Astronaut Training for Sensory Regulation: What You Need to Know

Hi, I’m Alicia Clark, a licensed pediatric occupational therapist, certified Therapeutic Listening provider, and Autism specialist with over 18 years of experience helping children improve sensory processing and regulation. As the founder of Faith and Function, I’ve worked closely with families, educators, and healthcare professionals to support children with ADHD, Autism, and sensory challenges.

One of the most effective tools I use is Astronaut Training, a specialized certification that integrates movement, sound, and vision to help children regulate their sensory systems. Whether your child experiences sensory overload (hypersensitivity) or struggles to register sensory input (sensory hyporesponsivity), this approach can help strengthen their brain’s ability to process and respond to the world around them.

In this post, I’ll walk you through how Astronaut Training, combined with Occupational Therapy, can help your child develop better sensory awareness, improve focus, enhance self-regulation, and even support feeding and communication.

What Is Astronaut Training?

Astronaut Training is a vestibular-visual-auditory integration program that helps children develop better balance, coordination, focus, and self-regulation—essential skills for navigating their environment with confidence. Inspired by the training astronauts undergo to prepare for extreme sensory conditions, this therapy uses controlled movement, sound, and vision to improve how the brain processes sensory input.

Unlike traditional therapy approaches that focus on a single sense at a time, Astronaut Training integrates three key sensory systems at once:

1. Vestibular System (Movement & Balance) – Helps with coordination, spatial awareness, and body control.
2. Auditory System (Sound Processing) – Enhances listening skills, auditory filtering, and attention.
3. Visual System (Tracking & Perception) – Improves eye movement, reading skills, and spatial awareness.

This therapy helps children who experience sensory overload regulate incoming information more effectively, while also supporting children who are under-responsive to sensory input by helping their brains become more alert and engaged with their surroundings.

How Astronaut Training Works

1. Spinning with Auditory Cues
   -The child engages in gentle, intentional spinning movements while listening to specific auditory input.
   -This activates the vestibular system, which controls balance, movement, and spatial awareness.
   -The auditory component strengthens sensory filtering and processing, helping the brain organize incoming information more effectively.
   
   
2. Transitioning to a Visual Task
   -Immediately following the spinning exercise, the child shifts to a visual task (such as tracking a moving object).
   -This transition trains the brain to integrate multiple sensory inputs quickly, strengthening focus, self-regulation, and adaptability.

For children with sensory hypersensitivity, this approach teaches their brain how to process sensory input without becoming overwhelmed. For children with sensory hyporesponsivity, it helps their system wake up and respond to their environment with better awareness and engagement.

Why a Certified OT Is Essential for Astronaut Training

While Astronaut Training is a powerful tool, it requires specialized training to be used safely and effectively. Occupational Therapists must be certified in this technique to ensure it is applied correctly for maximum benefit and safety.

As a certified OT in Astronaut Training, Therapeutic Listening, and sensory integration techniques, I design customized therapy plans that combine these evidence-based approaches to help children achieve lasting improvements in sensory processing and self-regulation.

The Life-Changing Benefits for Your Child

When integrated into OT, Astronaut Training can help children:

• Develop Stronger Sensory Regulation – Help children who are overwhelmed by sensory input process information more efficiently, while also supporting those who seek extra sensory input by improving their awareness and responsiveness to their environment.
• Improve Attention and Focus – Strengthen cognitive processing and executive functioning skills.
• Enhance Emotional and Behavioral Regulation – Build self-regulation strategies to manage stress and transitions.
• Experience Better Sleep – Support the nervous system in transitioning from an alert state to a restful one.
• Improve Feeding Skills – A well-regulated sensory system helps children tolerate different food textures, sit for meals, and engage in mealtime routines more successfully.
• Support Communication Development – When a child’s sensory system is better regulated, they can engage more effectively in social interactions and express their needs with greater ease.
• Gain Confidence and Independence – Feel more in control of their body and sensory experiences.
  
  

  

Take the Next Step: Let’s Find the Right Solution for Your Child

If your child struggles with sensory processing, motor development, focus, feeding, or communication challenges? Astronaut Training combined with OT could be the missing piece to help them thrive.

As a certified Occupational Therapist trained in Astronaut Training, Therapeutic Listening, and sensory integration, I specialize in helping families find effective, research-backed solutions that create lasting change.

👉 Want to learn how this therapy can support your child? Let’s connect! I offer consultations to discuss how these strategies can be tailored to your child’s unique needs.

🚀 Continue Learning: If you found this helpful, be sure to check out the first two blogs in this series:

📌 Sensory Strategies to Help Children With Autism – Practical tools to create a sensory-friendly environment.
🎧 How Therapeutic Listening Helps Kids with Sensory Challenges (Including Autism!) – A deep dive into how sound impacts sensory processing.

🚀 Empower your child with a therapy that’s as innovative as a mission to the stars. Let’s take the next step in their journey together!