My husband and I are therapeutic foster parents. Having these little ones in our home has been a blessing, but it has not always sunshine and rainbows. Living with one little boy in particular stretched our family in ways we never imagined. His unpredictable nature made for an emotionally charged environment.
Some days were smiles and laughter. Others were tear-filled tantrums. I was desperately hoping for a moment of peace.
To protect his confidentiality, we use that silly nickname on this blog. He was a cuddly guy who craved snuggles, yet he often spiraled into serious meltdowns that left us exhausted. His behavior challenges were related to his developmental delay, sensory issues, autism diagnosis and the trauma of foster care.
As an Early Intervention Special Instructor, I found myself in a unique position. I had the professional tools, but I was now “in the trenches” applying them as a parent. This experience reminded me that challenging behavior is almost always a form of communication. According to research, providing responsive, trauma-informed care means looking past the outburst to understand the underlying developmental or sensory need. Little Monkey wasn’t trying to be difficult; his nervous system was simply seeking a way to feel grounded.
Meeting the Sensory Needs of the Sensory Seeker
Navigating this journey was an exercise in creative problem-solving. Here are the practical, actionable strategies we used to support Little Monkey’s sensory needs and bring a sense of calm to our home:
- Incorporate “Heavy Work”: We integrated activities that provided deep pressure, such as using stretchy bands, body socks, or jumping on an indoor trampoline.
Read More Heavy Work Blog Posts
- Create a Calming Environment: For bedtime transitions, we used weighted blankets, compression sheets, and calming aquarium scenes to help his body downshift.
More Calming Sensory Strategies
- Utilize Functional Tools: On the go, we used cardboard boxes to create a “safe space” and yoga mats for defined boundaries and sensory grounding.
Blog Posts about Lessons We Learned the Hard Way and Tools that Worked for Us
- Reframe Boundaries with Music: To say “no” in a non-threatening way, we relied on Daniel Tiger songs, which provided a predictable, social-emotional framework for him to follow.
Blog Posts about Ways We Used Music with Little Monkey
- Prepare the Environment: We adapted our “safe spaces” and even found ways to turn regular routines into sensory play opportunities.
Adapting Little Monkey’s Environment Blog Posts
Instead of focusing on how to “make” Little Monkey behave, we shifted our energy toward modifying the environment and our own responses. By providing the right sensory input—like heavy work and compression—we were able to support his development rather than just managing his behavior.
Lessons Learned Fostering Little Monkey and his sister Little Pumpkin was a blessing that taught me more about Early Intervention than any textbook ever could.
My final piece of advice for any parent or caregiver in the thick of it: Be kind to yourself. You cannot pour from an empty cup, and sometimes “success” is just finding the right song to get through a car ride. Focus on the connection first, and the “correction” will often take care of itself.
All Things Early Intervention 