Adopter Hub Sensory processing handout.

Dr Naomi Graham naomi@growinghope.org.uk

Calming and alerting ideas for each sense

Sense Calming Alerting

Sight Plain, geometric Flashing, busy

Smell Vanilla, lavender Strong/ pungent

Taste Vanilla, lavender, chocolate

Spicy/sour

Hearing Rhythmic, steady Changing in pitch/tempo

Touch Deep pressure Light/tickly

Balance Linear movement Rotational, stop/start

Body Awareness (proprioception)

HEAVY WORK – wall pushes, gym ball, animal walks, cruchy/chewy snack

Proprioception

Proprioception and kinaesthesia relate to the sensory system that provides information

from inside the body, e.g. from muscles and joints. It provides us with an internal

awareness of our body position and allows us to perform tasks with co-ordination. It

allows us to know where each part of our body is and how it is moving. If we close our

eyes and move our arm, we know exactly where our arm is in relation to our body

without having to look, it is our proprioceptive sense which tells us where our arm is.

This helps us perform everyday tasks such as dressing, without having to rely on our

vision. Proprioception helps our body organise itself for useful activity.

Children with diminished proprioception :

• May fidget and move a lot in order to produce a sensation which gives them

sensory input.

• May have poor attention to task because they are focusing on a task that

should happen automatically such as sitting in a chair.

• May use excessive or insufficient force on objects, such as holding a pencil so

hard it breaks.

• May have an inefficient or awkward pencil grip

• May be clumsy and fall frequently.

Several strategies can be used to provide children with proprioceptive input. These include heavy work. Heavy work activities which include pushing, pulling, and putting weight through your joints help to alert proprioceptors in a child’s body. This can then provide them with a sense of where their body is in space and thus help with body awareness. In order to help children to develop their sense of proprioception activities can be carried out with their eyes closed or blindfolded. Ask children how it feels when they are doing an activity without being able to see, help them to identify how their body is moving. Blindfolded activities include:

• Clean your teeth with eyes closed.

• Jump (skip, bunny hop, bounce ball) out to the car.

• Liquid pouring activities.

• Clap underwater while in the bath.

• Carry items (e.g. boxes, chairs).

Proprioceptive activities

Pushing and pulling- pushing open heavy doors, vacuuming, pushing

supermarket trolley, carrying heavy things, digging, raking, tug-of-war,

leap frog, punching a punchbag or big cushion, carrying groceries or

library books in a rucksack, carrying rubbish to the dustbin, pushing

hands or feet with a partner, propelling self on scooter board, pulling self

along a bench or pulling along a rope whilst sitting on a mat.

Wheel barrow games- Races around obstacles, over mats. Support the

child at the hips initially until they have strength to be supported near

knees and then ankles.

Animal walks- Encourage the child to walk like different animals

incorporating lying on their tummy or walking on their hands, feet and

knees. Include commando crawling like a snake. See if the child can lie on

their tummy resting on their forearms to play a game.

Kid sandwiches and parcels- Have the child lie between a pile of

cushions, pillows etc. and gently apply pressure all over the child's body,

using a therapy ball or another pillow/cushion. Have the child sit or lie curled

up on a sheet or blanket and wrap him/her up; ask how quickly the child can

find a way out.

Flexion activities- using the muscles on the front of the body to curl the

body up. The child lies on their back and makes themselves into a small

pea. The child lies with their back on a scooter board and pushes

themselves of the wall.

Movement activities- Going on a trampoline (try star jumps, tuck jumps,

putting feet and hands forward and swapping), having a pillow fight, going

swimming, horse riding, judo, use monkey bars, trapeze or overhead bars,

climbing frames, adventure playgrounds, make up obstacle courses.

Theraband/ theraputty- These are hard work to stretch and move and

therefore can be calming and good for exercise.

Fidgets- Small ‘toys’ to hold and fidget can allow children some fine motor

movements to help them stay on task and/ or help them to stay calm.

Stretchy people, creatures, koosh balls, tangles, stress balls, fabrics are all

useful fidgets.

Movement breaks- Movement breaks are a good way to give children a

legitimate time to move their bodies, for example run an errand or bounce on

a trampoline.

Animal Walks

Walking like an animal can help to develop core stability and muscle tone. Try and think of as

many animals to pretend to be as you can. Here are some ideas:

Elephant walk- Bend forward at the waist with your hands clasped

together and your arms hanging down. Walk, swinging your 'trunk'

from side to side.

Seal walk- Lie on your stomach with your hands under your

shoulders. Straighten your arms and 'walk' forward, dragging your legs

behind you.

Crab walk- On all fours with tummy facing up, walk in all

directions, try to keep bottom level with knees. Try

playing games such as football by kicking your legs.

Frog hops- Hop forward from a squatting position,

landing on your hands first, then your feet.

Inch worm- Start on your hands and feet. Walk your hands forward as

far as possible. Then walk your feet up to your hands. Repeat,

moving first your hands, then your feet.

Mule kick- Squat with your hands resting on the floor. Lean forward

and kick both legs backwards and upwards as quickly as you can,

then return to a squatting position. Just try and do very little kicks to

start with.

Stork stand- Stand on one foot. Place your non-support foot against the knee

of your support leg. Place your hands on your hips. Try to maintain your

balance.

Bear walk- Assume a creeping posture, progress forwards or backwards,

moving arms and legs of the same side simultaneously. Keep your head down.

Wheelbarrow walk- Lying on your tummy, have a partner hold your legs.

Extend your arms and walk forward on your hands as your partner supports

your legs. If this is too tricky your partner can help support

you at your hips.

