1. Creating a Sensory-Friendly Classroom
to Promote Positive Learning Behaviours

2. Welcome!
Find a seat that will help you be alert and attentive (i.e. if you are highly distractible, don’t sit by the door!)
Help yourself to any of the ‘tools’ on the table
Make yourself a name tag if you don’t have one

4. Anne-Julie Bérubé
Learning Enhancement Teacher at Kowloon Junior School
Early Years Teacher for eight years (4 of which were at the ESF Kindergartens)
B.A. Psychology, PGDE (Major in Special Education)
Proud mom of a child with Sensory Processing Disorder

5. Aims of this workshop
To gain a better understanding of sensory processing and how it affects the child in the classroom
To explore ways to make you and your classroom more sensory responsive
To recognise sensory-driven behaviours and understand how best to manage them

6. Who You Are…

7. What you’ve asked for…

8. Your understanding of sensory processing

9. Part 1 : The Theory
A little understanding can have a big impact

10. Sensory Processing
The brain’s ability to receive, organize and understand sensory information. Sensory processing includes reception, detection, integration, modulation and organization of sensory stimuli

11. Our senses are…
sight
sound
touch
taste
smell
proprioception
vestibular
(8. interoception)

12. Sensory Processing Disorder
The inability to process sensory stimuli efficiently
Recent brain research conducted at UC San Francisco found quantifiable differences in brain structures of people with SPD, confirming that it is a separate neurodevelopmental disorder

14. Sensory Processing Disorder
A highly prevalent condition among students with disabilities
Autism Spectrum Disorder
ADHD
Down Syndrome
Specific Learning Disabilities such as Dyslexia
Gifted and Talented

15. Sensory Modulation
The ability to regulate and organize reactions to sensory input in a graded manner (jumping when you hear a loud bang, but not when the air conditioner cycles on)
The balancing of excitatory and inhibitory inputs, and adapting to environmental changes (not jumping at every bang when your office is next to a large construction job)

16. Sensory Modulation
It helps us to – Take in relevant information – Filter out irrelevant information – Prioritise our focus – Adapt to change in the environment
– Regulate our arousal levels

17. Julian Treasure, sound consultant
How we listen
Pattern recognition: Distinguish noise from signal
Differencing: We discount sounds that remain the same
Filters: What we pay attention to
Sound places us in time and space 2:10

18. Why is good sensory processing so important?
Self-Regulation
Comfort, Self-Esteem
Motor planning, sequencing
Motor skills development
Attention, impulse control
Readiness to learn
Application of learned material

21. Know thyself… A game of TRUE or FALSE
After each statement is read, stand on the TRUE side if you feel this statement is true of you most of the time. Stand on the FALSE side if it isn’t

22. What is a sensory profile?
We experience life through our senses and each of us has a distinct level of tolerance for the sensations we experience.
A Sensory Profile provides a specific approach to understanding our own responses and those of others.

23. What is a sensory profile?
A Sensory Profile is a research based framework that reflects how sensitive we are to the input of sound, movement, visual images, fragrances, taste, texture and touch in our daily lives.
Our tolerance is determined by the brain, and we all respond from low to high thresholds in tolerating sensory information in everyday things.

24. Sensory processing dimensions
Sensory processing occurs through the interaction of two dimensions:
1- The neurological threshold (LOW vs HIGH)
2- The behavioral response strategies (Passive vs Active)
It gives us four general sensory presentations

26. Low Registration Child
HIGH threshold-Passive
Passive child
Dull affect. Seem overly tired.
Might not notice what is going on around him/her
Difficulty in non interesting tasks e.g. handwriting
Low sensitivity
Does not respond to name when called
Misses cues
Difficult to engage

27. Sensory Sensitive Child
LOW threshold-Passive
Overly sensitive
Anxious
Emotionally insecure
Easily upset
May become irritable
Difficulty with change and transition
May become insistent on routines
Difficulty staying on task
Easily distracted by surroundings
May have outbursts after rather than while over stimulated

28. Sensation Avoiding Child
LOW threshold-Active
Easily over aroused, which causes them to be distracted
May be sensitive to noise, touch, movement
Difficulty in crowds/ busy places
Difficulty with change and transition
Easily upset
Overly sensitive
Anxious
Emotionally Insecure
Frequent tantrums
Avoids activities
Escape

