Brushing
Purpose: Treats sensory defensiveness by calming the child, normalizing responses to touch, increasing awareness of the body, and promoting purposeful movements.
Directions:
Brush the child’s arms 10 times while holding their hand and rotating their arms to reach front and back surfaces. Start each new stroke at the wrist and end at the shoulder.
Brush the child’s palms and back of their hands 10 times. Start each new stroke at the fingertips and end at the wrist.
Brush legs and feet in the same manner.
Recommendations:
Apply heavy and consistent pressure with the brush. Brushing should be firm enough to not tickle but not so much that it hurts.
Complete each stroke in the same direction.
Hold the brush horizontally.
Brush directly on the skin for best effect (can brush over clothes if child has low tolerance).
What NOT to do:
Brush on sensitive areas of the body (face, stomach, head, & chest).
Brush over any cuts, rashes, bruises, wounds, or lesions.
Brush too lightly and slowly.
Brush back and forth without returning to the starting point before each stroke.
