How much stimulation is enough?

[Julie Palmieri]

How much stimulation is enough?

How much stimulation is too much?

[Sarah Braverman]

The right amount of stimulation would be giving the child enough things in the environment to explore. Currently with my clients, I always make sure that I have 3-4 instruments in the session space for them to explore and I make sure I consistently have those same instruments in the room so the children can begin to develop a sense of familiarity of the objects. When I use my voice in the session I try to make sure that the music doesn’t have too many leaps from note to note and use at least three descending notes if I repeat a specific word over and over again. As for the music itself, I use music that has a melody that is consistent and predictable because repetition helps with develop a sense of familiarity.

Too much stimulation would be having about 5-10 instruments in the room at once that are all different. Although this gives the child a lot of options to choose from, it could be overwhelming for the child to try and learn about these new sounds and instruments all at once. If someone is using their voice in their session that has a lot of leaps and skips between notes that are super distant from one another, it won’t develop a sense of familiarity and it might come off as confusing or too much for the child. Music that has a lot of different verses can also be overstimulating for the child because they wouldn’t be able to pick up on a melody that has no repetition which is important for their ability to learn and trust.

[Erika (TeamRH)]

In every training I always share the STAR Institute in Colorado which is an organization that was founded by an occupational therapist who trained under the OT that discovered sensory processing. Their website and services are great. They now are offering trainings for non-OT’s and I think the information on regulation and sensory processing. I have found their research to be very useful in utilizing music to provide the right stimulation and to help with overall regulation and processing.

Here is their website:

https://sensoryhealth.org/

[Talia Morales]

This can present-as and be experienced-as quite differently across individuals. From working along-side OT’s who specialize in regulation sensory strategies, I have learned about neurological factors which are important to consider. Our sensory systems are “wired” across profiles ranging from day to day, moment to moment in a state of homeostasis or hyper or hypo reactivity, which impacts whether we tends to move towards avoiding or alternatively, seeking sensory stimulation in order to regulate a physiological arousal or emotional states. It is part of our work as MT’s to learn what the signs of “too much” or “enough” stimulation is, especially when we are working with young children who are developing their expressive language skills and ability to communicate “this is too much!”. Body language says a lot! and some things to be on the lookout for as possibly indicating over-stimulation include turning gaze, face, or body away from the source of auditory information, Other signs of over-stimulation could include yawning, hiccups, sneezing; tongue protrusion; finger splay or outstretched arm; struggling movements, facial affect such as; grimacing or creasing forehead into a frown; startle reflex response in which infants extend their necks and throw out their arms and legs.

[Julie Palmieri]

The amount of stimulation (enough or too much) is definitely dependent on each individual. What is overstimulating for one person may not be for the person next to them.

I try to focus on the signs of overstimulation and observe body language, if speech is not present.

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