#37 - Sensory Strategies to Support Your Child This School Year

Hello hello, and welcome back to episode #37 of the Food Explorers Podcast. Happy August my friend, and happy back-to-school season. Here in Palm Beach County we are in full back-to-school mode, with school already starting this past week. 

But I know in Broward County, Dade County, and in other states, you are all still in those last precious moments of Summer break. And honestly, this is the perfect time to start getting everything in order, and prepared for the school year. 

Every school year is a brand new, fresh start. And we want to give kids every opportunity to succeed in their new environment.

And that is why I really wanted to do this back-to-school series. I wanted to help you take a look at back-to-school through my OT lens and help you and your child be as successful as possible this year.

As a reminder, this is our second episode of the back-to-school series. If you haven’t listened to the first one, I recommend you pause this and start there. It is episode #36: School success starts here: 5 areas to consider for back-to-school.

School is a massive part of life for children. As an occupational therapist, we often talk about occupations - the activities that make up our day and are important to us. Learning and school is a MAJOR occupation for children. They spend the majority of their week there. But when a child has sensory processing challenges, or unique needs, school can be a huge cause of stress for them. 

It’s not uncommon that children with sensory processing challenges dread going to school because they’re often struggling and getting in trouble. In fact, when I was working in the outpatient setting, school challenges were a main source of referrals. 

You're probably wondering why the referrals were to the outpatient setting, and not for occupational therapy in schools. Unfortunately, in my opinion, occupational therapy services in the school system just aren’t where they need to be - it’s VERY hard to get approved, and usually sensory processing challenges does not qualify a child for services - even though it’s impacting their participation in the classroom. So, it’s often left to the parents and outpatient therapists to figure out what’s going on.

But, we’re not the ones who are in-school with them day-to-day to see what is happening. So this is where it becomes really important to have a good relationship with your teacher, so you can figure out exactly what is going on, and what kind of support your child needs. And that’s why we’re starting this now at the beginning of the year, so we can get it set up from the beginning.

Now in my ideal world, sensory profiles would be completed on every child with sensory processing difficulties (and honestly I personally believe all kids would benefit from knowing how their sensory systems function), and learning would be adjusted to support their unique needs.

But again, we’re not there yet. What we CAN do, is as parents, to do our own sensory review of our children (and of course I recommend working with an OT so they can help you with this). But when we identify a child’s sensory quirks, and needs, we can choose the right supports to help them during the school day. 

Later in this episode I’ll get to the strategies. But first, let’s talk about why school can be challenging. If you know me well, if you’ve been here a while, you know that I don’t believe in just giving strategies. I believe that strategies are only successful when you have the knowledge in place to understand how they work, and why.

Ok, so why is the classroom so challenging?

1. Well, the first BIG reason is because it’s kind of a one-size-fits all approach in a classroom. The schedules, activities, and tasks are chosen for the entire class. And every child is expected to participate and follow along. But every child and every single body is unique. And the task that is expected of them might not be what your child’s body needs at that moment. Now, this may not be the case for your child. Your child may be in a classroom where the approach can be altered for each child. But overall, most classrooms address the entire class.
   
   
2. Second, often, children are usually expected to sit and focus on learning for multiple hours a day, in the same spot. This is not something that the sensory system typically enjoys. Think about the last time you sat in a chair and had to actively listen to someone lecturing to you for hours on end. If you’re anything like me, it was a challenge. Our body needs sensory stimulation and movement throughout the day to feel it’s best, and that’s not the typical set-up of the classroom. However, there are some incredible teachers out there who have been making changes to better support this. And they’re my heroes.
   
   And to make this even more challenging, in recent years the amount of recess and physical activity that children get throughout the week has DRASTICALLY decreased. Which makes it almost impossible for their sensory systems to get truly organized, and it impacts participation in classes.
   
   
3. And last (but honestly there’s a bunch more I could talk about for hours), it’s challenging. The entire point of school is to learn new things. Which is challenging. But for children with sensory difficulties, these challenges may feel too much for their sensory system, causing them to shut down. 

