Many children with sensory processing disorder (SPD) or sensory integration difficulties face challenges in the typical classroom environment due to their sensory differences. While some students may have a specific sensory diet recommended by their occupational therapist, school-based occupational therapists can collaborate with teachers to suggest sensory strategies that all students in the classroom can benefit from. The sensory system includes eight senses: tactile (touch), auditory (sound), gustatory (taste), vision (sight), olfactory (smell), vestibular (balance and spatial orientation), proprioceptive (body awareness), and interoceptive (internal sensation). Sensory strategies can help students remain focused and ready to participate in school activities to the best of their ability.
1. Movement and Fidgets:
Allow students to move in various ways throughout the school day to improve focus and self-regulation.
- Incorporate movement breaks: Yoga poses, stretches, quick exercises, or dance videos like GoNoodle
- Fidget bin: Offer fidgets to any students in the classroom who may benefit from them
- Do not withhold recess as a punishment
- Flexible seating: wobble cushions or balance ball chairs
- Chair bands: place stretchy resistance bands around chair legs to allow students whose sensory systems seek movement to fidget with their feet
- Sensory path in the hallway: sensory paths provide movement opportunities for children when transitioning between classes
2. Classroom Design and Organization:
Use these classroom design and organization strategies to improve students’ focus
- Organize seating arrangements based on students’ needs: certain students may benefit from sitting in the front row to reduce visual distraction, while other students may benefit from sitting in the back of the room or away from doors and windows if they are overwhelmed by noise
- Reduce visual clutter in classroom: reduce number of decorations on walls and keep supplies and other items in closets or drawers to reduce visual “noise” and improve focus
- Paint classroom a neutral solid color
- Use calming lighting: avoid fluorescent lights
- Post visual schedules, instructions, and class rules for students who may be under-responsive to auditory (sound) input
- Label drawers or items (with words and/or pictures) in the classroom so they are easy to find for students
3. Calming and Regulating Strategies:
Try these strategies when students are overstimulated/overexcited
- Quiet corner: Create a quiet corner of the classroom with comfortable seating like beanbag chairs and items students can use to self-regulate (books, fidgets, noise canceling headphones, weighted blankets etc.) to use when they are dysregulated
- Noise-canceling headphones: Allow students to wear noise-canceling headphones if they are overwhelmed by sound
- Deep pressure: allow students to wear weighted vests or weighted lap pads (approved by an occupational therapist)
- Heavy work: give students heavy work tasks or exercises like rearranging furniture, wiping down surfaces (tables, whiteboard, chalkboard), yoga poses, wall pushups, and chair dips to provide calming proprioceptive input
- Chewing: provide gum or allow students to chew on a chew item (like chewable jewelry or a chewable pencil end) or chewy snack
- Mindfulness activities: incorporate deep breathing exercises, meditation, or progressive muscle relaxation exercises into the student’s daily routine
- Dim classroom lights or close the window shades
4. Alerting Strategies:
Try these strategies when students appear tired or sluggish
- Snacks: allow students to eat crunchy snacks (chips, pretzels, apples, carrots, celery) or sour snacks (citrus fruits, sour candies)
- Exercises like jumping jacks
- Dance videos or playing freeze dance
- Cool room temperature: turn on a fan, open the window, or turn on the A/C
- Drinking cold water: let students go to water fountain to get cold water
- Essential oils: give students felt squares with a few drops of alerting scents (like lemon or peppermint)
- Worksheets with bold fonts and/or bright colors
- Open window shades and/or turn on classroom lights
5. Be Mindful of Sensory Sensitivities:
- Inquire about sensory sensitivities; some students may open up about their sensitivities, other students may not understand their sensory sensitivities or be able to communicate them so also keep an eye out for any negative reactions your students may have to sensory input
- Smell sensitivity: scented products can be a distraction for children with a sensitivity to smell or even cause some children to feel sick; refrain from using air fresheners or other heavily scented products (e.g. scented cleaning products) in the classroom
- Light sensitivity: some children may be sensitive to light; avoid fluorescent lighting, close shades when direct sunlight is entering the room, and allow students with light sensitivity to wear sunglasses indoors or to wear blue light glasses when working with screens
- Sound sensitivity: some children may be sensitive to sounds; allow children to wear noise-canceling headphones or listen to white noise or calming music/nature sounds while working, seat children with noise sensitivities away from doors or windows to reduce distraction from sounds outside the classroom
- Touch sensitivity: some children are sensitive to touch or certain types of touch (e.g., light touch); avoid tapping students on the shoulder to get their attention and avoid patting students on the back or arm; touch may be distressing for students
