Sensory Social Routines

Find the ESDM parent guide on amazon.ca or amazon.com.

Find the ESDM parent guide on amazon.ca or amazon.com.

Are you familiar with the term “Sensory Social Routines” or what the Hanen program refers to as “People Games”? The ESDM asserts that sensory social routines are routines in which the child’s attention is focused on another person instead of an object. When sessions or activities become too focused on object routines it is important to switch it up with some sensory social routines. Sensory social routines can involve songs such as “Ring Around the Rosie” or games like ‘peek-a-boo’ or ‘hide-and-seek’. The ESDM discusses goals that SSRs accomplish which I will list below.

SSRs Accomplish Four Goals:

  1. Draw child’s attention to social-communicative cues (e.g. eye contact, facial expressions)

  2. Improve child’s awareness of facial expressions and ability to share emotional expressions with another person

  3. Increase children’s communicative attempts (e.g. through sounds, gestures, eye contact, facial expressions etc.)

  4. Optimize children’s mood and attention (e.g. can soothe an overly excited child and can excite a passive, tired child)

Comment any games or songs you use for SSRs below!

Find the ESDM manual on amazon.ca or amazon.com and the parent guide on amazon.ca or amazon.com.

-S

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