Transcript TM: A Leader`s Guide to The Alert Program for Self

Getting Ready To Learn
Meeting the sensory needs of
students to support school
performance.
Laura Kellough
[email protected]
http://kelloughkindergartn.wikispaces.com
Activity:
• Touch
• Hear
• Put something in your mouth
• Listen
• Look
What Are Sensory Needs?
• We all have sensory needs that need to be met
in order to function properly in everyday life.
• As adults we have found ways to not fall
asleep during a long meeting or get agitated
when listening to loud/uncomfortable sounds
music.
• Kindergarten students are unable to identify
their needs and understand how to meet
them.
• From the time a human fetus kicks in the
womb it is reacting to its environment and will
continue to do so for the rest of its life.
• As parents we learned to “read” the cues
babies gave us and met their needs
– Eg: swaddled or not swaddled, fed, dry etc
Movement is critical to normal developmentphysically, emotionally, socially and cognitively.
“Play is the Work of Children”
• Children can attend to a task for approx. one
minute/year of age before needing to move
• Children need far more input than adults in
terms of frequency, duration and intensity –
they have underdeveloped executive
functioning of their brains (until 18) which
means they won’t choose appropriate ways to
meet their needs without interfering with
others.
• High
Just Right
Low
_______________________________________
• High: over excited, wild, hyper, fidgety
• Just Right: when it is easy to learn, play and
get along with others
• Low: sluggish, spacey, glassy eyed, low tone
Sensory Motor List
• 1. Putting something in your mouth
eg. chew gum or suck on hard candies
chewing on pens/pencils, stir sticks
bite your lips
• 2. Move
eg. shift in your seat,rock, tap pens and
pencils,
stretch/shake different body parts
cross legs
• Sensory Needs con't
• 3. Touch
eg. twist hair fidget with items such as phone
cords and necklaces, put fingers and hands on
face or pet a dog/cat
• 4. Look
eg. watch a fish tank or open shades after a
boring movie
how you react to cluttered areas, fluorescent
Lighting
Sensory Needs con't.
• 5. Listen
eg. working in a noisy or quiet room
sing or talk to oneself
how you react to noises such as a scratch on a
chalkboard or alarms
Movement Breaks and Heavy Muscle Work
• Periods of concentration followed by periods
of movement
• eg. songs, games, yoga, stretches
• heavy work gives students the most
grounding input
• eg. seat exercises, standing on 1 foot, holding
up walls, wall sits, carrying something heavy
• Sensory input is received in the brain stem (subconscious area of the brain, which is responsible for
respiration and heart rate)
• The brain stem communicates with the cortex in
order to make sense of novel input, but over time,
the brain recognizes innocuous input and the cortex
is less involved. The brain stem essentially inhibits
the cortex from responding unnecessarily. This is
called bottom up inhibition.
– Ex. Getting sufficient sensory input through pacing, a
wiggle cushion, ball chair…this frees the cortex tro listen to
the teacher.
Top Down Inhibition – a student consciously telling
themselves to sit and listen, look at the teacher…can’t
focus
• New tools and activities will capture the
cognitive attention of your students.
• Not all movement is equal! Random,
unstructured, unfocused movement can be
disorganizing. Structured movement with a
focus can be calming and organizing.
Heavy Muscle Work is a great equalizer –
energizes low engines and calms revving
engines
• What to put in sensory kit
Hand Tools
• balls (spongy, squishy, prickly, sticky, hard)
• rubber chicken and bendable plush toy
• pipe cleaners( regular and chenille)
• hair elastic rings
• flat latex bracelets
• Kit con't
• sunglasses
• visor
• fibre optic lamp
• oil and water wand, glitter wand
Mouth Tools
• straws
• coffee stir sticks
• bubbles
• gum (hot and mild flavours)
• suckers (sugar free) Kit con't
• Music ( classical such as Mozart Effect for
Children)
• Move 'n sit cushions
• ball chairs
• ear protectors
• tent and tunnel
• weighted ball
Rules for Use and Implementation
• Tools NOT Toys. If they become toys they are
put away immediately!
• No touching other people
• Mouth tools go into the garbage and wash
hands immediately.
• First Week: start with movement breaks
– Do a lesson on “just right” vocabulary
– Make a gauge
Second Week:
- put out tools to explore. Watch for
preferences and make notes
- put out tools for students to use.
- Will take about a month for the novelty to
end and only the students who need them will
use them.
Links:
• www.alertprogram.com/
• www.timetimer.com
• www.yogakids.com
• www.responsiveclassroom.org/bookstore/
rp_energizers.vid.html
• www.manitobainmotion.ca/schools
• www.ncpe4me.com/pdf_files/K-5• Energizers.pdf
• www.amazon.com
Where to Buy Items
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Websites (see previous page)
Dollar stores
Auto parts store ( headsets)
Fitness stores or Wal-Mart
School specialty stores
Acknowledgements
• Shellenberger, S.,Williams,M.(1994). How Does
Your Engine Run? TM: A Leader's Guide to The Alert
Program for Self- Regulation. NM:TherapyWorks Inc.