A Sensory diet provides the right individualized combination of sensory input at the right times of the day to keep each child with sensory integration difficulties at the optimal level of arousal or alertness. This allows the child to participate in everyday activities, and attend and learn effectively.
In conjunction with a child’s family and school teacher, a sensory diet can be developed as part of a treatment plan by the Occupational Therapist to assist a child to overcome difficulties with sensory processing.
When used therapeutically, a sensory diet is not a recipe. Rather, the sensory diet is a carefully constructed activity plan designed to meet the individual needs of each patient. The specific sensory diet will vary according to the child’s goals, preferences, resources, and environmental limitations.
