Sensory in the schools

1. Sensory in the schools Steve Maddox Nancy Hitchcock Occupational Therapists High Desert ESD

2. Occupational Therapy in the schools • Our main focus is to help kids access their education • We provide input to teams regarding special education and IEP goals • We evaluate sensory, motor and functional needs • We assist in program planning • We teach children and staff • We provide adaptive equipment for trial and long term loans

3. Sensory processing/Integration in the schools • Sensory Integration Therapy (Jean Ayers, OT) is only done by Occupational Therapists with special training in a clinic setting with greater intensity and frequency. • In the schools the Occupational Therapists support sensory motor learning by evaluating functional and sensory needs and setting up appropriate sensory diets and supports for individual children

4. What is needed for integration to occur? • Sensory input • Properly registered • Properly processed • Accurate response

5. Sensory Processing Disorder • Formerly known as “sensory integration dysfunction” • Sensory signals aren’t registered or organized for an appropriate response • Other disabilities can also have similar characteristics of sensory dysfunction such as ADHD or autism • Hyper sensitive- low tolerance for sensory input • Hypo sensitive-high tolerance for sensory input

6. Sensory systems as building blocks-the learning pyramid

7. pyramid • Social/ emotional/ academic/functional SUCCESS in life • Sensory/motor/ perceptual development • Sensory systems • Central nervous system

8. Sensory systems Visual-seeing Auditory-hearing Tactile-touch Olfactory-smell Gustatory-taste Proprioception-body in space Vestibular-movement in space

9. Olfactory Sense of smell, processed in limbic system

10. Gustatory • Sense of taste, closely tied to smell

11. Visual • Visual acuity: How well you see • Muscular control of eyes

12. Auditorysense of hearing

13. Tactile • Sense of touch

14. Proprioception • Sense of position of body parts

15. Vestibularmovement through space

16. Integration of the senses Sensory/motor/perceptual development occurs in the brain

17. Sensory/ motor/ perceptual development • Body awareness • Postural control • Bilateral integration • Motor planning • Visual skills • Auditory skills

18. Foundation video from focus moves DVD

19. Body awareness • Awareness of body parts and their relationship to one another and to the environment • Affects fine motor, reading, writing, self care, attention • Affects gross motor, sitting, sports, physical education, playground

20. Postural control • Prepares body for movements by making postural adjustments in relation to gravity and space. • Core strength, balance, center of gravity, stabilizing for movement • Affects fine motor, reading, writing, self care, attention • Affects gross motor, sitting, sports, physical education, playground

21. Bilateral integration • Two arms, legs, eyes • Right and left • Working together • Working separately • Working across midline • Affects fine motor, reading, writing, self care, attention • Affects gross motor, sports, physical education, playground

22. Motor planning • The ability to plan and execute new or unfamiliar movements • Affects fine motor, reading, writing, self care, attention • Affects gross motor, sitting, sports, physical education, playground

23. Motor planning

24. Eye-hand coordination • Coordinated control of eye movements with hand movement • The processing of visual input to guide reaching and grasping along with the use of proprioception of the hands to guide the eyes • Affects fine motor, reading, writing, self care, attention as well as gross motor, sitting, sports, physical education, playground

25. Eye-hand coordination

26. eye control • Eyes following a moving target together • Eyes fixed on a stable object while moving • Eyes moving along a line of print together • Shifting from near to far, paper to board • Reading, note taking, attention, ball skills

27. Visual/spatial perception • p • b • d • q

28. perception • Perception is not just what you see but how your brain interprets it • Important for reading, writing, and math • Affects letter size and spacing • Directionality • Attention to details • Finding mistakes

29. Auditory language skills • Not just what you hear but understanding words and interpreting meaning

30. Sleep , diet, stress, medication, hormones • Many things affect our sensory regulation, energy and happiness

31. Final Levels What this all adds up to

32. Academic learning

33. Activities of daily living

34. Positive Behavior

35. Pyramid overhead • To sum it up

36. research • Research shows that adding movement while learning can improve student’s ability to calm, organize and focus one’s self. • Also, including physical activity during learning has been shown to improve cognitive performance and promote on task behavior.

37. The Sensory Diet Patricia Wilbarger OT “Just as the five main food groups provide daily nutritional requirements, a daily sensory diet fulfills physical and emotional needs”

38. Sensory preference checklist Take a minute to glance through the list of items Note the things that help you function throughout your day

39. SENSORIMOTOR PREFERENCES • Our ability to attend, learn & behave is dependent on our state of alertness • We all have sensory motor preferences that we use to attain an appropriate state of alertness- strategies that are alerting, calming or organizing

40. Hyper or hypo-sensitive Hypersensitive • Distress with sound • Sensitivity to light • Dislikes touch/textures • Smell/taste aversion • Insecurity with height • Increased startle response Hyposensitive • Lack of attention to sound • Low awareness of pain • Disregard for things or people in environment • Delayed reactions or responses

41. Sensory diet • The goal of the sensory diet is to keep children in an optimal state of alertness for successful completion of activities throughout the day. • Team with your occupational therapist in developing an appropriate program

42. Sensory diet Implementation • May be used to prepare for transition times or focused work times • Children may need a particular sensory activity to be able to “wind down” after completing a task.

43. Alerting and calming • Faster movements are more alerting • Slower movements are more calming • Deep pressure/heavy work are balancing whether stressed or sluggish • Try to provide the “just right” challenge and observe for the “just right” level of alertness • See handouts for ideas

44. Sensory supports • Visual supports such as visual schedules • Activating equipment such as air cushions, therapy balls, swings, t-stools • Calming equipment such as weighted vests, weighted blankets, hug vests, body sock, noise cancelling headphones, swings (slow and rhythmic)

45. Teaching self regulation THE ALERT PROGRAM Developed by Mary Sue Williams OT and Sherry Shellenberger OT

46. “HOW DOES YOUR ENGINE RUN?” THE ALERT PROGRAM • STAGE ONE: IDENTIFYING ENGINE SPEEDS • STAGE TWO: EXPERIMENTING WITH METHODS TO CHANGE ENGINE SPEEDS • STAGE THREE: REGULATING ENGINE SPEEDS • www.alertprogram.com • Check out the slug sisters video!

47. Alertness scale and chart • Too fast/hyper • Just right! • Too slow/tired

48. Overhead of different high low charts

49. 5 ways to change engine speed • Put something in the Mouth! • Move! • Touch! • Look! • Listen!

50. Other programs for self regulation Yoga calm Brain gym S’cool moves