As we shift into the next section of this episode, we’re going to be talking about the different types of sensory profiles and how they might present in the classroom. Unfortunately, children with sensory challenges are often labeled as misbehaving, or defiant in the classroom. But this is something that makes me genuinely upset. 

They don’t WANT to be difficult, they’re having a difficult time in school. On the other hand, I also don’t want to bad mouth teachers here. And I know it can be really challenging to support a child with unique needs in the classroom.

Again, schools are not set up as well as we need them to be to support children with unique needs (I really hope they are headed in a more positive direction). But remember, the majority of teachers don’t ever receive the education on sensory processing or unique needs, so they don’t know how to truly support them. And that’s where we can be a really big help. Teachers have an entire classroom that needs to function together, and I know they are doing their personal best to support each child. In fact, you’ll be excited to hear that there are many teachers who follow me on social media and even listen to these podcasts in an effort to help the children in their classrooms. Again, if you have an OT, or even a speech therapist, or physical therapist, etc. - leverage them to connect with your teacher, use them to help your child be set up for success in the classroom. And if not, you may want to consider an OT evaluation.

Ok, so let’s talk about those different sensory profiles.

For those of you who may be newer to me, not all sensory processing challenges are one-in-the same. There are different types. And we use sensory profiles to help describe these. If you have not already taken my Understanding Sensory Processing Difficulties training, I HIGHLY recommend that you do. Knowing and understanding your child’s sensory profile is a game changer for supporting and connecting with them. It’s available right now if you’re a member of the Food Explorers Membership, and if not - keep your eyes open because there is going to be an opportunity for you to purchase that training separately soon.

So one type of sensory processing challenges is sensory modulation - how much attention we pay to sensory information, like what we see, hear, or smell. There are 3 main types - sensory avoiders (who pay too much attention and get overwhelmed), sensory disregarders (who don’t pay attention enough), and sensory seekers (those who actively look for it, but never seem to get enough).

Let’s talk about how each of these profiles may present challenges in the school setting:

1. Sensory seekers: this is the child we often hear about just being SO difficult in class (again, I don’t personally believe this is the case - but this is the complaint I commonly hear). Sensory seekers may have challenges with:

• sitting still
• Calling out without being called on
• Making loud noises
• Rocking in their chair
• Bouncing in their chair
• Kicking the desk or chair
• Bothering the other children around them 
• Not keeping hands to themselves
• Making a mess of the classroom
• Not following directions
• Seeming out of control and dangerous

2. On the total opposite side of the spectrum, our sensory avoiders may:

• Avoid doing activities that get their hands dirty, like using glue or glitter
• Avoid the playground
• Become agitated or upset with music or sounds in the classroom
• Push or hit other children when they’re too close in their space
• Get upset when a teacher offers hand-over-hand help, or tries to use their hands to guide the child
• Really struggle in the cafeteria, especially with eating school lunches
• Refuse to listen to the teacher, because the activity is too over-stimulating for them

3. And last we have our sensory disregarders who may:

• Totally zone out during learning
• Appear to ignore the teacher
• Make huge messes, without realizing
• Struggle to sit up in their chair, and may be constantly moving
• Struggle to hold their writing utensils
• Appear to just not want to participate, but it’s really a struggle
• Avoid playground and PE activities because it’s hard to coordinate their body

Ok, Ok I know you’re here for the strategies so let’s get to those. As always, strategies are not one-size-fits all. It’s important to consider why a child is struggling in the classroom, and then choose a strategy we think will fill that need.

But overall, here are some of my personal favorite classroom strategies: 

1. Ok - this one is a personal pain point for me. But I am adamant, when I write a letter to the school that PE and recess not be taken away from a child as a punishment. I see this happen SO often, especially for children with sensory needs, and in fact this is making the entire situation harder on the child. Kids need this time to organize their body and get the input it needs - especially kids with sensory processing challenges. Taking it away as a punishment, further disorganizes their body and can lead to more meltdowns, harder time staying seated, and less focus. So strategy #1 - make PE and recess a priority.
   
