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Portrait of a Learner PK-3

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Portrait of a Learner PK-3 > Factors > Sensory Integration

Sensory Integration

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Factor Connections

Hover to see how factors connect to Sensory Integration. Then click connected factors to explore strategies related to multiple factors.

How Sensory Integration connects to...

We are constantly taking in information––particularly sights, smells, and sounds–– and our Sensory Integration skills help us make sense of it all. Sensory Integration involves the brain's ability to receive, process, and organize multiple sources of sensory information and transform that information into physical and emotional regulation that adhere to societal norms. Sensory Integration difficulties can interfere with peer relationships, participating in classroom activities, and getting adequate Sleep, all of which can contribute to difficulties staying engaged and learning.

Main Ideas

Sensory discrimination supports the ability to process aspects of the sensory input from our environment, including duration, intensity, and spatial. Children with Sensory Integration and processing challenges can have discrimination difficulties in one or more sensory domains (e.g., tactile, auditory, visual, etc.).

Children vary in how they process sensory input (neurological threshold) and their behavioral response (both action and reaction) which contribute to their sensory modulation. There are some basic patterns of Sensory Integration and modulation however children can have any combination or may react differently in different contexts:

  • Sensation seeking/hyposensitive (high threshold/active response) students may seek out higher levels of sensory input (e.g., requiring noise to be louder, needing more light).
  • Low Registration (high threshold/passive) students may miss teachers' instructions and may appear unmotivated, appear more withdrawn, and have difficulty engaging with friendships.
  • Sensation avoiding/hypersensitive (low threshold/active) students may experience sensory overload, causing them to be overwhelmed, emotionally dysregulated, withdraw from activities, or avoid touch.
  • Sensory sensitivity (low threshold/passive) students tend to feel overwhelmed by sensory information, but may not avoid it, rather will display emotional dysregulation. They may be easily distracted, and seem irritable, cautious, and uncomfortable in loud or bright environments.

In addition, some children with Sensory Integration difficulties may experience sensory-motor based challenges in organizing vestibular (related to gravity and movement) and proprioceptive (related to the position of our muscles and joints) input, which may impact balance, body and spatial awareness, and motor planning. This can potentially contribute to challenges, in completing multi-step directions related to physical tasks, and engaging in unstructured play with peers, and lead to low self-confidence or frustration.

Difficulties with Sensory Integration often, though not always, co-occur with developmental disorders, including ADHD and autism, which may be driven in part by differences in executive function. Efficient Sensory Integration frees up cognitive resources to support executive functions, and in turn efficient executive functions help modulate Sensory Integration making them closely intertwined. Because difficulties with Sensory Integration are tightly connected to cognitive, physical, and social-emotional well-being, students can best be supported through relationship-building and Self-Regulation supports, in addition to traditional sensory supports.

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Research-Based Strategies For This Factor

Creating Visual Representations

Creating visual representations such as drawings, diagrams, graphs, and concept maps, whether student or teacher-generated, can help students process abstract concepts, enhancing understanding and retention of information.

Drawing

Encouraging young children to draw and to explain their drawings in the classroom, can support the development of Core Academic Literacies.

Field Trips

Visiting places connected to classroom learning provides opportunities to add relevance to classroom topics and deepen understanding through firsthand experiences.

Communication Boards

Communication boards are displays of graphics (e.g., pictures, symbols, illustrations) and/or words where learners can gesture, touch, or point to the displays to extend their expressive language potential.

Music & Dance

Music and dance supports young learners in a myriad of ways, including supporting their engagement and motivation, connecting with cultural background, and offering structure during play.

Flexible Seating

Flexible seating refers to the practice of offering students a range of work surfaces, seating sizes and heights, movement, and varied body positions in the classroom.

Simulation Learning

Simulations involve students engaging in interactive experiences that mimic real-world scenarios to explore content, practice skills, and solve problems.

Spaced Practice

Spaced practice is a learning strategy that deliberately spaces out learning or study sessions over varying periods of time, with the purpose of increasing retention, understanding, and long-term knowledge acquisition.

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