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Lindsey | OT Mom | ADHD + Sensory(@modernmomuniversity)'s profile avatar HD Profile

Lindsey | OT Mom | ADHD + Sensory

@modernmomuniversity

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OT mom to 2 ADHD boys + a sensory seeker
Helping you understand your kid's brain + body
👇ADHD + Sensory Seeker Survival Toolkits
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If your kid is constantly crashing, climbing, spinning, or pushing, that’s not “too much energy.” That’s a body asking for input. As an OT and mom to a sensory seeker, here are 5 ways we meet that need throughout the day: 🚀 **Rocket Launch** — big vestibular input (movement through space) that helps organize an overactive system 💥 **Jump and Crash** — proprioceptive input through the joints. One of the fastest ways to help a dysregulated body find “down” 🛏️ **Pillow Squishes** — deep pressure input, which calms the nervous system the same way a hug or weighted blanket does 🌈 **Tunnel Crawl** — heavy work through the shoulders and core, plus tactile input from the fabric. Builds body awareness 🧺 **Laundry Basket Push** — functional heavy work (yes, chores count!) that gives sustained proprioceptive input during everyday tasks Comment “SEEKER” and I’ll send you the link to grab the Sensory Seeker Survival Toolkit, so you know exactly how to read your child’s sensory needs and meet them. Follow @modernmomuniversity for practical strategies for sensory and ADHD kids #SensorySeeker #SensoryProcessing #OccupationalTherapy #ADHDParenting #NervousSystemRegulation by @modernmomuniversity
6 ways to calm a sensory-seeking body, and the order you do them in matters. Your child can’t always tell you what their body needs. But they can point. Slide 9 has the exact protocol, so save it and send it to a parent who needs it. Want the boards your child can point to, plus all 9 printables? They’re inside The Sensory Seeker Survival Toolkit. Comment SEEKER and I’ll send you the link. Follow @modernmomuniversity from an OT mom to two ADHD boys and a sensory seeker #sensoryseeker #sensoryactivities #heavywork #occupationaltherapy #adhdkids by @modernmomuniversity
“He’s just being a boy.” Maybe. Or maybe it’s ADHD nobody has named yet. 🔷 They lose their shoes, water bottle, and jacket every single day. ADHD: working memory. If it’s not in front of them, it’s gone. 🔷 The iPad timer goes off and they’re screaming on the floor. ADHD: shifting attention off something rewarding is one of the hardest jobs for their brain. 🔷 They draw a Draw Four in Uno and the cards go flying. ADHD: frustration hits before the brakes kick in. 🔷 They miss one spelling word and say “I’m the dumbest kid in my class.” ADHD: rejection sensitivity. Small mistakes feel huge. 🔷 You send them to get dressed and find them in their underwear building a car ramp. ADHD: their brain chases whatever is most interesting in the room. 🔷 At 9:15 they’re emptying the closet and sorting the bookshelf by color. ADHD: sleep is often harder for these kids. Their brain revs up as the house winds down. If you saw your kid in every single one, you’re not imagining it. You’ve tried the sticker charts. The consequences. The yelling, then the guilt, then crying in the car. It’s not that you’re doing it wrong. It’s that nobody ever showed you how their brain actually works. So I put everything I use at home in one place. Comment ADHDKIT and I’ll send you the link to The ADHD Survival Toolkit for Parents. Mornings, meltdowns, homework, bedtime, and big feelings, with printables you can put on the fridge tonight. Send this to the mom who’s tired of hearing “you just need to discipline more.” Not a diagnosis. If this sounds like your child, talk to your pediatrician. Follow @modernmomuniversity from an OT mom to two ADHD boys and a sensory seeker. #adhdparenting #adhdkids #adhdboys #adhdmom #parentingadhd by @modernmomuniversity
Signs your sensory seeker is dysregulated (at the store edition) 🛒 From an OT mom to two ADHD boys and a sensory seeker: this isn’t bad behavior. It’s their body asking for help. 🔹 Hanging on you or grabbing you from behind 🔹 Jumping up and down in the aisle 🔹 Leaning, squeezing, crashing into you Stores are a lot for a sensory seeker’s nervous system. Bright lights, noise, crowds and waiting all pile up, and their body starts to feel disorganized. So they go looking for deep pressure and movement to feel grounded again. Squeezing you gives their muscles and joints the input they’re craving, and jumping helps their body figure out where it is in space. Try giving them a job instead. Let them push the cart, carry the basket or hold something heavy. Same input, way less chaos. Comment SEEKER and I’ll send you the link to the Sensory Seeker Survival Toolkit, so you can stop guessing what your kid needs before school, before the store and before bed. Follow @modernmomuniversity from an OT mom to two ADHD boys and a sensory seeker. #sensoryseeker #sensoryprocessing #dysregulation #occupationaltherapy #heavywork sensorykids by @modernmomuniversity