Attention and Concentration

Several strategies can be put in place to aid children with their attention and concentration.

Ideas for activities can be found below:

Environment

• Reduce distractions by allowing the child to work in a quieter area within the class or a position reducing distractions (e.g. at the front).

• Less pictures on the walls.

• Suitable height table and chair with feet flat on the floor.

Giving instructions

• Always make eye contact

• Use short, simple instructions

• Minimise sequence e.g. 1-2 tasks at a time

• Ask child to repeat instructions back or participate in demonstration

• Develop a routine for gaining the whole classes attention prior to giving instruction

Classroom ideas

• Positive reinforcement with praise and attention when the child perseveres

• Choose activities that ensure success and can be gradually made harder

• Write on the board simple instructions and refer the child back to these

• Encourage older children to keep a diary

• Keep classroom materials away and clearly labelled

Desk organisation

• Clear clutter on desk to reduce distractions

• Use ‘fill in the gaps’ answers rather than lengthy writing where possible

• Direct attention to important aspects of the task- e.g. underline/ highlight/ star beginning and end

• Provide written instructions

If the child fidgets

• Allow them to hold a tactile object while trying to concentrate e.g. koosh ball, red nose, paper clip, theraputty

• Redirect to a constructive task, hand an object or book, send on errand

• Consider the use of a move ‘n’ sit cushion

• Allow an object in the mouth e.g. gum, sucky sweets, chewy lace.

• Allow an area that the child can move about briefly without disturbing classmates

If the child day dreams

If student calls out • Place the child near you

• Use an egg timer to focus attention on task

• Play games such as Kim’s game to improve memory and concentration

• Reward child immediately when they wait before they respond

• Reward peers that do not call out

• Give all children three squares of paper and remove one each time a child calls out. If they loose all squares they loose a pre-determined privilege.

Hyperactivity

• Use deep and firm pressure to help a child calm down. You can make sure they are sitting correctly and then push down on shoulders for 10.

• Time out space in the classroom with soft furniture/ bean bag

• Place heavy been bag on the child’s knee whilst sat at desk

• Keep tasks short and allow short rest breaks if fatigued

• For older children, encourage self regulation strategies (see movement below)

Movement

• Give opportunities for movement as often as possible in class such as running errands, movement breaks.

• These activities can be done discreetly in the classroom setting o Press up on chair o Push hands together o Hook hands together and pull o Roll neck slowly in circular motion

List

Listening Skills

• Encourage story telling such as events of the day. Repeat main features of the story to the child or ask them to tell another family member later in the day.

• Ask the child to read out loud and then ask questions about what they have read.

• As the child to repeat instructions back, encourage eye contact.

Planning and task transition

• Provide a written or pictorial schedule of the daily or lesson’s routine.

• Give 5 minute warnings before any transitions

• Alternate activities that require a high level of concentration with those that are more relaxed

• •

• Use an egg timer on the child’s desk to encourage them to sit and complete an activity for that length of time.

• Use a traffic light system to stop and plan activities. Red is for "stop", amber is for "think and plan" and green is for "do.

Movement Breaks

Movement breaks are good for all students and require consistent implementation in order to be

effective. Incorporate 2-3 minutes of movement break every 30 minutes for the entire class. This

helps to wake the entire class up and stimulate their brain to continue learning.

Pushing and pulling- pushing open heavy doors, vacuuming, carrying heavy

things, digging, raking, tug-of-war, leap frog, carrying library books, carrying

rubbish to the dustbin, pushing hands or feet with a partner, pushing the wall (see

if you can push it down), pulling self along a bench.

Animal walks- Encourage children to walk like different animals incorporating

lying on their tummy or walking on their hands, feet and knees.

Kid sandwiches and parcels- Have a child lie between a pile of cushions and

gently apply pressure all over the child's body, using a therapy ball or

another pillow/cushion. Have the child sit or lie curled up on a sheet or blanket

and wrap him/her up; ask how quickly the child can find a way out.

Jumping games- On the floor or on a trampoline try normal jumps, star jumps, tuck

jumps, and spotty dogs (alternating opposite hand and foot forwards).

Theraband/ theraputty- These are hard work to stretch and move and therefore

can be calming and good for exercise.

Fidgets- Small ‘toys’ to hold and fidget can allow children some fine motor

movements to help them stay on task and/ or help them to stay calm. Stretchy people,

creatures, koosh balls, tangles, stress balls, fabrics are all useful fidgets.

Rhythm- Add rhythm to an activity such as wiping whiteboards can help with organisation of

movement and sensory processing. Play games with whole class where they have to tap a rhythm

and cross their hands over in front of them on the desk. This can be done by counting, or

breaking words into syllables.

Mouth- Allowing children to eat chewy or crunchy foods may help with focus and

organisation. A sports bottle of water may help with focus.

Errands- Use errands to provide movement such as collecting registers, giving messages to other

teachers, wiping the whiteboard, writing answers on the white board, handing out

worksheets, carrying books, stacking chairs.

Class games- 5,4,3,2,1- see if the class can repeat actions in order e.g. 5 star jumps, 4

spins, 3 hops, 2 high fives to your partner and 1 wall press. Trading places- call out a

criteria for children to change places e.g. everyone with curly hair. Mingle, Mingle,

group- ask all the children to walk around and call a number that the children need to

group into. Name moves- encourage each child to make up a move for their name, the

group- ask all the children to walk around and call a number that the children need

to group into. Name moves- encourage each child to make up a move for their

name, the whole class copies each individual.