Sensory Strategies from our OT

Simple Sensory Strategies for Classroom Teachers, but if you see needs at home, you can do this too.

It seems each year we have more and more otherwise “typical” children in a classroom experiencing sensory processing or sensory modulation type concerns. These children are not able to organize and respond appropriately to the vast amount of stimulation entering their neurological system in a classroom environment. Sensory integration or the ability to respond appropriately is important for all activities a child engages in, especially participating and being available for learning in a classroom environment. When a child’s sensory system is not regulated we may see behaviors such as hyperactivity, poor attention, low arousal/energy, emotional outbursts, or inappropriate social skills. These children are often viewed as unmotivated, disruptive, or misbehaving. In a child with sensory processing disorder these responses are neurological in nature and are direct responses to the sensory input (light, sound, tactile, olfactory, vestibular, and proprioceptive) and until the input is regulated the output (or behavioral response) will continue to be the same. It is important for teachers to be able to recognize and implement sensory strategies so that the classroom can be a successful place for all children. It is also important to understand that young children all develop at different speeds and sometimes providing simple strategies make the world of a difference and that does NOT necessarily mean a child has Sensory processing disorder rather it just may be an immature sensory system.

 

Simple solutions for supporting these children in the general education environment:

 

• Do you have a child that wiggles and moves in their chair or on the carpet?
   
  • Try a seat disc -an air filled chair pad that allows the child to continuously receive vestibular input without being disruptive in class.
     
  • Try having the child sit on a ball chair to allow vestibular input and increase attention
     
  • Try having the child engage in heavy work activities prior to work time (see ideas below)
     
    • Move stacks of books
    • Deliver items from one classroom to another place in the building (especially if it requires carrying something and climbing stairs)
    • Stack items, such as reams of paper, books, or storage bins
    • Erase blackboards and whiteboards
    • Move chairs or tables, put chairs on top of tables at the end of the day and take them down at the beginning of the day
    • Wash desks or cafeteria tables
    • Set up and put away folding chairs and tables
    • Carry bins of lunchboxes into and out of cafeteria
    • Empty wastebaskets, sweep,
    • Sharpen pencils with an old-fashioned, crank pencil sharpener
    • Assist gym teacher or playground supervisor with taking out and putting away equipment such as bags full of balls, mats, scooters, etc.
    • Do laps around the gym or playground
    • Climb stairs
    • Cut cardboard and heavy paper card stock
    • Do pushups against the wall
    • Do chair pushups (holding the chair on either side as you sit, then pushing up to lift the body)
    • Bounce while sitting on an exercise ball (loose or in a holder)
    • Hold open heavy doors, or open them for individuals entering or exiting the building
      Push or drag boxes, carts, or furniture across carpeted floor.
        

• Do you have a child that has trouble keeping their hands still or seems to be day dreaming during whole group instruction? Do they have trouble completing independent work?
   
  • Try placing a small strip of adhesive Velcro under their desk to allow them to touch and pick at it during whole group instruction which will increase attention to task while decreasing the child’s need to fidget and touch those around them.
     
  • Give the child a stress ball or fidget to hold onto at carpet time.
     
  • Allow the child to chew gum or suck on a mint during group instruction which is proven to increase attention.
     
  • Allow the child to have a water bottle at their desk with a straw or a sport top (similar to Gatorade sports bottles) sucking will promote attention by calming the nervous system.
     
  • Allow the child to have crunchy snacks prior to completing independent work (pretzels, carrots, apples)
     
  • If there are no allergies try using a lavender or peppermint aromatherapy in the room to promote calm and attention.
     
  • The mouth is an organizing center. Think of a baby and how sucking on a pacifier or a bottle can be very soothing and self-regulating. When packing lunch encourage parents to send in a combination of crunchy and chewy snack items. Also send in a large straw, rather than a spoon, to use to eat their apple sauce or yogurt. Chewy foods provide great oral proprioception. Chewing gum during instructional class time if the school allows can be very effective too. Crunchy foods like carrots, apples, hard pretzel or think of items that the child really has to really bite and chew and that won’t easily dissolve in their mouth. The crunchier or chewier the more sensory input the child will receive.

 

 

• Do you have a child that chews on their clothes?
   
  • Have the child wear a braided sports necklace.  This will look typical and give the child something firm to chew on while absorbing saliva
     
  • Allow the child to chew gum during certain parts of the day when the chewing occurs
     
  • Encourage the child to bring in crunchy or chewy snacks to provide the proprioceptive input
     
  • Allow the child to keep a water bottle with a straw at their workspace
     
• Do you have a child that cannot hold the pencil with the correct grip?
   
  • Tripod grasp – when the thumb, index and middle finger support the pencil while the ring finger and little finger are bent and rest comfortably on the table.  Other grasps are also efficient patterns for children and you should only be concerned if their grasp is affecting their handwriting or they are experiencing pain.  An inefficient grasp pattern means children typically write slower, use full arm movements instead of defined finger movements and/or fatigue easily.
     
  • Holding the pencil correctly:
    • Mark the pencil with a dot or sticker on each side of the pencil barrel across from another for placement of the thumb on one dot and the index on the other and pinches the pencil. 
    • Make an “O” with the thumb and index and pinch the pencil and tuck the other fingers into bed.
    • Hold something small with the 4^th and 5^th fingers in the palm so the child does not put these fingers on the pencil (cotton ball, eraser, small ball, marker cap…)
    • Pick up small objects with a mini tool (see below) while holding an object with their 4^th and 5^th fingers
      • Tweezers, tongs, strawberry hullers to pick up pom poms, erasers…
    • Tape or rubber band the end of the pencil to visually cue where to hold the pencil.
    • Only give the child small writing tools (short pencils, crayons etc. no more than 2” long, but smaller is better) because they can only fit three fingers on a small writing tool.
    • Use a slant board or large 3 ring binder to encourage wrist extension and typically decreases the 4 finger grasp and facilitates the open web space (the “O” position).
    • Practice 3 finger activities:
      • Pinch clay, plah doh, silly putty
      • Pinch clothes pins
      • Finger strengthening activities (See fine motor list)
      • Lay on the floor to complete simple writing activities to provide stability to the shoulder area and encourage the child to move their finger muscles and not their entire arm/shoulder

 

 

 

Nicole Pfirman, M.Ed., OTR/L

Melissa Edkins, M.Ed, OTR/L