Sensational Little Works in Progress: Sensorimotor Development, Preferences, and Learning

1. Sensational Little Works in Progress: Sensorimotor Development, Preferences, and Learning Elise Spronk, OT Brenda Nugteren, Teacher

2. Sensory Systems • Hearing • Taste • Smell • Sight • Touch • Movement/Vestibular • Body Position/Proprioceptive

3. What is Sensory Processing? • Definition: The everyday neurological procedure of organizing the information we take in from our bodies and the world around us for use in daily life.

4. What is Sensory Processing Disorder? • Neurological Disorganization results in 3 ways: • Brain does not receive or detect messages • Brain is inefficient in integrating, modulating, organizing, and discriminating sensory messages • Brain sends out inaccurate messages to direct child’s actions

5. Sensory Profile • Poor Registration • Sensation Avoiding • Sensory Seeking • Sensitivity to Stimuli

6. Sensation Avoiding • Low neurological thresholds; tendency to counteract these thresholds • Sensory thresholds are met too often. This can be uncomfortable or frightening. Child either withdraws or has an emotional outburst to get out of the situation. • Resistant to change • Reliant on rigid rituals • Limit unfamiliar input and broaden the sensory processing range within acceptable rituals

7. Poor Registration • High neurological threshold; act in accordance to those thresholds • Low energy levels and appear overly tired. • Brain requires increased stimulation to generate a response. • Recommend experiences concentrated with sensory information so that threshold can be met and child will notice and respond appropriately to cues.

8. Sensation Seeking • High neurological threshold; act in accordance to the need to meet those high thresholds • Active • Continuously engaging • Fidgety, and excitable • Incorporate additional sensory input into the child's routines so that thresholds can be met while conducting daily life

9. Sensitivity to Stimuli • Low neurological thresholds and a tendency to act in accordance with those thresholds • Distractible, hyperactive. • Respond to the newest stimulus, drawing their attention away from current task • Provide child with sensory experiences as part of ongoing performance that supports him to continue task, and minimize chances for thresholds to be fired separately

10. Modulation • Scores are scattered between high and low thresholds • May require increased time to get used to new task or environment

12. Arousal/Alert Theory • Self-regulation • The ability to attain, maintain, and change arousal appropriately for a task or situation

13. The Alert Program • Help children learn to monitor, maintain, and change their level of alertness so that it is appropriate to a situation or task. • SI and cognitive approach • Ages 8-12, but can be adapted for younger children • Used with other appropriate therapies

14. The Alert Program is designed to: • Teach children, parents, and teachers how to recognize arousal states as they relate to attention, learning, and behavior • Help children recognize and expand the number of self-regulation strategies they use in a variety of tasks and settings • Give therapists, parents, and teachers a framework to help children recognize and regulate their own arousal states

15. Stages of the Alert Program • Stage One: Identifying Engine Speeds • Stage Two: Experimenting with Methods to Change Engine Speeds • Stage Three: Regulating Engine Speeds

16. Stage One—Identifying Engine Speeds • Students learn the engine words. • Adults label their own engine levels. • Students develop awareness of the feel of their own engine speeds, using the adults’ labels as guides. • Students learn to identify and label levels for themselves. • Students label levels for themselves, outside therapy sessions

17. Stage Two: Experimenting with Methods to Change Engine Speeds • Leaders introduce sensorimotor methods to change engine levels. • Leaders identify sensorimotor preferences and sensory hypersensitivities. • Students begin experimentation with choosing strategies.

18. Stage Three: Regulating Engine Speeds • Students choose strategies independently. • Students use strategies independently, outside therapy sessions. • Students learn to change engine levels when options are limited. • Students continue receiving support.

20. Organizing Sensory Input and Activities for the Classroom/Childcare center--Environment • Limit extraneous visual material • Cubbies • Labeled places and desk organization • Tape number or letter line on desk • Limit extraneous auditory input • Reduce the loud “surprise” factor

21. General Organizing Sensory Activities • Safe, firm pressure • Quite corner/Hide out • Quite music during independent work • Breathe before transitions • March from one activity to the next • Oral input • Wall push ups, chair push ups • Hand fidgets • Movement breaks

22. Reading Wagon

23. Auditory/Hearing Activities to Enhance Sensory Lifestyle • Music • Environmental sounds • Instruments • Ear phones • The Listening Program • Metronome • Rhyming • Soft/rhythmical v. loud/irregular • Instruction variations • Ear dominance • Phonics phones • Reading Wagon

24. Associated OralMovements

25. Oral Activities to Enhance Sensory Diet • Chewy Necklace • Cotton ball math or alphabet games • Drink or chew • Bubble gum • Straws • Camelbak water bottles

26. Use the mouth to stay alert

27. Tactile Activities to Enhance Sensory Diet • Hot Dog Roll • Clothing • Hand fidgets • Deep pressure hand hugs • Deep/firm/ predictable versus light/ticklish/ unpredictable • Vary textures • Pencil grips • Placement of kids at end of line/seating chart • Use tools with art activities

28. Proprioception/Heavy Work Activities to Enhance Sensory Lifestyle • Lifting chairs on desk • Erasing white board • Carry tasks (library, trash) • Assign recess tasks • Deep Pressure • Bottle Babies • Stretchy bands • Fabric Tube/tunnel • Obstacle Course • Gym mats and tasks

29. Balance and Movement Activities to Enhance Sensory Diet • Jumping • Rolling • Climbing • Swinging • Rocking • Spinning • Crossing midline • Upside down • Slow/rhythmical v. fast/irregular • T-Stool • Move ‘n Sit cushion or beach ball • Theraband on legs of chair • “Alive, Awake, Alert, Enthusiastic” • Obstacle courses • Animal walks

30. Vision/Sight Activities to Enhance Sensory Lifestyle • Space: too much stuff • Visual Perception • Soft lights/colors v. bright/twinkling • Calming tent/box • Lighting • Colors and Patterns • Guesstimation with Objects • Remove some of visual information from paper • Visually separating information on a page

31. We are all unique! How does your engine run?

32. ?????? And Comments EliseS@WorkSystemspc.com nugterenb@pellachristian.net