happening at the same time?

Or maybe they have frequent meltdowns when the environment is loud, or even after they’ve lef the loud environment. Places like public restrooms, music classes, theme parks, grocery stores, and restaurants may distress your child.

You may have a child who copes with loud environments by engaging an auditory stimming to drown out the sounds.

Visual

Does your child struggle to learn letters, shapes, and directions (forward/ backward / left / right)?

You may have a child who enjoys looking at spinning objects or very specific shadows or patterns on toys, and they might stare at it for long periods of time.

You might have a child who becomes overwhelmed or has a hard time focusing on the task in front of them when they are in more busy or cluttered environments with different objects and people moving in the background or in the periphery. And you might have a child who becomes more overstimulated or overwhelmed or fearful, or maybe they blink a lot or complain of headaches when they're in environments with bright lights or the bright sun.

Tactile

Do you have a kid who wants to grab, touch and explore everything with their hands?

Or maybe you have a child who becomes distressed by the sensation of their clothes, their toothbrush, sunscreen, and their hairbrush. They don’t want to walk in the sand, do sensory play, or touch their food.

Taste & smell

Does your child seek out strong flavors and smells? Or are they often distressed by them, making eating challenging?

So what can you do?

All of these are ways that sensory processing may impact your child in their daily life. And this course is all about affirming, practical ways you can support them to move through their daily routines in a way that helps them feel safe and regulated.

The strategies in this course aren't unnecessarily complex, specialized, or hard to integrate into your life. And they aren't intended to change your child’s sensory system. Instead, we’ll teach you how to adapt your routines in a way that is supportive for your child’s sensory processing needs, how to prepare your child for challenging moments, and how to accommodate their needs in a way that is manageable, supportive, and effective.

Ready for less stress and more joy? We’ve got you.

About your instructor

Laura Petix, MS OTR/L (she/her)

Headshot of Laura Petix, a woman in a blue dress with long dark hair and a silver butterfly necklace.

Laura Petix, MS OTR/L (she/her) is a neurodivergent pediatric occupational therapist, author, podcast host, content creator and parent coach. Laura's lived experience as a neurodivergent parent to a neurodivergent child combined with her clinical experience provide a unique perspective to parents and educators who want to better understand the nervous system.

She has a passion and a knack for explaining sensory and nervous system concepts in a way that adults and kids can resonate with and understand. In fact, she wrote, "A Kids Book About Neurodiversity" so all grownups can start this conversation with their kids. Her mission is to teach parents how sensory processing abilities have a direct impact on learning and behavior. She holds a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy and a Bachelors of Science in Neuropsychology.

FAQ

Who is this course for?

This course is designed for parents, caregivers, and para-professionals who support a child with sensory processing differences. While some professionals may also benefit from this course, it is not approved for CE credit. If you’re looking for our courses for professionals, go here instead. We do not issue certificates of completion for our parent courses.

How long will I have access?

You'll have access for one year on demand.

What's the refund policy?

We want to make sure our courses are meeting your needs. If you’ve watched less than half of the training and it’s been 30 days or less since your purchase and it’s not the right course for you, email us at parents@learnplaythrive.com for a full refund.

Does Learn Play Thrive provide therapy?

No. We are an education company. While we host guest instructors who may provide services, we do not arrange these through Learn Play Thrive. If you'd like to find a list of provides who have taken LPT courses, you can view our directory on our directory on our providers page.

What's the teaching methodology?

This course it taught via on-demand videos. It includes video examples and photos and is best watched (not just listened to).

How can I request disability accommodations?

All videos used in this presentation have closed captions. If you need additional accommodation, please email admin@learnplaythrive.com prior to your training date. Accommodations will be made to support all learners in compliance with the Americans with Disability Act.

Are there scholarship options?

Yes! We are still working on our scholarship program. If our courses aren’t affordable to you, make sure you’re on our email list and we’ll send out details when they are ready.

What are the system requirements to watch the trainings?

This training is hosted on Thinkific. You will need one of the two latest versions of a supported browser to access the course. (Note: Internet Explorer is not supported).

Desktop:

  1. Chrome
  2. Firefox
  3. Safari
  4. Microsoft Edge

Mobile:

  1. iOS Safari
  2. Chrome
  3. Samsung Internet

In order to ensure that Thinkific runs well, you will need:

  1. The most recent version of one of the web browsers listed above
  2. Javascript enabled
  3. PDF plugin
  4. Graphic and audio output capability
  5. Broadband internet connection with a minimum speed of 5Mbps (recommended)
  6. TLS 1.2 supported by your web browser

This information was adapted from: https://support.thinkific.com/hc/en-us/articles/360030354954-System-Requirements-and-Supported-Browsers

I have another question. How can I contact you?

You can reach our team by email at parents@learnplaythrive.com