29. Sensation Seeking Child
HIGH threshold-Active
On the go
Fidgeting
Can’t sit still
Seeking all kinds of movement
Chewing
Impulsive
Excitable
Fast
May not notice if face or hands are messy
May be a safety risk
Bumps into people

30. Part 2: The Environment
Help or hinder?

31. The Environment The auditory environment The visual environment
Providing for individual students’ sensory needs

32. The Auditory Environment
The 4 ways sound affects us
Physiological
Psychological
Cognitive
Behavioural
You can’t understand two people talking at once
We have a very small amount of bandwidth for processing auditory input, which is why noise like this (open plan office) is extremely damaging to productivity
66% decrease in productivity in open plan offices

33. Why architects need to use their ears
2:45
Classroom designs not conducive to hearing. Esp. for students with impaired hearing, ESL, introverts
Noise affects teachers’ health too
When sound environment improves, behaviour and results improve significantly
7:20

34. How can we make the auditory environment better?
Be aware of the overall level of noise
Strive for balance. Build in some quieter times during the day
Provide alternative, quieter work spaces (hallway, reading corner, etc.)
Provide access to music (with headphones)
Provide ear defenders/ear plugs to very sensitive students

35. A side note: Sensory overload
Overload occurs when a person experiences too much sensory stimulation and cannot handle it all. This can happen when there’s a lot going on, like hearing people talk while a tv blares in the background, being surrounded in a crowd, or seeing lots of blinking screens or flashing lights.
The effects of sensory stimulation are cumulative

36. Meltdowns
Meltdowns and shutdowns may happen as a reaction to sensory overload
Although they may sometimes look alike, meltdowns aren’t the same tantrums
They are best viewed and managed as panic attacks

37. The Visual Environment
Read “Consider the Walls”
On a post-it, write a word or a phrase that resonated with you or prompted a thought
Consider how some of the issues raised in Julian Treasure’s talk might apply to the visual environment
Find 2 different people and tell them about it

38. How can we make the visual environment better?
Create an organized working environment
Think about your classroom layout
Keep the classroom structured with clearly defined areas
Have a ‘work desk’ or ‘concentration pod’
Visually define a student’s space (cushions, mats, etc.)

39. How can we make the visual environment better?
Keep the environment as clutter free as possible
Put toys and tools in labeled drawers, boxes
If a shelf is problematic, over it with a piece of fabric

40. How can we make the visual environment better?
Re-think your displays and use of wall space
Some students benefit from them. Try to compromise so you are meeting all students’ needs
Keep the art and decorations in one spot (e.g. bulletin board) rather than all over the room
Keep large spaces of blank wall so that children aren’t overwhelmed
Have a ‘work desk’ or ‘concentration pod’
Have visual boundaries (privacy boards, pop up partitions)

41. The visual environment competes with the teacher for children’s attention
Fisher et al, Kindergarten children placed in a laboratory classroom for six introductory science lessons. The visual environment in the classroom was experimentally manipulated.
Children were more distracted by the visual environment, spent more time off task, and demonstrated smaller learning gains when walls were highly decorated than when the decorations were removed.

42. Some other visual stimuli to consider…
Artificial lighting
Crowds of people
Clutter
Eye contact

43. And don’t forget YOU... Your tone of voice
Your actions, your movements
Proximity, eye contact
Smells, perfumes, after-shave
Dazzling, sparkly jewelry
Patterned clothes
Texture of clothes
Make-up, bright lipstick

44. Your efforts will benefit ALL your students
All students have days when they are stressed, tired or ill and their threshold for stimulation changes
A lot of our students are introverts who also get over stimulated easily
Some children seem to be coping at school but go wild or completely fall apart once they get home

46. Anxiety and Learning Anxiety affects academic performance
It affects a student’s working memory, making it difficult to learn and retain new information
Anxious students learn and think less efficiently
Anxiety = increased inflexibility, emotional intensity and impulsivity
For students to learn, they must be calm and regulated

47. Creating a sensory room
It’s often difficult to create a sensory-friendly classroom that is appropriate for the needs of each student
Creating a sensory room within the school is ideal
In such a room, you would find things that provide relaxation and reduce sensory overload, as well as things that may provide sensory feedback to ‘rev up’ the child

