THE SENSORY MADE SIMPLE PODCAST

Transcript

Hello, hello, and welcome back to episode number 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 still in those last precious months 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 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's episode number 36, school success starts here, five 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 to 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.

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 with them in the day to day at school to see what's 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 happening 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 very 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 system functions.

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 child.

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.

Okay, so why is the classroom challenging?

Well, the first big reason is because it's kind of one size fits all for 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.

Second, often children are 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 its best.

And that's not the typical setup of a 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 truly get organized, and it impacts participation in classes.

And last, but honestly there are 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 like 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.

On the other hand, I also don't want to badmouth teachers here.

And I know that 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.

Okay, 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 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 three main types.

Sensory avoiders, who pay too much attention and get overwhelmed.

Sensory Disregarders, who don't pay enough attention.

And sensory seekers, those who are actively looking for it, but never seem to get enough.

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

Sensory seekers.

This is a child we often hear about, 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 their hands to themselves, making a mess of the classroom, not following directions, and seeming out of control or dangerous.

On the 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 sound 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 lunches, and refuse to listen to the teacher because the activity is too overstimulating for them.

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, and avoid playground and PE activities because it's hard to coordinate their body.

Okay, 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 fit that need.

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

Number one.

Alright, this 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 number one, make PE and recess a priority.

Number two, movement breaks.

Along the 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 entire classes 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.

Number three, sensory motor 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 to incorporate the senses while learning, like writing their name in rice or tracing letters in the sky?

Number four, 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's taped to the table or their notebook.

Some of the fidgets I love are bands that go around the base of the chair.

Poppets.

Poppets are my personal fidget of choice.

Stress balls, fidget cubes, spinners, and Velcro on the table.

Number five, 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 is 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 they 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 that you can test out.

Number six, 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.

Number seven, 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.

Number eight, change seating in the 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 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 classes.

Number nine, headphones.

Although we often don't see children wearing headphones in the classroom, they can be a helpful strategy for children who are easily overstimulated by noise.

And number ten, evaluate their chair.

When children wiggle, it's not always because they're overexcited or overstimulated.

Sometimes their chair is not supportive enough.

For example, their feet might not reach the floor, and it may cause them to slump, their pelvis to tilt backwards, 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 up straight in a chair at 90 degrees, with 90 degree angles at their knees, and 90 degree angle at their feet, with their feet at a flat 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 may cause them too much pain.

In those cases, make sure to work with a therapist to determine the right position for your child.

Alrighty, we're getting a bit on the longer side, 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, meal time, and handwriting, so you can get a more in-depth look at sensory strategies that can support your child throughout the entire 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 for that in my show notes for you, or head over to at Dr.

Sam Goldman 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 lunches.

I'll see you then.