Education
Below you will see groups of behaviors that describe specific patterns of sensory processing. As you read through these lists, make note of any that stick out to you or seem to be descriptive of your child. Click on any group for more information about that particular pattern of sensory processing. Children can display different patterns at different times, so make sure to click on all that apply.
My child appears...
- overstimulated by fluorescent lights in the classroom or visually distracted
- to have difficulty in loud, noisy, busy classrooms; to be overwhelmed or distracted by other students' pencils scratching on paper as they write, pages flipping, keys clicking, gum smacking, loud sighs, buzzing lights, chalk on the chalkboard, etc.
- to become agitated when others brush up against him or her; to be distracted by tags in shirts or seams in socks; averse to touching or using glue, chalk, finger paints, or other messy or sticky objects
- averse to specific people or environments with specific scents; may be distracted by smells or "shut down"
- to struggle to participate fully in class and body movements are rigid and awkward
- sensitive to movement; to become dizzy, nauseated, or experience a headache from turning head side to side to see peers, the teacher, or the blackboard.
My child appears...
- slow to process visual information, may have trouble keeping up in reading, math, art, etc.
- slow to process auditory information, inattentive, or non-compliant; to determine appropriate volume, pitch, or vocal quality for the classroom
- unresponsive or slow to respond to tactile cues or to require support from other senses
- may struggle to participate fully in class; to sometimes fall out of the chair or struggle to maintain postural alignment
- to have difficulty determining appropriate speed for classrooms and hallways
My child appears...
- to fixate on objects or to look all around without attending to one object or task
- to vocalize or tap pencil or otherwise make noise which may be distracting in the classroom
- to run fingers over fabrics, touch others and others' things compulsively; to play with objects in the mouth; to scratch velcro on shoes or bump into others in line
- to seek out scents from chalk, markers, glue, etc. causing disruption in the classroom
- to mouth or lick classroom objects or people
- to stomp through hallways, shove through lines, apply too much pressure to writing utensils, frequently break chalk, pencils, etc.
- to struggle to sit still; to move about class, shake head back and forth, or sit upside down in the chair
My child appears...
- to mix up letters when reading, have difficulty maintaining spacing or sequencing when copying from the board or to struggle to distinguish between visual foreground and background
- to not hear the difference in similar words, for instance "take" and "tape" or "see" and "say" or "tike" or "kite"
- to apply too much pressure to pencil while writing or struggle to choose clothing appropriate for the weather
- to mix up smells (i.e. the teacher's perfrume or food cooking in the cafeteria may smell bad while the garbage or a fire may smell good or enticing)
- may be unable to distinguish between good/bad tastes, helpful/harmful tastes
- to struggle to understand where the body is in space and how the body parts relate to each other; to struggle with gross or fine motor control, handwriting, or manipulation of objects
- to struggle with opposite concepts
My child appears...
- lazy or lethargic
- to struggle to maintain position sitting at a desk or slow to perform physical education tasks
- to be easily fatigued by everyday tasks
- to consistently report feeling tired after school or to need a nap more often than same aged children
My child appears...
- unaware of how to plan school based tasks
- uncertain of how to correctly sequence steps (i.e. look at a math problem on the board but invert the numbers when copying to his or her paper; may attempt to use markers or pens without first removing the caps)
- to struggle to complete steps in order even if he or she demonstrates understanding of the correct order
- to have difficulty copying examples from the board (far point) or a book (near point) with accurate sequencing, spacing, and letter or number formation; to struggle with reading or math; to have difficulty in art or physical education due to the need to smoothly execute movements; to lose items in the desk due to inability to plan a systematic search