Creating Sensory smart classrooms, incorporating fine motor goals, when to contact an OT, the importance of movement, Integrating Special needs children in the classroom

2. "OT and Teachers: The Sensory
Approach to maximizing students’
potential”
1. Role of Occupational Therapists in the school setting.
2. Creating Sensory Smart Classrooms
3. How to recognize children that would benefit from OT
4. Helping Children that can’t sit still
5. Favorite products that can be used in a classroom
setting
6. Integrating Special Needs children in the classroom
7. Resources

3. Role of Occupational Therapists in
the school setting
1. Help children meet goals of curriculum
2. Help children become more independent in
school related tasks
3. Help children participate in specials, sports etc..
4. Work on fine motor skills and functional
independence skills
5. Implement recommendations from other
therapists and professional involved with this
child

4. How do OTs meet these goals
• Affecting the ENVIRONMENT: General
classroom recommendations, curriculum
recommendations (consulting)
• Affecting the INDIVIDUAL: Individually by
addressing one-on-one a child’s challenges
(direct OT services)

5. Creating Sensory Smart
Classrooms
(Environmental Modifications)
• Goal is to create an environment that takes
into consideration the sensory needs of all
children. Try to find ideas that will benefit all
children.
• Sensory children have difficulty organizing
their bodies from the inside out. Our goal is to
try as much as possible to create a classroom
that helps them find balance from the outside
in.

6. Sensory Smart Classrooms
Classroom Organization:
1. Set up your classroom in stations and make sure you have a quiet area where kids can calm and regroup if needed
when class get too loud.
2. Make sure the quiet area has lots of book, heavy blankets, pillows. Bean bags, earphones.
3. Provide fidget toys such as tactile balls, “stress” balls.
4. Use visual schedules at the beginning of class that “maps” out the children’s day. This helps kids transition more easily
from one activity to the next and can keep them more organized.
Classroom Activities:
1. Use songs to help children transition such as “Clean up…clean up…” or flick lights
2. Make sure your schedule allows for movement breaks as well as table-top activities. Brain Breaks are great.
3. During circle time. Keep the children that have a harder time keeping still next to you or make sure you give them
something to hold like a puppet. Or give them a fidget toy to hold on to or even a weighted lap pad.
4. Try to plan activities that incorporate as many sensory components as possible. Ex: finger paint on textured surfaces.
5. You can begin all table-top activities with a little “chair exercise” program that allows all the children to get their state
of arousal at the same level. Ex: prior to commencing a handwriting task. Sing a song with the children that wakes up
the arms, legs, stretches etc…
6. Consider having a “treasure box” with a variety of sensory toys. You can send a child to pick a sensory toy that helps
them calm and become centered/organized. Ex: Put stress balls, fidget toys, body brush, lotion, etc…
7. Make a “bean bag snake” using a sock and dried beans. The over-aroused child can put it on his shoulders or lap to
help calm during circle time or at table-top.
8. Outdoor activities are an all around wonderful sensory experience.

7. Sensory Smart Classrooms
Sensory/Arousal:
1. For children who need to calm, use deep pressure such as pressure with your
hands to his/her shoulders
2. Another great way to calm is to give a child heavy resistive work to do ex: carry
heave books to the table, push/pull heavy cart.
3. For children who need increased arousal, have them do a few jumping jacks, wall
push ups etc… or use light touch from your finger tips or a feather to awaken their
senses.
4. For children who touch other peers during circle time, consider sitting them against
a wall or bookshelf for extra grounding and trunk support, give them a fidget toy to
hold
5. Touching others can be an indication that the child needs tactile input to his hands.
You can brush the child’s hands, have him play with playdoh/other resistive
mediums, play hand clapping games, crawling or wheelbarrow walking,
6. For a child who has difficulty transitioning from one activity to the next, allow
him/her to hold on to an object that they like (aka. A transitioning object) This
helps them “keep it together” during the transition. You can also assign a task to
the child such as “helper” (ex: he holds the cards you will be using and brings them
to circle time)

8. 4-Favorite products that can be
used in a classroom setting
• Weighted Items:

9. Favorite products that can be used
in a classroom setting
• Wedges and discs:

10. Favorite products that can be used
in a classroom setting
• Fidget toys:

11. Favorite products that can be used
in a classroom setting
• Visual Schedules:

12. Favorite products that can be used
in a classroom setting
• Brain Breaks:

13. How do OTs meet these goals
• Affecting the ENVIRONMENT: General
classroom recommendations, curriculum
recommendations (consulting)
• Affecting the INDIVIDUAL: Individually by
addressing one-on-one a child’s challenges
(direct OT services)

14. How to recognize children that would
benefit from OT
I. SELF HELP SKILLS: The student's ability to manage personal
needs within the educational environment.
II. POSTURE/FUNCTIONAL MOBILITY: The student's ability to
perform basic developmental motor skills, posture, and
balance needed to function in and move throughout the
educational environment.
III. FINE MOTOR/PERCEPTUAL SKILLS: The student's ability to
manipulate and manage materials within the educational
environment.
IV. SENSORY PROCESSING: The student's ability to process
relevant sensory information and screen out irrelevant
sensory information for effective participation within the
educational environment.

15. 3-Helping Children that can’t sit still
• Children with sensory processing disorders have a
tendency toward two major problems regarding
sitting:
1- Lack of focus
2- Inability to sit or stand for a long period of time.
Their brain tends to "under register" movement,
and without that ability, they can't focus. Their
brains are telling their bodies to get up and move
to help them listen and attend BETTER!

16. Successful strategies
• Provide as much support as possible while sitting
so the body feels secure. This includes: Feet flat
on the floor or footrest, Good back and hips and
knees at 90-degree angles.
• Allowing as much movement as possible without
disrupting others while sitting. This includes:
allowing small movement opportunities with the
hands, using fidgets, or with the mouth, using
gum or "chewys." Move and sit seat wedges or
ball chairs.

17. Movement is key
• Movement is what helps the brain develop
from infancy. Movement is stimulation that
the brain craves. Have plenty of movement
opportunities available for the children.
• Remember, kids in motion, aren't
commotion! CHILDREN LEARN BEST FROM
MOVEMENT AND WE HAVE FORGOTTEN THIS
IN OUR CLASSROOMS!

18. Integrating Special Needs children in
the classroom
• Seating considerations: Try to sit the child directly in front of the teacher or upfront of the group. This way
the teacher can easily catch her eye or whisper to her if she is touching someone or not listening. Also sit the child
next to students you would like her to model for good behavior and good listening.
• Break time and recess: This when a child can get in the most trouble because they don’t always know what is
expected of them. The best solution during any free time like recess is to give the child a job ex: clean the boards
or even just talking to the teacher. Free play is not the best idea unless a teacher or paraprofessional is directing a
game.
• Lunchtime: Let the child know what is expected of them and have them practice the routine ex: picking up a
tray, lining up for food etc.. If tables are long picnic tables sit the child at one end.
• Changing classrooms between subjects: Children with special needs need help with finding each class that
they need to go into. This also includes when she needed to go to the bathroom and then couldn't find her way
back to the classroom. Don’t assume the child will follow other students or will know where to go, practice
changing classrooms.
• Writing assignments: Give these children more time to complete their work especially on testing materials and
writing stories. Break assignments into smaller steps for the special needs student. This does not mean that
assignments have to take longer, but simply that they have more steps. This can be done for the entire class so
that the student does not feel she is being singled out.
• Research on the disability: The more knowledge you have about the students special needs, the easier it will
be to accommodate those needs. You also want your students to know about the disability so that they are more
understanding of their new classmate. This also decreases the chance of the new student getting bullied or picked
on by the new student.
• Work in groups: Encourage students to work in small groups so they can learn from each other

19. Nancy Amar OTR/L
cell: 786-384-0221
email: MissMancy@gmail.com