How to Decrease Tactile Defensiveness to Water

My client, a young lady with developmental disabilities hates to get her hands wet, especially when assisted to wash her hands. My goal is to increase her exposure to having wet hands so that she increases her tolerance to washing them. I have had some success placing a preferred object in a sink filled with water so that she wets her hands while retrieving it. However, she hates to be in the bathroom in general and is happier in the program room. Therefore, I also like the activity shown in the video. She seems to have forgotten that she hates water because she is busy doing one of her favorite things- moving objects from one container to another. Desensitization to a disliked sensation such as wet hands is one approach to help a child or adult with developmental or other types of disabilities overcome their aversion so that they better engage in functional tasks.

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http://www.RecyclingOT.com
http://www.RecyclingOT.blogspot.com
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