48. Creating a sensory room
Things to calm down…
A pop-up tent
A beanbag chair
Music player and headphones
A rocking chair
Blanket to wrap a child in
Lava lamp
Fish tank
Stress-reducing squeeze toys
Weighted vest, lap pad, or neck roll

49. Creating a sensory room
Things to stimulate
A mini-trampoline for jumping
A therapy ball for bouncing
Bubble machine
Selection of gum/mint/tart candy/water
Teeter-totter or scooter board
Scented markers
Water, sand, or rice table

50. Creating a sensory area within the classroom
Separate the area from the rest of the classroom
Your reading corner could double up as your sensory area?
Have a tent or make one by placing a blanket over a small table
Have a beanbag chair, a music player, some headphones, stress-reducing toys and textures.
If your classroom is large enough, you could have a mini-trampoline or therapy ball for bouncing

51. Other ways to accommodate sensory needs in the classroom
For kids distracted by all the movement around them
Work desk
Pop-up partitions
For kids who need quiet to concentrate:
Ear defenders, headphones, ear plugs

52. Other ways to accommodate sensory needs in the classroom
For kids who need to move and fidget:
Inflated disc cushions
Therapy balls (to sit on)
Thera band on chairs
Fidgets

53. Other ways to accommodate sensory needs in the classroom

54. Other ways to accommodate sensory needs in the classroom
For kids who need to chew:
Chewy stixx
Chewy gems
Gum!!!
Crunchy food

55. I can do these exercises to help me focus

56. I can do these exercises to help me focus
Push on head and resist

57. How can you manage all this?
A few tips…
Set up rules (e.g. for gum and fidgets: I don’t want to see it, I don’t want to hear it)
Give the children a timer to use in the sensory area. Give the child a specific amount of time and reinforce good behaviour (coming back once the time is up)
Be careful with ‘break cards’. Students can quickly start using them to escape nonpreferred activities

58. Make sure the area never gets used as a ‘time out’ area
Don’t wait until a meltdown to get the student to the sensory room/area. Being taken out to go to there can be perceived as a punishment
Make a visit to the sensory room/area a regular part of the child’s day (put it on his visual schedule)
When to visit? Before challenging tasks, when over stimulated (e.g. after recess), before math or writing

59. Children take their cues from you
Children take their cues from you. If you ignore some behaviours, eventually the students will learn to ignore it too
Establish from the beginning that in your classroom, everyone gets what they need. If a student questions why a child is allowed to chew gum or use the sensory area and she isn’t, simply reiterate that everyone gets what they need and if one day you see that she needs something, you’ll make sure she has access to it

61. Part 3: Teaching Self-Regulation and Advocacy
Setting them up for success

62. Self-Regulation Self Regulation How to maintain a calm alert state
How to recognise the body’s needs
When movement needs are escalating
When stress and anxiety is escalating
When attention is reducing
How to choose the appropriate activity?

63. Why is it important to teach self-regulation?
At the moment, there isn’t enough empirical evidence to prove the effectiveness of Sensory Integration Therapy
Sensory processing issues don’t disappear. They continue into adulthood
The presentation of sensory issues changes as children mature
As they mature, children learn to tolerate sensory stimuli and learn socially acceptable ways to cope with their sensory issues

64. Why is it important to teach self-regulation?
We need to give kids tools to manage sensory- processing problems, otherwise later on they withdraw from activities that would be great social outlets for them (and this may lead to mental health issues)
Include students in the planning of sensory activities. Self-advocacy for needed support helps build self-esteem and confidence.
It also helps avoid dependence on adults to solve their own problems

65. Why is it important to teach self-regulation?
“Teachers who are proactive about allowing children to advocate for sensory-diet items and permit them to engage with these in the classroom to regulate their attention levels will in turn have kids that can achieve optimal on-task behaviour” --Author, Creating Sensory-Friendly Classrooms

69. The Practical bit…

70. The Starfish Organizer
What do you plan to have/do more of? What do you want to add to your classroom?
What do you plan to have/do less of? What do you plan to remove from your classroom?
What are you doing well? What would you like to keep doing?
What are you going to start doing?
What are you going to stop doing?

71. In Conclusion…
Students with SPD spend an inordinate amount of energy just trying to get through the day
Maintaining their focus is extremely hard
It is our duty as educators to provide them with an environment where they can learn and progress despite their challenges. Every little bit helps.