Making Sense Series Join us the first three Wednesdays in December – 12/2, 12/9, and 12/16 from 12:30 to 2 for this three-session sensory series presented by Michele Parkins MS, OTR, an Occupational Therapist specializing in working with children and families with Sensory Processing and Integration Disorder and challenges in social emotional development. Michele is a fellow of Dr. Lucy Jane Miller, OTR and faculty of the Sensory Therapies and Research Institute. She educates therapists from all over the country and world on treatment for sensory processing disorder. She is also SIPT (Sensory Integration and Praxis Test) certified.
December 2, 2020 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Sensational Relationships: Understanding the Impact of Sensory Processing on Regulation & Engagement in Relationships during Infancy and Early Childhood
- Develop awareness of the 6 types of sensory processing differences including the behavioral indicators and impact on social interactions within the caregiver-child relationship
- Implement relationship-based strategies to facilitate regulation and engagement within families impacted by each sensory processing difference
December 9, 2020 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Connecting Sensation and Emotion: Sensory Attuned Play for Emotion Regulation in Infancy
and Early Childhood
- Identify the predominant emotional states associated with each sensory processing difference
- Develop play scenarios that encompass the sensory motor and social emotional needs of children impacted by each sensory processing difference to facilitate regulation, engagement and social interaction.
December 16, 2020 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Conquering the Day through PLAY: Creating Sensory Affective Interactions in Routines and
Play with Infants and Young Children
- Develop familiarity with the PLAY model of creating sensory affective interactions: Playful interactions, layered with sensation and affect pairing within your (caregiver) relationship.
- Create adaptations to daily routines using the PLAY model that encourage attunement, regulation, and engagement throughout the daily occupations of caregivers and young children.
Michele advocates for all children and families impacted by sensory processing differences to help them and others to understand the impact of these challenges on social emotional functioning and mental health. She believes that challenges in sensory processing always lead to challenges in emotional regulation, developing and maintaining relationships, social skills, and overall mental health. She has embarked on a journey to learn more to support children and families by engaging in Advanced Certification in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health at Montclair State University. She is certified in the Developmental Individual Differences Relation-based model (DIR) and is faculty of Profectum Foundation where she educates therapists all over the world on social-emotional development and the DIR model.
Michele Parkins is passionate about working with families and other therapists and she continues to do so as a clinician and educator. She continues to provide consultation to schools as she has done for over 10 years. Michele is also a mother of two children with sensory processing differences. She uses her real life experiences to help her clients better understand the impact of SPD on family dynamics and relationships and the day to day demands of life with sensory processing differences.