Sensory Saturday--Sensory Folders

Wow it has been a while since I have had a Sensory Saturday! But my classroom has been a sensory hot mess lately so I wanted to share the great strategy that I have began to use in the classroom that is both quick and easy--Sensory Folders.

 My sensory folders take into account two basic sensory needs: Alerting and Calming. To learn more about these sensory needs check out my handout on Sensory Supports for the Classroom. Unfortunately I cannot take full credit for this idea because my wonderful teaching partner also uses something very similar based on one of her student's needs.

I created sensory folders for two students in particular who have completely opposite sensory needs. The first student is typically a lump on a log! He is very low-tone and not really engaged in our activities most of the time. For him I made the yellow "alerting" folder.

In the folder, I provided a variety of alerting choice options such as spinning in the teachers chair, tactile brushing, or frog jumps.

The second student is a live wire! She is in constant motion all day--bouncing, rocking, flapping. Just watching her wears me out so trying to teach when she is so wound up is totally exhausting! She got the blue "calming" folder.

In the folder, I provided calming choice options such as joint compressions, body sock, or weigthed ball toe touches.

You may notice that the same items can be used on both charts. This depends on the way you use them. For instance, I use a therapy ball to alert a child by having them sit on it and bouncing them while it is used to calm them by having them lie on the floor while I roll it over them providing deep pressure input. A hand massage with peppermint lotion is alerting while vanilla is calming. And while a student is lying prone on a scooterboard and using their arms to move forward provides calming, heavy work input having them lie prone and hold a jump rope while you "whip" them around in circles or in a erratic zig-zag motion is very alerting (but tiring for the teacher!!!).

Hope these folders gave my readers some good ideas about practical sensory supports. Head over to my TPT Store to pick up a copy of your own! 

Sensory Saturday--Seating

Download my FREE Calming and Alerting Sensory Cheatsheet!

I look forward to connecting with you and sharing SpEd Spot tips and FREEBIES!

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There are tons of seating options available that also provide sensory input. 

Therapy Balls

Therapy balls are great for kids who need an alternative seating option. Students need to be alert in order to balance their weight on the ball. I also use the therapy ball to provide proprioceptive input (deep pressure by rolling it firmly over a student who is laying on the carpet). A therapy ball can also be used for students who need vestibular input  (rocking back and forth or bouncing). 

"Wiggle" Cushions

I typically use these with my "wiggly" kiddos. Wiggle seats can give some of the same input as the therapy ball but are easier to implement in the classroom (especially in the general ed room) because they are smaller and don't stand out as much. There are a lot of varieties and textures. Last year I had a student who needed something to do with his hands when he was trying to focus but was easily distracted when given a fidget and didn't like using a fidget in general ed. Sitting on the wiggle seat he could rub the texture and it was more discrete and less distracting.

 Howda Hug

I have a student who is unable to sit "criss-cross" on the carpet because he doesn't have the needed core strength. Additionally, he struggled with boundaries and would often be turned completely around by the end of activity. At first he used a preschool cube chair but I wanted something to help him sit on the carpet like the rest of the kids. The howda hug has been perfect for this. It provides a backrest for core support as well as a boundary.

T-Stool

Like a therapy ball, a T-stool requires focus to balance. I have used the T-stool for those students who have not had success with a wiggle seat or therapy ball. A lot of students get frustrated at first with the T-stool because they are hard to sit on but when used correctly (intermittently with breaks) they work well for helping kids focus.

Rocking Chair

A rocking chair can be a way to provide calming, vestibular input and give students a break. 

Bean Bag Chair

A bean bag chair is a great place for a student to take a break and listen to music or read a book. The “hug” of the chair around students can provide some deep pressure input and for students who struggle with sitting due to weak core strength it gives their body a break too.

Sensory Saturday--Deep Pressure

Download my FREE Calming and Alerting Sensory Cheatsheet!

I look forward to connecting with you and sharing SpEd Spot tips and FREEBIES!

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Proprioceptive (also called deep pressure or heavy work) input is the type that I use most often because it is sort of the "default" that you should use when you aren't quite sure what the student needs. This is because deep pressure has a calming effect. For more information about deep pressure you can read about it here. 

Weighted Vest

Some students need deep pressure during activities. Typically these kids are the ones you see bouncing off your classroom walls or who seem overly anxious. A weighted vest provides a calming effect. 

Steamroller

This is another way to provide proprioceptive (deep pressure) input. We have our steamroller in a sensory room at school and kids who need a break will go to the room and roll through the steamroller several times. 

Weighted Lap Pads

Some students don't like the constricting feeling of the weighted vest but they still need the weighted pressure so I give them a weighted lap pad. This is also the more discrete option for general ed classrooms.

Pressure or Benik Vest

A pressure vest provides deep pressure to a students torso. The vest pictured is a Benik vest which is typically sized specifically to one student. I am sure there is a method to when to use a weighted vest and when to use a pressure vest but I don't know what it is. I typically try both and see which one the student prefers. 

 Body Sock

At first I thought Body Socks were bizarro! But they worked so I quickly started to love them. They are great for those kids who have trouble with boundaries and knowing where they body is in space because it makes a physical boundary around them.

Therabands

Therabands are also great for working on strength and resistance. Another great way to use them is by tying them to a child's chair leg for those kids who seem to constantly be kicking you under the table. The band allows them to kick but protects your shins by providing a boundary.

Sensory Saturday--Auditory and Visual Sensitivity

Download my FREE Calming and Alerting Sensory Cheatsheet!

I look forward to connecting with you and sharing SpEd Spot tips and FREEBIES!

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 Gym Mat

A gym mat is a very versatile sensory tool. It can be use for practicing yoga or s'cool moves, made into an awesome tunnel, or used to block off an area that is too distracting or a child who is too distractable. 

Music

I have only started using music frequently in my classroom over the past couple years. Last year I used it for a student who would continually chatter during group work. We felt he was doing this because he was trying to cancel out some of the other classroom noises and it was like he was creating his own "white noise". Although this chattering may have been calming to him it was awful for the rest of us to endure! Playing  steady, calming music through headphones on low enough volume that it gave input but he could still hear me teach did the trick. I also use this calming music for kids whose engines are too revved up or for a calming break between activities.

Light Covers

A lot of my students are sensitive to the awful fluorescent lights that every school seems to have. In my little classroom I am able to switch off one of the light switches and my room is still lit fine throughout. However, in some of the bigger rooms switching off lights means a whole section of the room is dark. These blue light covers are perfect for this. Another option if you can get maintenance to do it is taking out some of the bulbs from each of your lights. I have one student who is still sensitive and he is allowed to wear a baseball cap all day.

Noise-Cancelling/Reducing Headphones

School can be a noisy place! Especially during assemblies or for my students with autism who are super sensitive to noise. Over the years I have had students who were "screamers" and I wish I would have had a set of noise-cancelling headphones for the whole class (including me!). 

 

 Tent

It is common for kids with sensory issues to need a safe place to "escape" from the stressful school environment. Scheduling time for a student to have a tent break is a great way to provide a place for this escape. The tent can block out all of the visual stimulation of the classroom. I have had several students who were not quite ready for the classroom due to their sensory defensiveness. Typically these kiddos were kindergarteners with autism who had had limited experiences outside of their own homes. For these students, I allowed them use a tent within my classroom. At first, they would spend a lot of the day within the tent coping with the new environment. The tent was a safe place for them in the stressful new environment. Gradually we worked on getting them more accustomed to us (either by sharing the tent with them for play activities) or by setting up opportunities that were fun and not threatening outside of the tent. This eventually led to less and less time in the tent and eventually full inclusion within our classroom.