1. The Sensory-Behavior Connection
Joselyn Ensor M.S. Ed., BCBA, LBA 
Board Certified Behavior Analyst
Coordinator of Special Education - Special Programs
Kristin M. Hoffman, MS, OTR/L
Occupational Therapist
Administrative Coordinator of Carroll Springs

2. What is Behavior??? Behavior is ANYTHING a person does
Behavior is generally learned
Behaviors that successfully get a child what he/she wants or needs will occur again under similar circumstances = reinforcement

3. Why Does Problem Behavior Occur?
There is always a reason why children do what they do – they are either trying to obtain something or avoid it.
GET/OBTAIN: ESCAPE/AVOID:
attention demand/request
self-stimulation item or activity
item person
activity feeling/sensation
place
Why Does Problem Behavior Occur?

4. The ABC’s of Analyzing Behavior
Antecedent – what happened immediately before the behavior occurred? B
Behavior – what did the behavior look like? C
Consequence – what happened immediately after the behavior occurred?

5. What is Sensory Processing?
Sensory processing is a term that refers to how a person's brain interprets and responds to sensory input from their own body and the world around them.
Sensory processing is the neurological process that organizes sensation from one’s own body and the environment, thus making it possible to use the body effectively within the environment

6. Sensory Processing Disorder
“Problems in directing, regulating, interpreting, and responding to sensory input.” (Miller, Anzalone, Lane, Cermak, Osten, 2007)
The difference between sensory difference and a sensory disorder is a disorder is severe enough to interfere with occupations, roles and routines.
Sensory Processing Disorder

8. Modulation Hyper Arousal Zone Hypo Arousal Zone Window of Tolerance
Increased sensation
Emotional Reactivity
Hyper Vigilance
Instructive Imagery
Disorganized cognitive processing
Hypo Arousal Zone
Relative absence of sensation 
Numbing of emotions
Disabled cognitive processing
Reduced physical movement
The ability to process information depends on the “width” of the window.
A wide widow correlates with the ability to cope with the greatest extremes of arousal and process of complex information
A narrow window correlates with fluctuations of dysregulation.
Window of Tolerance
Optimal Arousal Zone

9. What is Self-Regulation?
Driving conditions are constantly changing 
Traffic, weather, speed zones, merging traffic
The driver is required to adjust accelerations, braking and shifting gears accordingly 
Stanley Greenspan, the author of The Challenging Child: Understanding, Raising, and Enjoying the Five "Difficult" Types of Children has an insightful analogy to help us understand what people experience when they can not effectively process, or interpret, sensory input.
“Imagine driving a car that isn't working well. When you step on the gas the car sometimes lurches forward and sometimes doesn't respond. When you blow the horn it sounds blaring. The brakes sometimes slow the car, but not always. The blinkers work occasionally, the steering is erratic, and the speedometer is inaccurate. You are engaged in a constant struggle to keep the car on the road, and it is difficult to concentrate on anything else."
Ability to deal with stressors effectively and efficiently and return to a baseline of being focused and alert.
The goal is to widen the window of tolerance or move more smoothly back to state of optimal arousal.

10. Sensory as it relates to the ABCs of Behavior
Antecedent B
Behavior C
Consequence

11. Water Bottle Activity
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND