new book out!

Published June 16, 2009 by Nancy

It’s been a very busy month. Heck, I had a book to put to press!

But it’s done now, it’s out, and it’s making its way around the world.

The second edition of The Sensory Team Handbook is similar to the first edition. But the pictures have some professional touches, the fonts have been simplified for easier reading, and the last three chapters have been rewritten for better focus.

It’s available at Amazon.com, and soon Amazon.ca and Amazon.co.uk. Some bookstores are carrying it too. And I’ve sent some free giveaways to several sensory processing disorder and Asperger Syndrome conferences coming up in the next few months. So who knows, you might be able to get a free one.

If you’re interested, follow the link on the side to see the trailer.

Thanks to the people who have commented while I have been otherwise occupied. It helps to remind me that yes, I do have a blog.

Today I will go back in time (you can do that in WordPress!) and post some pages from the book.

from The Sensory Team Handbook: Building Up From the Basement

Published June 13, 2009 by Nancy

You can think of the brain-body as a house that is you.The basement of your house is your senses—sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch, muscles, and gravity. To have a strong brain-body, you need strong nerve networks in your basement.

The first floor of your house is your physical activity skills (such as throwing a ball, writing, or running). This floor depends on strong senses in the basement.

The next floor up is your brain skills (such as reading, thinking, talking, and controlling anger). These brain skills work well only when your physical activity skills (first floor) and your senses (basement) are strong.

All of these floors support the attic of your brain-body house. The top of the house is your school skills. School learning and social behavior depend on your brain skills, which depend on your physical activity skills, which depend on a foundation of strong senses.
Why do learning and behavior at the top of the house depend on strong nerve networks all the way down in the basement? It comes down to safety. Only when you feel that your house is safe and solid will you want to climb up to the roof.

from The Sensory Team Handbook: Volume Control

Published June 12, 2009 by Nancy

Just like headphones, your nerve networks have a volume level. If music is too soft or too loud, then you can’t listen to it. You strain to hear it, or you pull off the headphones in pain. The same is true for your senses.

If the volume is too low, then your nerve networks are under-sensitive. Your brain-body can’t feel things much, and you want to turn the volume up. This can make you feel zoned out, or irritable and bouncy.

If the volume is too high, then your nerve networks are over-sensitive. Your brain-body feels everything too much and you want to turn the volume down. This can make you feel anxious and afraid.

Over-sensitivity and under-sensitivity are a big part of sensory processing. The same person can have both under-sensitive and over-sensitive senses.

If you have had over-sensitive or under-sensitive senses all your life, then you have probably learned ways to cope with these problems.

For example, if your senses of hearing and gravity are over-sensitive, you probably don’t go to movies because of the loudness, darkness, and dizzying action. If your sense of taste is under-sensitive, you probably  put salt and spicy sauces on your food so you can taste it.