Fragile X Children
Calming Techniques
They may become over stimulated by the lights, sounds, and crowds; or they may retreat from those things because sensory input is difficult to process. Here are some ways to calm child, parent, and the home environment.
Lighting Soft lighting is calming for many children with fragile X. Natural light is a good choice. Rooms with soft colors can add to the calming effect.
Deep Pressure If your child has a deep pressure program set up by an occupational therapist, it is an effective calming technique. If your child does not have such a program, consult the professionals at the school or doctor's office. This is not a program that can be established by a lay person.
A Favored Activity When the world is unpredictable and demanding in the sense of trying to figure it out, a favored activity can be calming. This can be misinterpreted to "stimming" activities such as spinning or dangling objects. While these can be rewarding or calming, parents will want to offer more favorable activities:
Music Soft music or even quiet upbeat music can be calming. A child with sensory integration issues may seem to never grow tired of the same few songs. Have you worn out the CD yet? If it is calming, it may be time to buy another copy.
A Warm Bath Some children with fragile X find a warm bath to be soothing. Others find it to be stressful. Know if this is a calming method for your child.
Massage Using lotion on arms and legs can help a child feel focused and settled. Often children will seek this kind of sensory input on their own.
Favorite Toy A favorite toy can be a familiar reassurance. You may wish to keep it in a reachable place so that your child can be proactive in using this to calm down.
Familiar Movie Similar to the favored music or favored activity, a familiar movie provides an entertaining, predictable entertainment. Predictable is the key here. When Noah has been challenged by an unfamiliar routine of the holiday, the familiar sequence of movie events can be calming.
Note: Children in this article are fictious. They represent common traits of a disability or syndrome. Not every idea is appropriate for every child. Activities represented here are ideas. Parents (not the author) are responsible for choosing an appropriate activity for a particular child and for the consequences of that activity.
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