“Squeeze me.” Gabe asks for the tenth time, “Squeeze me harder mom.”
I lean over, and press his body against mine, gripping my hands together at the wrist behind him and squeezing as hard as I can.
“Harder.” He says quietly.
Gabriel needs deep pressure in his body to stay calm and organized, and I am happy to say that he is learning to manage this need in an adaptive fashion – asking for what he needs versus throwing himself on the ground or into his brothers.
However, he hasn’t always sought this input in such a socially acceptable way as asking with his words for it. And because of this, I have learned to be very creative in getting him the deep pressure he needs.
In case you have a child that runs high or simply craves this kind of pressure too, here are some tricks of the trade (please remember to use your common sense and consult your child’s OT before trying any of the therapy tools below):
