The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun: Activities for Kids with Sensory Processing Disorder

by Carol Stock Kranowitz, Trude Turnquist (Contributor)

The revised and updated edition of a groundbreaking special-needs activity guide

This revised edition of the companion volume to The Out-of-Sync Child includes new activities that parents of kids with Sensory Processing Disorder can do at home with their child, along with updated information on which activities are most appropriate for children with coexisting conditions such as Asperger's, autism, and more.

Genres: Parenting, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Nonfiction, Education, Psychology, Health, Adoption

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this book and have recommended it for years to all parents and caregivers, not just ones caring for kids who have been diagnosed with sensory integration issues. The activities are awesome for meeting kids' sensory needs and there's a wide range of types to suit any child and situation. I dragged our old bunk bed mattresses and futon mattress to the back yard by the swing set just to create a "crash pad" after reading that idea in there. Kids just gravitate towards it (mine and neighborhood kids). We all have sensory needs and kids do even more so, and this offers so many creative, fun ways to meet them. There are ideas for kids who need more physical input, who avoid types of sensory input, for inside and out, you name it. A great resource.

[Carryl Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book for kids with SPD but also for any children, since all children have sensory needs and enjoy activities that engage their senses. Lots of helpful ideas. Ikea sells lots of inexpensive furniture that works well for SPD kids if you want to find the kind of props recommended -- hammock chairs and the like.

[Marilu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this right after reading The Out of Sync Child. There are a lot of great ideas in this book. I love that the activities are great for all children, but it also helps you figure out which activities would be best for children that crave certain types of input, as well as activities to help an " avoider" with some of their triggers. I HIGHLY recommend this one!

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Está bien, pero las actividades no están por edades y a veces son o cosas muy muy simples o cosas demasiado complejas que implican hasta saber leer, así que no siempre es muy útil.

[Marissa Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspiring, giant collection of ideas for fun activities suitable for all kids.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sensory Processing Disorder (referred to as SPD from this point on) is commonly misunderstood and underappreciated. We must be willing to seek children where they are and provide the necessary accommodations for them to be successful. Carol Kranowitz provides several pieces of information to help the reader better understand SPD and this book, coupled with her original, gives several relevant examples of a variety of accommodations that can be made to assist children with SPD.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book of activities for children with sensory processing disorders. As I'm raising a young boy with extreme sensory-seeking behaviors, this book is proving incredibly useful and informative. I find all of the suggested activities extremely adaptable, too, so we have done variants on many of them.

[Juliana Haught · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book I read years ago, back when my son was first showing definitive signs of struggling with sensory issues. This is a book recommended by his occupational therapist way back when we were doing therapy, and it not only talks about the types of sensory issues and how they affect children, it gives all sorts of nice activities and games that are both fun and therapeutic at the same time.

[Shannon Dudak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really excellent, practical guide to inexpensive sensory experiences at home. The layout is great and organized in an easy to use manual. I only read the parts that are pertinent to my child, but I will come back to this over and over. It's a FANTASTIC follow up to the original, and the two books together do a really great job of supporting parents and caregivers.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is beyond helpful in finding activities to support my SPD son. I wish it had more information about the different sensory aspects, but then again, I am sure her original book contains those.

I can't wait to try some different activities in the book.

[Leah Delcamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like that there are lots of play based suggestions along with what each activity targets so that you can pick out the ones that will best apply to your child’s sensory needs. (ie: motor planning, proprioception, vestibular stimulation, etc. ) Very helpful for sensory regulation.

[Alexis Denmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pediatric occupational therapists must have for quick and fun interventions

[Ruffamaeaudine]

I want to read it because I am currently taking my research about sensory problems of autism.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Important activities that are so easy that they are sometimes overlooked. Great reference book for parents.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource to share with families and as a resource for educators

The author is a seasoned early childhood educator who collected and organized wonderful activities

Recommended!!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good ideas for activities for kids with SPD. It would be worth it to go through this again every year or so to explore different age-recommended play.

[Cat Fithian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immeasurably helpful in finding activities and better understanding of the needs of sensory-affected kids.