Maybe your child isn’t “too much.” Maybe their body is asking for more. 👀 Crashing, jumping, spinning, bumping and chewing can be how the nervous system looks for movement and pressure so it can feel calm and organized. When it happens all day long and gets in the way of school, errands, or bedtime, your child isn’t misbehaving. Their body is asking for more input. I know because I’m an occupational therapist and a mom to two ADHD boys and a sensory seeker. Everything changed when I stopped asking “How do I make him stop?” and started asking “What is his body asking for?” That’s why I created the Sensory Seeker Survival Toolkit, so you know exactly what to give your child’s body after school, on errands, at restaurants, and before bed. Comment SEEKER and I’ll send you the link. 👇 Follow @modernmomuniversity from an OT mom to two ADHD boys and a sensory seeker. #modernmomuniversity #sensoryseekers #sensoryprocessing #occupationaltherapy #nervoussystemregulation by @modernmomuniversity
This kid got an award for "endless amounts of energy" 😅 For years, that same energy meant my phone never stopped ringing. The bus. The teacher. Another email. I'm an OT mom to two ADHD boys and a sensory seeker. If your child can't sit still, bumps into everyone and falls apart after school, they're not bad. Their body and their brain need a plan. Comment BUNDLE and I'll send you the link to the Sensory Seeker Survival Toolkit and The ADHD Survival Toolkit. Follow @modernmomuniversity from an OT mom to two ADHD boys and a sensory seeker #sensoryseeker #adhdkids #adhdmom #sensoryprocessing #otmom by @modernmomuniversity
Your ADHD kid can't focus on homework? Let them move 🧠 In a 2015 study, kids with ADHD did better on working memory tasks when they moved more. For a lot of ADHD kids, that wiggling isn't a distraction. It's how their brain stays switched on. A balance board gives that wiggle somewhere to go. They stand and wobble while they work, and their attention stays on the page instead of bouncing around the room. The Whirly Complete is 5 boards in 1, so it starts steady and gets harder as your kid's balance improves. Handmade in Wisconsin, lifetime warranty, and a Christmas gift that grows with them 🎄 (If you're working on handwriting skills, switch to a chair with feet flat and back supported.) Comment WHIRLY and I'll send you the link to the Whirly Complete plus my code for 15% off your board. #ad I earn a small commission if you buy through my link, at no extra cost to you. @whirlyboard Follow @modernmomuniversity from an OT mom to two ADHD boys and a sensory seeker #whirlyboardpartner #adhdkids #adhdmom #otmom homeworkhelp balanceboard christmasgiftsforkids by @modernmomuniversity
ADHD, sensory seeker, or both? Give your kid this 5 minute reset before the bus comes. I’m an OT mom to two ADHD boys, and this is how we set up the whole school day. 1 minute of each: 🔹 Cross crawls (opposite hand to opposite knee) wake up the brain 🔹 Frog jumps give the muscles and joints heavy work, which organizes the body 🔹 Crab walks build the core strength that helps them sit and focus 🔹 Bear crawls get them ready to sit, learn and participate 🔹 A big squeeze hug gives deep pressure and connection right before they walk away A body that gets what it needs before school has a much better shot at sitting, listening and learning once they get there. Need more help teaching your ADHD kid or sensory seeker exactly what their body needs for every part of the day? Comment BUNDLE and I’ll send you the link to the ADHD Survival Toolkit and the Sensory Seeker Survival Toolkit together. Follow @modernmomuniversity from an OT mom to two ADHD boys and a sensory seeker #adhdkids #sensoryseeker #adhdparenting #occupationaltherapy #sensoryprocessing heavywork morningroutine adhdmom by @modernmomuniversity
If your ADHD kid is TIRED but their body is still WIRED at bedtime, try this 2 minute reset. Many ADHD kids release melatonin later, so their body is exhausted but their brain isn’t ready to shut down. As an OT mom to two ADHD boys, this is one of my favorites. Legs up the wall can help a busy body slow down before sleep. 🧠 WHY IT CAN HELP: 🔷 Stillness + support reduce motor demand 🔷 The wall gives steady proprioceptive feedback that can feel grounding 🔷 Slow breathing supports the parasympathetic “rest + digest” response 🔷 Dim lights + quiet reduce sensory load Try it for 2 minutes: Legs up. Lights low. Slow breaths. Lie beside them if they want you there. WIRED → calmer → more ready for sleep. Save this for bedtime + send it to a parent who needs it. For bedtime battles, meltdowns and big reactions to small things, comment ADHDKIT and I’ll send you the link to The ADHD Survival Toolkit. Follow @modernmomuniversity from an OT mom with two ADHD boys and a sensory seeker for practical strategies we’ve actually tested at home. #ADHDKids #ADHDParenting #SensoryKids #BedtimeRoutine #NervousSystemRegulation by @modernmomuniversity
