Sensory Diet-The Classroom Edition
A "sensory diet" allows for an ease of sensory integration within the classroom for those children who may have sensory processing issues. It provides a necessary combination of sensory input of nourish the nervous system of these young students (Davis & Dubie).
Why is This Important?
Having a properly organized and balanced nervous system allows the child to achieve their optimum attention on classroom activities, thus promoting more efficient learning. Some children have nervous systems that are genetically different than other's as they do not process sensory input in an efficient manner (Davis & Dubie). The result of this inefficiency is both behavioral and emotional problems, that contribute to the inattention within the classroom, so the sensory diet is key in fixing this problem. There are different aspects of the sensory diet within a classroom and they include visual, auditory, tactile, taste, smell, proprioceptive, and vestibular (Davis & Dubie).
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Visual
A child may have sensory issues with the visual stimuli in the classroom, so the following strategies should be implemented by the classroom teacher:
>Organize materials by labeling them in oder to identify their spot within the classroom
>Using images as classroom labels aids visual memory
>Limit the amount of visual material hanging from the ceiling and walls
>Allow students to use lined/graph paper, it helps with spacing issues when writing
>IPad/tablet use instead of mouse on regular computer (touchscreen promotes sensory stimulation)
>Keep the amount of visual information on worksheets to a minimum
>Have students write their own notes, but if needed they can get a copy of one of their classmate's notes
>Allow student to sit in the front of the classroom if they get distracted when not up close
(Davis & Dubie)
Auditory
Some children might get distracted by loud, or even subtle, classroom noises and need specific adjustments. They also might need an input of some sort of noise, such as headphones with music, in order to better focus. Here are some suggestions for teachers:
>Ear plugs
>Headphones with music (i.e. allow for a time for child to listen to their favorite music during the day)
>Social stories about what might occur in the classroom environment (explaining them to the student before having them enter the classroom- what sounds they might hear, etc. to desensitize them to the environment)
(Davis & Dubie)
Tactile
Tactile information can come in the form of clothing, other fabrics such as carpeting, differences in pressures, etc. Classroom teachers can promote tactile well-being through the following:
>Taking note of what kind of clothing they are comfortable in, and letting parents know if they are unaware so they can be appropriately dressed for school
>Providing small hand fidgets (they can be squishy/soft/textured)
>Get other suggestions from the school's occupational therapist (could be a weighted vest or blanket, the "brushing" technique, etc.)
>Allowing student to sit in a bean bag chair when on carpet with rest of students
(Davis & Dubie)
Taste
There are not a lot of tastes students encounter within the classroom, as really the only time students should be ingesting anything is in the cafeteria. However, it is important for teachers to lock up poisonous substances in the classroom. Furthermore, if a classroom teacher sees the need for a certain child they can refer to a nutritionist about their specific diet.
(Davis & Dubie)
Smell
Being aware of all the smells within a classroom is important, because children may have different sensitivities to smells one may find to be rather agreeable. Here are some helpful tips for classroom teachers:
>Do not wear a lot of perfume/cologne
>Keep facial tissues readily available
>Use scented lotions, soaps, markers, and/or stickers in the classroom to help calm students
(Davis & Dubie)
Proprioceptive
Proprioception it is about sensing environmental stimuli in accordance to both motion and position. Promoting the proprioceptive sense in the classroom can look like the following:
>Engaging students in up/down movements such as jump rope, bouncing a ball around, bouncing on a trampoline. This allows a student with a proprioceptive deficit to become more alert within the classroom
>Provide stress balls, "theraputty", and fidget toys
>Allow students to chew on crunchy/chewy candies (such as bubblegum)
>Make an area in the classroom to allow student to stomp/pace around
>Never take away physical education class and/or recess as a form of punishment. These parts of the school day can aid the need for deep pressure activities such as running.
(Davis & Dubie)
Vestibular
The vestibular sense is about knowing where one's body is in space. Here are some helpful tips for teachers to engage this sense in the classroom:
>Heavy lifting work activities such as transferring stacks of books around the classroom
>Encourage slow moving from extreme positions (as when going from sitting to standing position)
>When walking about the classroom, as the teacher, slow down your own movements
>Allow students to sit on a wiggle cushion or ball
>Play games that use repetitive alternating/rhythmic movement
>Allow for lots of breaks during the day
>Reinforce the use of students' dominant hand
(Davis & Dubie)