Checklists and Tools
Sensory Processing:
"We need to understand a child's sensory systems in order to determine whether differences in sensory processing are contributing to emotional and behavioral challenges. This understanding is also important because it allows us to personalize bottom-up techniques to help children calm onto the green pathway, where learning, discovery, and growth happens" (Delahooke, 2019). Children operate from the bottom up when they are on the red or blue pathways. Sensory strategies allow us to support students on these pathways so they can get back to the green pathways and access their prefrontal cortex (green pathway) where learning and access to language and executive functions take place. There are eight sensory systems in the body: hearing, seeing, smell, taste, touch, vestibular, proprioceptive, and interoceptive. The first five you most likely are familiar with. The last three are less familiar:
Vestibular: movement in space; provides information about the position and acceleration of the head and body
Proprioceptive: sensations in muscles and joints; processes sensation in the muscles and jointsÂ
Interoceptive: internal sensations; provides information about how body organs feel and sensation emanating from inside the body
"Over- or under-reactivity through one or more of the sensory channels can contribute to children's emotional and physiological regulation and sense of safety, creating a way to red-or-blue-pathway behaviors" (Delahooke, 2019) . Similarly, exposure to sensory experiences which a child is aversive to can trigger distress for the child, and this can make our children very vulnerable to experiencing chronic stress in their nervous systems. Also important to note: "sensory preferences are dynamic and constantly shifting," and just because something works one day or is identified as calming to the child one day does not mean it will always feel calming to them every day (Delahooke, 2019). The following checklists can be used as a starting point to find current preferences, which have been adapted from Mona Delahooke's Beyond Behaviors, which can give valuable information about how to adapt the environment and for tools/strategies which may be found calming for a child's nervous system; offering or asking a child beforehand can be useful, and always read a child's body language if a sensory experience is offered and respect their body's physical cues (moving away, increases dysregulation, etc.).
Source: Delahooke, M. (2019). Beyond behaviors: Using brain science and compassion to understand and solve children's behavioral challenges. PESI Publishing & Media.
COMING UP/To Do:
Sensory preferences lists (Student version)
Adapted Student preference lists with visual supports to choose from, and sensory exploration lessons/ideas for those with complex needs to choose preferences!
