Creating a truly supportive home environment for a neurodivergent child often comes down to a fundamental challenge: how do you translate the structured, therapeutic setup of an occupational therapy clinic into the everyday reality of a family living room?
To bridge this gap between clinic and home, we turn to the expertise of Cathy Reid, MS, OT/L, SIPT, a licensed occupational therapist with over 25 years of clinical experience and a core member of the Ted Kangaroo Advisory Council. When carrying over successful sensory strategies from the clinic to the home, Cathy utilizes a specific environmental assessment framework.
The Evolution of OT Terminology
"Currently in the clinic setting, we tend not to use the term 'Sensory Diet.' Once, during a fair hearing for a child I was seeing, an attorney questioned the wording, interpreting it as a feeding connotation to deny services," Cathy shares. "Instead, we approach it as coaching and collaborating with families—suggesting strategies based on their daily needs, observing adaptive responses, and curating the environment."
Here is her clinical framework for curating a home that fosters regulation and independence:
1. The Clinic-First Trial
Always recommend first trialing a sensory strategy in the clinic using calming or sensory-rich tools. OTs update the child's sensory needs according to standardized testing tools—such as the Sensory Processing Measure (SPM) or comparable assessments—to accurately identify their adaptive responses.
Cathy's Favorites:
- Deep Pressure & Visual Limiting: Body sox.
- Busy Hands & Bodies: Pencil grips, stretchy worm tools.
- Soothing Tactile-Proprioceptive: Theraputty (with hidden gems) or Pop-Its.
- Active Vestibular-Proprioceptive: A bumpy wiggle cushion.
- Oral Motor & Rhythmic Organizing: Blow tools or handheld vibration tools.
2. Conducting the Home Environmental Assessment
Once successful strategies are identified, the next step is to conceptualize the home space. When conducting a home assessment, Cathy looks for the following essential elements:
- Cozy Corners for Calming: Add proprioceptive and deep pressure tools such as a weighted lap animal, stretchy or squeezy hand fidget tools, a Ted Kangaroo squeeze chair, or a soft bean bag chair.
- Visual & Tactile Calming Tools: Include items like a liquid timer, weighted blanket, low-lighting, a spin magnet wall (or other active wall play), and plush surroundings to meet sensory-seeking needs or facilitate down-regulation.
- Dedicated Zones: Look for quiet work spaces specifically for dedicated activities (such as homework) versus play areas.
- Open Space: Leave adequate floor space open for building, play, and essential movement breaks.
- Heavy Work Opportunities: Assess the possibility of a safe in-home swing, rock wall, or slide area.
- Clutter Reduction: Look for storage to rotate toys and decrease any visual clutter, which is crucial for improving regulation.
3. Sensory Integration Regardless of Budget
The cost of these tools varies, but it is entirely possible to incorporate a range of sensory integrative tools into the environment, regardless of budget. As Cathy advises, this is determined by assessing the space to identify what is already available, what possibilities exist, and how frequently the space is anticipated to be utilized.
Cathy Reid, MS, OT/L, SIPT
Ted Kangaroo Advisory Council
Cathy Reid is a licensed occupational therapist with over 25 years of clinical experience. She is the founder and Director of Gowanus Treehouse in Brooklyn, NY, and is certified in Sensory Integration and Praxis (SIPT) through the University of Southern California.
Cathy applies Social Thinking Methodology to support neurodivergent children in building self-regulation and executive functioning skills. Deeply committed to expanding access to OT services, she has designed multiple sensory gyms across Brooklyn, established training partnerships with Columbia University and SUNY Downstate, and conducts medical mission work globally. She actively incorporates animal-assisted therapy into her practice, including rescue dogs and upcoming Equine-Assisted OT programs.