   
2. Movement breaks - along this same thought process, kids often need movement throughout the day to keep their body and brain awake and focused. Ideally, I like to suggest that an entire class participate in movement breaks like yoga, simon says, or dance parties. But if a teacher isn’t able to accommodate that, I like to focus on how we can make it work for one child without making them feel like they are being singled out. Maybe it’s allowing them to have more bathroom breaks so they can walk around, or participate in classroom tasks like handing out papers, or purposefully positioning items around the room to encourage getting up and walking.
   
   
3. Sensorimotor learning - again this is one I love for the entire classroom, but kids learn so well when we incorporate movement and the senses. Is there ways that we can offer opportunities for your child while incorporating the senses - like writing their name in rice, or tracing the letters in the sky?
   
   
4. Fidgets - fidgets can be a bit controversial. While they can be a game changer for some children, other children may get a bit disorganized and disruptive while using them. Again, no sensory strategy is a one size fits all approach. For example, I’m less likely to use a stress ball with a sensory seeker who might find the input of throwing it really exciting to the body. Instead, I may want to use something that is taped to the table, or on their notebook. Some of the fidgets I love are: bands that go around the base of the chair, pop-its (pop-its are my personal fidget of choice), stress balls, fidget cubes, spinners, and velcro on the table.
   
   
5. Disc seats - disc seats are another controversial one. Some children really benefit from this, while other children may use it to a point that disrupts the class. A disc seat in an inflatable cushion that goes on top of the chair, that a child sits on. It can be super helpful for a child who needs more vestibular input and likes to wiggle, or for a child who needs some extra help sitting up in their chair, as it’s not quite as stable as a standard chair. However, it can also be a little too challenging for some children, and they may not be able to keep their balance, or may feel pain after sitting on it for a while, so make sure to test it out and evaluate it before sending this to school with your child. If you’re seeing an OT, they most likely have one in their clinic they can test out with you.
   
   
6. Standing to do tasks - some children may need a change of position from time to time and benefit from standing to do work instead of sitting.
   
   
7. Visual schedules - many children do better when they know what to expect throughout the day, especially if something has changed from the normal routine. Having a visual schedule available for either your child or the entire class, can help ease difficulty with transitions, and anxiety about what to expect for the day.
   
   
8. Change of seating in classroom - different children do better in different places in the classroom. For example, a child who has a hard time concentrating due to a lot of visual stimuli, might do better sitting directly in front of the board instead of next to the window, or a bunch of bright posters. They may also do better in the front of the class where they’re not staring at all of their peers. On the other hand, some children may benefit from being near a window. It’s worth chatting with your teacher about where the best place for your child to sit in class is.
   
   
9. Headphones - although we don’t often see children wearing headphones in the classroom, they can be a helpful strategy for children who are easily overstimulated by noise.
   
   
10. Evaluate their chair - when children wiggle, it’s not always because they're over-excited and over-stimulated. Sometimes, their chair is not supportive enough. For example, their feet might not reach the floor, and it causes them to slump, their pelvis tilt backward, and they feel uncomfortable. So they may try and sit on their feet, or move around a lot. The ideal position for most children is sitting straight up in a chair at 90 degrees, with 90 degree angle at the knees, and their feet flat on a surface. I say most children, because this may not be the ideal angle for someone with musculoskeletal changes, like someone with spastic cerebral palsy - they may not be able to achieve that position, or it might cause them too much pain. In those cases, make sure to work with a therapist to determine the right position for your child.

Alrightly, we’re getting a bit on the longer side here, so I’m going to start wrapping it up. But I am going to try and work on a downloadable guide with sensory strategies for the school system, divided into different categories like seating, fidgets, mealtime,and handwriting, so you can get a more in-depth look at sensory strategies that can support children throughout the school year. 

To get first access to that, make sure you’re signed up for my email list, the Fearless Foodie Newsletter. I’m going to put the link to it in my show notes for you, or head over to @DrSamGoldman on Instagram and message me “fearless foodie” to join! 

Thank you so much for joining me for another episode of the Food Explorers Podcast, and I hope you join me back here next week where we’re talking all about packing school lunch.

I’ll see you then.

References:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0891422214005484?via%3Dihub

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-015-2693-1 

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