Resources
Practical ideas and activities for everyday life, along with trusted NDIS, health and education resources. These are shared from lived experience, with the hope of making things a little easier for other parents. This isn’t clinical advice, so always check with your child’s provider before making changes.
← All categories · Sensory and regulation
Understanding Sensory Regulation Sensory Profile Activities at Home Expert Articles Research Papers
All ages 0 to 2 years 2 to 4 years 4 to 6 years 6 to 9 years 9 to 12 years 12 to 18 years
Motor & sensory Ages 0 to 2 Beginner What this builds: Co-regulation, which is how children first learn to settle by borrowing the calm of a regulated adult. Co-regulation is central to current developmental models of emotion regulation in autistic children.
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Motor & sensory Ages 0 to 2 Beginner What this builds: Deep pressure tactile input. In a 2025 systematic review of sensory-based interventions this was the only single sensory technique rated as strong evidence, so many OTs use it to help settle an overloaded nervous system.
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Motor & sensory Ages 0 to 2 Beginner What this builds: Vestibular input. Occupational therapists commonly use slow, rhythmic, predictable movement to lower arousal, while fast or unpredictable movement tends to be alerting.
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Motor & sensory Ages 2 to 4 Beginner Heavy Work. Pushing and Pulling
What this builds: Proprioceptive input, often called heavy work. It is one of the most widely used OT strategies for helping a child feel grounded, though the research base for individual sensory techniques is still mixed.
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Motor & sensory Ages 2 to 4 Beginner Playdough Squeezing and Pounding
What this builds: Proprioceptive and tactile input through resistance. Many OTs use squeezing and pounding play because it combines firm resistance with engaging tactile input.
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Communication & language Ages 2 to 4 Beginner Body Sock or Blanket Burrito
What this builds: Deep pressure and proprioceptive input through gentle containment. Many children find this calming, and deep pressure is the sensory technique with the strongest research support.
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Motor & sensory Ages 2 to 4 Beginner What this builds: Movement and arousal regulation for children who need more input to feel alert, plus the stop-and-go practice that supports early self-regulation.
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Motor & sensory Ages 2 to 4 Beginner What this builds: A predictable low-sensory space to retreat to. Reducing sensory demand and having a familiar calm-down option is a widely recommended approach when a child is becoming overwhelmed.
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Motor & sensory Ages 4 to 6 Intermediate Sensory Diet Morning Routine
What this builds: Proactive regulation. Many OTs recommend building regulating input into the routine before demands arise rather than only responding after a child is dysregulated. Ask your OT to tailor a plan to your child.
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Motor & sensory Ages 4 to 6 Beginner What this builds: Proprioceptive input through pushing against resistance. OTs often use wall push-ups as a quick, portable form of heavy work at home or school.
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Motor & sensory Ages 4 to 6 Beginner What this builds: Oral sensory input and slow breathing. Extending the out-breath is associated with greater vagal activity and increased heart rate variability, which supports a calmer state.
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Motor & sensory Ages 4 to 6 Intermediate What this builds: Interoception, the ability to notice internal body signals, and early warning recognition. Naming feelings early is a well-supported way to help children act before things escalate.
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Motor & sensory Ages 6 to 9 Beginner What this builds: Vestibular and proprioceptive input through active movement. Many families find a movement break helps their child settle before homework or evening routines.
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Motor & sensory Ages 6 to 9 Intermediate Zones of Regulation. Feelings Map
What this builds: Emotional self-awareness and a shared vocabulary for regulation. Zones of Regulation is a widely used curriculum in Australian schools and clinics; evidence for it is still emerging.
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Motor & sensory Ages 6 to 9 Intermediate Joint Compression Routine
What this builds: Proprioceptive joint input. Some children find this settling, but joint compression must be taught and demonstrated by your OT.
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Motor & sensory Ages 6 to 9 Beginner Structured Breathing. Breathing Shapes
What this builds: Slow, structured breathing. Slow-paced breathing with a longer exhale is linked in research to increased vagal activity and a shift towards the parasympathetic, rest and recover, state.
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Motor & sensory Ages 9 to 12 Intermediate What this builds: Sensory self-awareness and self-advocacy, which help children explain what they need at school and in the community.
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Motor & sensory Ages 9 to 12 Intermediate What this builds: Proprioceptive input built into everyday responsibilities, which older children often accept more readily than obviously therapeutic tasks.
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Motor & sensory Ages 9 to 12 Intermediate What this builds: Interoceptive awareness. Body scan practice is used to help young people notice physical signs of stress earlier, and mindfulness-based approaches are among the interventions discussed for sensory over-responsivity.
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Motor & sensory Ages 12 to 18 Advanced What this builds: Self-awareness, self-advocacy and a written plan the young person owns. Practical rather than clinical, and useful for school and post-school life.
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Motor & sensory Ages 12 to 18 Intermediate What this builds: Regulation through physical activity. Exercise is one of the interventions reviewed for sensory over-responsivity and is widely recommended for mood and stress, though effects vary between individuals.
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Motor & sensory Ages 12 to 18 Advanced Sensory Toolkit for School
What this builds: Independence and self-advocacy, so a teenager can manage their sensory environment without needing an adult to step in each time.
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Motor & sensory Ages 12 to 18 Intermediate Sleep Hygiene for Regulation
What this builds: Sleep, which underpins regulation. Sleep difficulties are common in autistic young people and better sleep generally makes daytime coping easier.
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Communication & language Ages 12 to 18 Advanced What this builds: Recovery and shared language after a hard moment. Recovery from a meltdown or shutdown can take a long time, and gentle, low-demand support afterwards is what most guidance recommends.
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These activities are based on well-established evidence-based sensory regulation techniques. They are a complement to professional occupational therapy and psychology support, not a replacement. Every child's sensory profile is different. If home feels harder than usual at the moment, your GP, OT or paediatrician is a kind place to start a conversation about a sensory assessment.
