Fidget and Oral Motor toys!

During our first OT session they game me a few lists. One was to help Carson stop biting and picking his lips, he will bite or pick them until they are bleeding and have big holes or scabs on them. The items are supposed to provide strong oral input and fulfill those needs he is seeking by biting or picking his lips. So the Oral motor items are to help him stop that. The Oral motor items are the pinwheel, balloons, gum, and sour candies. They were just a few items on the list. He loves his new toys!

One of the other lists was a proprioceptive input list. Proprioception is the input received by the muscles and joints of the body. These receptors tell the body how much muscle to use to stand, walk, etc... Carson seeks input in his muscles and joints constantly. To get this he will climb, jump, roll, fall, run into walls, or do whatever it takes. The toys on the list provide a subtle input and should help him be more calm and focused in situations that don't allow him to run jump and be "crazy". They are toys that he can "fidget" with by pulling, pushing and mushing, they provide input to his hands and help keep him "centered" and able to focus. The idea being that if he is receiving a subtle proprioceptive input that he will not seek the more active forms until the appropriate times. The spider is filled with beads in the body and is stretchy. Along with the magnets its one of his favorites! The magnets can but pulled apart and put back, he loves pulling them apart and trying to keep them apart, he loves them because he can twist and pull them and try to keep them apart. The ball and be squeezed, pulled, and played with, the gecko is the same. We also found a ball that is plastic and weaved together that he likes to stick his fingers inside the holes. We are still keeping our eyes out for new toys! The notebook is his book for notes, ideas, and a journal.

Since he has been using them he does tend to be a little calmer and will even ask for them. He likes them during times he has to sit and be quiet or calm. His preschool teacher noted him playing with his hands during class so I will start sending one with him for school. I have also found him smelling, licking, and chewing the toys, another sign of SPD he is seeking the input and because oral input is very intense (that's why babies investigate with their mouths) he tends to put a lot of things in his mouth or smell them. Its a learning experience everyday! I am waiting to ask the OT if that is OK for him to do or if I should stop him.
While reading "the sensational child" I ran across a great Oral motor and proprioceptive input activity. Eating applesauce through a straw. Sucking thick food through a straw gives Oral input and using those muscles is proprioceptive! He thought it was pretty silly!

And finally Gavin, he is great for proprioceptive input, he loves to run, play and wrestle with brother!
Just a few new OT toys to get us started on the road to a self-regulated and calmer life! Having a sensory seeker I feel like I need an arsenal of items that provide oral, smell, proprioceptive and all other kinds of input at all times because I never know what he will want or need at any given time. I need a bigger purse!