[Julie H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meh! Four and a half years of occupational therapy and my background as a teacher made this book kind of redundant. This would be a good resource for someone with out my experience

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding book for parents of autistic kids and those homeschooling or educating austistic kids. Highly recommended!

[Ruth]

Much like a cookbook, it’s hard to just read all the way through. I stopped around p111 (in case I get back to it). But it had some good activities!

[Masase · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is definitely excellent.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was infinitely more useful than the first book, The OUt of Sync Child. This one is a collection of games, activities and exercises to address sensory processing challenges. I keep checking it out from the library, better just buy myself one so I can highlight and dogear away. This is a very useful book. I wish I had it when I was still doing pediatric home health. (Retired young) The exercises are almost all possible with stuff you have at home but are not silly or ineffective just 'cos they're cheap. I was a nurse for almost 20 years so I know what I'm talking about. I might even buy a copy for my developmental pediatrician.
If I were to buy just one of this author's books, this would be it. It gives you good info about the differerent diagnoses that might cause sensory processing disorders, such as autism and Asperger's or Non-verbal Learning Disorders. It has exercises for the mildly impaired to the severely impaired and tips for adjusting each to your child's level.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource book. I have found that kids of all sorts seek out so many sensory activities naturally. Most of the activities in this book are things my children seek out & do naturally. I like the format of this book in that it is simple & laid out in an easy checklist format and explains what is necessary to know & doesn't have too much extra fluff & stories you don't want to sort through. I also like how different sensory needs are listed out for sensory seekers vs. avoiders, etc. I find I have a child in different categories so this is helpful to me. I am hoping that this will help me know what activities to suggest / implement when certain things arise, etc.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

When my son was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder, I found the lack of information overwhelming, especially on topics such as ways to help my son to better cope with day-to-day activities that were stressful to him. This book gave me hundreds of activities that I could incorporate into my son's daily activities, providing better ways of coping... activities that were a great way to counteract the effects of SPD. Some of the most beneficial and helpful information on helping my son to better cope with SPD was found in this one book.

[Jillinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most people wouldn’t have any reason to read this book. Although this book is directed to those that have children with sensory issues it has some fun, cheap ideas at keeping your children entertained. One of my favorite was making a plastic bag kite. Use crepe paper and staple it to the bottom of the plastic grocery sack, then use a string to tie the handles together. Make the string long enough that the child can use it to hold their kite with as they run and the wind does the rest. It is so windy out here so often. What little kid wouldn’t think this was fun.

[Lesli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was referred to me when it became painfully clear yet another one of my children has sensory processing disorder. I read the first book, and this is a good follow up. It is easier to read and scan. I don't always agree with Kranowitz opinions, but the book does have a lot of ideas. Some seemed painfully obvious to me, but then again I think my kids are a little more free play in the backyard then a lot of modern kids.
It was organized in a clear way, and had good some good suggestions. I'll definitely be trying some out.

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a bizarre title for a useful book. This contains many detailed, specific suggestions for OT. Despite the potentially stigmatizing label it uses, one of my kids helped himself to this book and chooses usually harmless/maybe helpful activities on his own when there's unstructured time in our day. As with so many things for special kids, mileage varies, but it you don't have a huge budget to pay someone else to guide your young child this can empower parents to do at home the kinds of activities that specialists do for pay.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this book to be much more useful than the other Out of Sync Child book. This book lists activities to try with children. I was amazed at how most of these activities are activities my children naturally seek out anyways. There were a lot more additional ideas than I have seen in a lot of online lists, etc. I like the simplicity of the list nature of this book and how things are broken down.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far LOVING this book and I know it will be a great resource for us. I think it would be a fabulous resource for people just wanting variety in their family activities. It so far reminds me a lot of "The Toddler Busy Book" as far as accessibility with activities. I'm already aching to try a few of them with Lucy because I know she will love them. I feel like I'm getting glasses for a child who couldn't see.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My boss lent me this book to help with one of the kids I was working with. I found the book to be helpful. It makes sense that in a world of video games and virtual reality, children do not have comfort/control with their own bodies. However, it seemed like every activity needed more and different stuff that I did not have. I even looked in the appendix and could not figure out where I was supposed to get some of the items.