Sensory Diets and Home Activities

Some children, young people and adults find the information that they receive through their senses challenging. Things like hearing, touch, vision, taste and smell are our commonly known senses. In addition to these, there are three other less known senses that also play a big part in and how we and our bodies engage and respond to the world around us. These are Proprioception, a sense of body awareness; Vestibular, which involves movement, balance and coordination; and Interoception which helps us understand and feel what’s happening inside our body.

The idea behind a sensory diet is that by providing children with the right types and amounts of sensory input, they can regulate their sensory systems more effectively, leading to better behavior, attention, and overall functioning. This can be especially helpful for children with sensory processing difficulties, ADHD, autism, and other developmental or neurological conditions.

We developed this guide to help parents, caregivers, and members of the community better understand sensory profiles and home activities you can use to develop a sensory diet.