Sensory play is an essential tool for children on the autism spectrum, providing them with a hands-on way to explore, learn, and develop key skills. Whether you’re a parent, caregiver, or early interventionist, understanding the role of sensory play can open doors to incredible growth and development.
What is Sensory Play?
Sensory play is any activity that engages a child’s senses—touch, sound, smell, or even sight. It forms the foundation for many aspects of learning and brain development. From deciding what to eat to crossing the street safely, our senses guide us in everyday life. For children, sensory play helps build these fundamental processing skills early on.
Engaging in sensory play supports brain development by fostering connections between sensory input and motor skills. It also enhances language development as children describe textures or activities, and promotes fine motor skills as they manipulate objects. For children on the spectrum, sensory play is especially valuable in reducing tactile sensitivities. Early exposure to various textures and materials helps build familiarity and decreases sensitivities to new experiences over time.
Introducing Sensory play – Sensory Bins
A simple way to incorporate sensory play is by creating sensory bins or boxes filled with different textures and materials. These bins can be introduced daily and tailored to your child’s preferences and developmental needs. Occupational therapist Dana in her Youtube video below talks about the various items that we can put in a sensory bin. Some items you could include are:
- Soft textures: Stuffed animals, fabric pieces.
- Natural materials: Grass, dirt, leaves.
- Novel textures: Kinetic sand, dried beans, cooked or dried pasta.
