1. SENSORY PROCESSING Location: George Jay Elementary School May 20, 2011
Presenter: Tammy Ishikawa (OT)
QACCH School Age Program, VIHA

2. SENSORY PROCESSING BASICS
Countless bits of sensory information enter our brains at every moment – not only from our eyes and ears, but also from every place in our bodies. The brain must organize and integrate all of these sensations and decide which ones to pay attention to or ignore. Only then can an individual move, learn, focus and behave in an optimal manner. - Jean Ayres

3. THE FAR SENSES Touch Smell Seeing Taste Hearing
The Far Senses provide information from the environment and have both a:
Discrimation/exploration function and a protective function
Discrimination: exploring information, fine-motor skills, understands the 3-D world, A-Ha moments!
Protective: identifying threats, Autonomic Nervous System Signs (flushed, increased heart rate, dilated pupils, sweat), Uh Oh!
These systems can be what we call:
Hypersensitive (oh no!), Hyposensitive (ho hum…) and Poor Discrimination (huh?)
Hearing

4. Vestibular (Inner Ear) Proprioceptive (Muscles and Joints)
THE NEAR SENSES
Vestibular (Inner Ear)
Tactile (The Skin)
The near senses:
Vestibular sense: Hypersensitive to movement (insecurity or intolerance) or Hyposensitive (I want more!)
Vestibular provides information about movement, gravity and balance
Proprioceptive provides information about body position through muscles, joints and ligaments
Tactile provides information about touch, primarily through the skin
Proprioceptive (Muscles and Joints)

5. OTHER INTEROCEPTIVE SENSES:
These can hugely affect our ability to self- regulate:
Examples:
Sleepy
Hungry
Stressed
Angry

6. SELF-REGULATION
Is the ability to attain, maintain, and change arousal appropriate to the task or situation
We use different sensory experiences to
keep ourselves regulated throughout the day, it’s like the VOLUME CONTROL of our Central Nervous System
Self regulation assists us with being able to:
Attend to tasks
Use impulse control
Maintain appropriate level of frustration tolerance
Balance emotional reactions

7. SENSORY PROCESSING DIFFICULTIES
When sensory signals are not organized into appropriate responses
3 types of sensory processing difficulties occur:
i. Over – responsivity
ii. Under – responsivity
iii. Sensory Seeking

8. Sensory Over – Responsivity
Shutdown
Perceive sensory input as dangerous –activates arousal and emotional centers in brain – fight or flight
Children respond to sensory messages more intensely, more quickly and/or for a longer time than children with typical sensory responsivity

9. OVER-RESPONSIVITY LOOKS LIKE:
Being bossy, picky
High ability to notice, hypervigilant
Distractibility, hyperactivity, poor attention
“Complainer” - noise, clothing tags, food
Discomfort with close physical proximity
Rigidity, likes routine
Uncooperative, noncompliant
Emotional reactivity
Upset by transitions
Avoids groups
Shutdown

10. SENSORY UNDER-RESPONSIVITY
Children with sensory under-responsivity exhibit less of a response to sensory information than the situation demands
They take longer to react and/or require relatively intense or longer lasting sensory messages before they are moved into action
These children also prefer solitary activities, and are often quiet
Just because they are sitting still doesn’t mean they are listening or learning

11. UNDER RESPONSIVITY LOOKS LIKE:
Uninterested/Bored looking
Tired Looking (e.g. yawning, head in hand, slouching in chair)
Lethargic
Self – Absorbed
Misses social & environmental cues
Once engaged, have good attention to task

12. SENSORY SEEKING Active strategy
Actively seek sensation, often in ways that are disruptive to daily routines and activities
They can become demanding if those needs are not met

13. SENSORY SEEKING LOOKS LIKE:
Fidgety, excitable
“Hyperactive”
Risk-taker
Preference for loud noises (including their own)
Invasive social interactions
(e.g. touching or knocking over other children)
Seems unable to stop talking, or take turns in conversation
Emotionally reactive

14. SUMMARY SENSORY MODULATION CONTINUUM
Under Responsive / Just Right / Over Responsive
(High Threshold) (Low Threshold)
Poor Registration Sensitivity to Stimuli
Sensory Seeking Sensation Avoiding
Fight, Flight or Freeze

15. COMBINED PATTERNS
Children may experience components of any of the three different sensory processing patterns
For example, they may experience tactile sensitivities and seek movement
Patterns of sensory processing are not problematic unless they interfere with function

16. WHY SENSORY STRATEGIES?
To help facilitate attention
To help a child learn to self-regulate their bodies for learning and engaging with their environment
To help a child maintain a state of calm rather than fright, flight or freeze
To help a child slowly be able to tolerate more in their environment
To help manage frustration and balance emotional reactions
To help learn impulse-control

17. TOOLS FOR THE MOUTH Crunchy snacks (carrots, pretzels, popcorn)
Chewy snacks (raisins, bagels, twizzlers)
Chew on coffee swizzle sticks
Chewy Tube/Chewlery
Suck on hard candy
Suck on water bottle with straw
Chew gum
Have frozen popsicles or ice ready to chew

18. TOOLS FOR THE BODY
Movement breaks (handing out papers, delivering notices around the school, returning library books)
Heavy work activities or resistive activities that involve lifting, pulling, pushing, and carrying(wall push-ups, wiping boards, chair push-ups, stacking chairs, etc.)
Alternate seating (sissel seat, therapy ball, t-stool, standing)
Yoga
Theraband Exercises
Weighted blankets and Bear-Hug Vests
Massage or Vibration
Body Sock
Lap Snake
Looking for deep-pressure and vestibular activities

19. TOOLS FOR THE BODY CON’T
Medicine Ball Games
Jump Rope
Trampoline
Hopping on Balls
Scooter Board Games
Spinning Disk
Climbing on the playground
Hopscotch
Running, Galloping, Skipping
Swings
Elastic Tunnels
Ball Pits

20. TOOLS FOR THE HAND
Hand fidgets - squeeze balls, koosh ball, flour- filled balloon, smooth river rock, tangles etc.
Finger/Spider Push-ups
Learning to twist a pencil or a penny in hand
Putting nuts/bolts together and pulling apart
Touching things of different consistencies (e.g. sand bucket, water, rice, scratchy, smooth, etc.)

21. TOOLS OF THE EYES Use bright lights for alerting
Use natural or dim lights for calming
Looking at a fish tank or lava lamp
Think about simplifying the environment
(e.g. decrease amount of clutter for improved attention)
Use a reading tent or carrel to focus
Use a visual schedule or a visual timer

22. TOOLS OF THE EARS Balance quiet and “noisy” work times
Headphones (with or without music) to block out extraneous noise
Music for alerting or calming, such as therapeutic listening CD’s or drumming music
Separate space for those who need quiet or to talk to themselves

23. Important to Combine With Top-Down Strategies
Self-talk to stay on task
Remind self of consequences
Check lists and rewards
Positive self-talk
1, 2, 3, … count
Visualization
Review step-by-step instructions or calm-down strategies (e.g. with a 5 point scale)