Any thoughts about substitution behaviors or ways to decrease these behaviors?
Hi Shellymos. Your son seems to be seeking more vestibular input right now. You could try to offset his need to move by providing more vestibular (movement based) activity throughout the day - using a sensory diet approach to provide the right sensory experiences to elicit a quiet, alert state. Sometimes providing the needed sensory experiences in a proactive manner can help to decrease the behaviors during specific activities. From this perspective you could try to provide him opportunities to move over the course of the day at regular intervals or specific times just prior to when he is required to sit still. Including some deep pressure or "heavy work" might help as well.
The other approach is substitution for the behaviors. I typically suggest more accommodation for the behaviors as well as trying alternative, less obtrusive behaviors. I let my son change position as needed and he often chooses alternative seating such as a therapy ball when needing to focus on school work. He also often stands up to work or even eat his meal. Sometimes chewing gum or other chewies helps with humming although some kids will hum while chewing
When trying to find substitutes you really need to do some detective work to determine what other activities might serve the same purpose and be suitable for the specific situation.
Some of the auditory training programs have been helpful for decreasing these behaviors as well. Since the auditory programs can influence the vestibular system my experience has been that many children who participate in a program such as Therapeutic Listening or Integrated Listening have decreased need for movement at some point and to some degree.
