Sensory Systems Clinic West

05/01/2026

If you live in Allegan county , please sign this petition to save our kids and adults from danger.
This will help those that wander and elope by helping find them quickly.

Implement Project Lifesaver in Allegan County

05/01/2026

We are so proud of these 5 COTA students that graduated yesterday from GRCC.
Each of them spent eight weeks of Fieldwork at our clinic. We learned as much from them as they learned from us.
Look out world here come 5 outstanding occupational therapy assistants.

04/27/2026

🚧 Road Construction! 🚧
Call the clinic if you need directions.

We want to keep everyone in the loop as several road projects begin throughout downtown. While this may cause some temporary inconvenience, our local businesses are still open.

Project Timeline:
• Reno: April 22–24
• West Superior (United Bank → railroad tracks): TBD (lanes open at this time)
• S. Main: May 11–15 (fully closed, no vehicle access)
• E. Superior: May 18–21 (fully closed, no vehicle access)
• N. Main: May 26–29 (fully closed, no vehicle access)

Please note: These timelines include a buffer, and work may be completed sooner if weather cooperates.

🅿️ Parking Tips:
You can still access downtown by using nearby alleyways and any completed/open roads for parking.

For more details and updates, visit:
https://www.cityofwayland.org/community/current-projects/

04/02/2026

Mark the calendar. Summer fun.

04/01/2026

Occupational Therapy Month! – Sonoran Sun Pediatric Therapy

03/06/2026

Sand play is awesome.

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧'𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬?
Playing with sand offers a variety of opportunities!

𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Stimulates multiple senses simultaneously, supporting the development of sensory integration processing abilities.

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Expands language & communication as they describe their ideas, share their experiences, and express their thoughts.

𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 & 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹: Unexpected things will happen! An opportunity to work on supporting teamwork, negotiation, turn-taking, and communication skills.

𝗣𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Digging, scooping, pouring, and shaping sand enhances hand-eye coordination, spatial planning, coordination, strength, and balance.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Encourages both steady attention and focus as they engage in sensorimotor and creative projects.

𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Encourages imaginative thinking as they create and construct various scenarios and stories, using sand to bring their ideas to life.

03/05/2026

Hi, I'm a kid at sensory systems. Look at me. I used to be afraid of heights, and now I can hang up here and punch a flying block all at the same time.
Mr. Tyler says i'm doing really well. I guess I am, but it sure is fun learning new ways to play. This place is awwwwesome!

02/06/2026

New policy.

02/06/2026

We had so much fun supporting this event. Thank you to my staff and the field work students that helped out.

02/02/2026

We are a big part of the inclusion event Thursday night, Feb. 5th, at Steeby Elementary from 6 to 7 PM.
The clinIc staff will be following inclusion spirit week. Feel free to join us.

01/27/2026

UPDATE! Due to the weather, Sensory Systems will
CLOSED
January 27th.

01/24/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/185j5hJNYQ/

Don’t freak out, but, autistic selective eating is ✨NOT always about sensory issues.✨

Yes, texture, smell, temperature, taste, and predictability matter…BUT, research also points to RIGIDITY as a major contributor to “picky eating”.

From the autistic perspective, the rule often isn’t
❌“I can’t eat this because it feels bad.”

It’s more like:
✅“I can’t eat this because I don’t eat this.”

Once a food is categorized as “not something I eat,” that rule can be surprisingly hard to break, even if the sensory experience itself wouldn’t be terrible.

I notice this every time I travel.
Almost every trip, I come home with a new food I’m suddenly willing to eat.

Sometimes it’s a food I’ve genuinely never been exposed to before,
(most recently, clam chowder).

Other times, it’s a food I stopped eating years ago…but while traveling, the usual rules get disrupted and the rigidity breaks.

Once that rule is broken I’m often willing to eat it again at home.

The sensory experience didn’t magically change. What changed was the mental rule around it.

So when we talk about autistic eating, it’s worth remembering that…

Sometimes the most effective support isn’t avoiding new foods or assuming every refusal is sensory-based.

Rather, thoughtful exposure (done respectfully), without pressure is what actually expands flexibility.

This definitely doesn’t mean that exposure works the same way for everyone.

But it does mean recognizing that for many autistic people, rigidity can be just as powerful a barrier as sensory discomfort.