Cues and Treatment

Noticing cues is an important part of Sensory Stimulation as you want to know when the infant is ready to be stimulated and when they are becoming overstimulated.

Cues to look for:
Overwhelmed and not ready to interact:

• increased heart and breathing rate.



• closing eyes and avoiding eye contact.



• facial grimace.



• irritability



• frowning



• stiffening and extending limbs as well as arching back.



• showing signs of fatigue by yawning, hiccuping, or coughing.
  

Ready to interact:

• Steady breathing and heart rate.



• Holding eye contact with people and alert
  
  

Treatment:

Warren, (1994) states that these are the treatment processes for Sensory Stimulation on the SCBU ward:

• Positioning and Handling: educate family on appropriate positions to reduce stress, improve self regulation, and to normalise muscle tone.




• Stimulation/Adaptation: Educating parents on appropriate stimulation, monitoring, background noise, and lighting. Also adapting the environment to modify sensory input and minimise stress.




• Developing Feeding Skills: Using Sensory Stimulation to prepare the child for feeding and handling and positioning during feeding.




• Interaction with others: Help Parents/Caregivers understand behavioural cues. Provide techniques such as massage that facilitate parent-child interaction.




• Caregiver Support: Provide appropriate support for parents. This could be in terms of education, information, reassurance, encouragement, and referring them to other services if needed.