Sensory seeker? Do this before homework. 🍂 You know the 4pm scene. The worksheet goes down and your kid slides off the chair. You say “sit down” for the tenth time and hear yourself yelling. Again. It’s not you. And it’s not them. Their body sat still all day at school, so their brain goes hunting for input. The chair tipping IS the hunting. The science: proprioceptors in the muscles and joints tell the brain where the body is. Pushing and pulling against resistance, like raking, sends one of the strongest signals there is. 🧠 Once their brain finds their body, there’s room for spelling words. And you get to stop being the referee. Running burns energy. A job organizes it. You don’t need more patience. You need a plan. Comment SEEKER and I’ll send you the Sensory Seeker Survival Toolkit, with the sensory menu your kid picks from, so you know exactly what to hand them before homework turns into a fight. Follow @modernmomuniversity, from an OT mom to 2 ADHD boys and a sensory seeker for practical strategies that have been tested and actually work. #sensoryseeker #heavywork #proprioception #adhdkids #adhdparenting sensoryprocessing occupationaltherapy momsofboys by @modernmomuniversity
Stop punishing your ADHD kid for this. 9 things that were never defiance, from an OT mom who did every single one. 1. REJECTION SENSITIVITY You snapped “you forgot your folder AGAIN.” It landed like rejection. The yelling back is shame, not attitude. 2. RESTRAINT COLLAPSE You took the after school meltdown personally. They held it together all day and fell apart with you because you’re safe. 3. TASK PARALYSIS You called them lazy while the backpack sat there for hours. They knew what to do. They couldn’t start. 4. TIME BLINDNESS You called it lying when “one more minute” became twenty. Time doesn’t feel the same to their brain. 5. INTEREST BASED ACTIVATION “You can build Legos for hours but not do homework?” Their brain runs on interest, not importance. 6. WORKING MEMORY You said “grab your water bottle” five times. It was gone the second someone asked a question. 7. THE FRUSTRATION CLIFF They melted down over a shoe that wouldn’t tie, and you called it overreacting. Their fuse is just shorter. 8. TRANSITION COST Pickup, the store, the doctor, then soccer. They melted down at practice and you called it a tantrum. That was their fourth switch. 9. NOVELTY FATIGUE The chore chart worked for two weeks, then stopped. You decided they didn’t care. It just wasn’t new anymore. Why all 9 happen: the front part of the brain that handles emotions, memory, time and getting started matures about 3 years later on average in kids with ADHD. They’re not choosing this. If you just counted how many of these you’ve done, you’re not alone. Nobody handed you the manual for this brain. The ADHD Survival Toolkit gives your child the words they don’t have yet. The Feelings Thermometer, Engine Meter and Calm Down Menu let them show you what’s happening before it explodes, so you have something besides yelling. Send this to the person who still thinks it’s defiance. Comment ADHDKIT and I’ll send you the link to The ADHD Survival Toolkit. Follow @modernmomuniversity from an OT mom to two ADHD boys and a sensory seeker #ADHDkids #ADHDparenting #ADHDmom #emotionalregulation #OTmom by @modernmomuniversity
Loud sensory seeker at 6am? Headphones + music is the cheat code. You’re tiptoeing so you don’t wake the whole house. Then here they come. Stomping down the steps. Making noises with their mouth. And you haven’t even had a sip of coffee. They’re not trying to wake everyone up. Their body is hungry for input, and as an OT mom to two ADHD boys and a sensory seeker, I can tell you sound is one of the most missed ways to give it. Your child’s hearing and balance systems sit side by side in the inner ear and help the brain organize the body. A steady beat gives a busy nervous system something to organize around. That’s why seekers hum and make noise all day. They’re making their own input. Give them the sound, and they don’t have to make it. 🔹 Headphones with an old school Walkman, or a laptop with the lid closed 🔹 Music with a steady beat, volume low 🔹 No screens Your coffee. A quiet house. A calmer kid. Try it tomorrow morning and report back. It worked for my kiddo. If your sensory seeker never stops moving, comment SEEKER and I’ll send you the link to the Sensory Seeker Survival Toolkit, with more ways to calm their body all day long. Follow @modernmomuniversity from an OT mom to two ADHD boys and a sensory seeker #sensoryseeker #sensoryprocessing #sensorykids #sensoryinput #auditoryinput by @modernmomuniversity

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