So often many students need a healthy sensory diet to gain regulation and be successful in the school setting. Just as we seek out different forms of sensory input for ourselves, our students need the same. But often, we have to teach our students the best forms of input for their body and how they can best self-regulate and meet their own needs. So what constitutes a healthy sensory diet? How do we know what tools to give our students?
What is sensory processing disorder?
Sensory processing disorder is when a child has difficulty processing information through the senses or responding appropriately to sensory information. Before proceeding with this article, if you believe a student of yours has a sensory processing disorder, please consult with the child's multidisciplinary team or the school's occupational therapist. A formal evaluation should be done to determine their specific needs. I'm writing this blog from a perspective as a special education teacher working with students with emotional/behavioral disorders and sensory processing issues. This blog serves to offers tools, tips and resources for different areas your students may need support in.
What is regulation?
So often we ask that our students be 'regulated'. But what actually does 'regulated' mean? Being regulated is when a child's brain responds in a way that controls their behaviors and emotions in responses to situations or scenarios. We discuss a lot in my classroom what 'regulated' behaviors area. We reference what it looks like to be regulated, what it feels like to be regulated and how we can stay regulated. For many of our students they don't understand how to regulate themselves or what tools they need to use.
How many times have you observed a student and thought to yourself 'this student doesn't even feel or understand what their body is doing'? So often we observe our students engaging in sensory-seeking or self-regulation behaviors and they are very unaware of what their behaviors are. It's our job to observe, collect data and help them develop appropriate replacement behaviors.
So what do those replacement behaviors look like? What tools can we utilize or supplement to our students? I'll be breaking down all the different sensory tools or strategies and what category of sensory input/output they could fall under.
Note: All of these links go to my Amazon storefront page where I make a small commission. However, I have only promoted products on my amazon page that I have purchased and felt they could be a benefit to other special educators.
Tactile/Hand Sensory Supports
Therapy Putty: This is the best putty I have bought. I love that it comes in a 4 pack of different strengths. We use this all the time and it holds up through the whole year. I find my students really gravitate towards using the yellow or pink ones. This is great for students to utilize during class. It's quiet and allows them to stay on task while getting the sensory-input they need.
Therapy Putty XX-Soft: Sometimes I have students who need a softer therapy putty than the yellow one. This one is so soft and perfect for your students with lower muscle tone. Students love rolling this one up into a ball and watching it flatten to a pancake.
Sensory Discs: I bought these sensory discs new this year and they have been a game changer during my small group work or in my cool down corners. They are easy to just lay on the table and with different textures you can put a few down for kids to utilize during small group work. They come in big and small sizes and it was a way students could self-regulate in a less distracting way.
Slime: My students LOVE slime, but honestly if I never made slime another day in my life I would be ok with it. It's so messy and then sometimes the recipe doesn't turn out and kids get upset about it. This slime has been a game changer. It gives students the slime they want, but it's manageable to have in the classroom without being too messy.
Mini Pop It: I know the pop its have been the craze, but I really like how these are mini. They are perfect for kids desks or during small group work. If kids carry lanyards for school, they could hook them on that. And they are so quiet!
Fidget Cube: Fidget cubes are great for older students! They are great for them to have in class and really models many of the self-regulation behaviors we do as adults (play with our fingers, crack our knuckles, rotate our rings, etc.). I love giving this to my students who need that sensory input, but want to do it in a discreet way in class.
Water Bead Ball: These my secretly be my favorite fidget. I love the texture and feel of these. They are quiet and easy for students to utilize while working. My only reservation is I tend not to give them to students who like to pick at things. I have found many students often then pick a whole in the ball and the water beads go everywhere. That turns out being mess express.
Oral Input Sensory Supports
Chewable Pencil Toppers: I love these for the students who are chewing on the top of their pencil. Just pop it on and they have something to keep them busy during class.
Sensory Chewable Necklace: Very similar to the pencil toppers, but can be utilized all day for students. They wear it around their neck. They can slip it under their shirt if they want to be discreet about it.
Spiral Chewy Necklaces: These are great if students want something that looks just like a necklace. It's not bulky like the other necklaces and they can chew on any part of the necklace.
T-Shirt Material Chew: Do you have a student who you find is constantly chewing on their sleeves or collar of their shirt? This chewy may be a game changer! Giving them that same sensory input with very similar material.
Tough Chews: You ever have that student who just wants to chew on things that are really hard? I like these chews for the sense that they come in different flexibilities. This would be a great for a tough chewer!
Visual Sensory Supports
Brain Teaser Puzzles: I worried about purchasing these thinking it may upset my students when they couldn't get the puzzle back together. I was completely wrong! They were so engulfed in figuring out the various puzzles. It is really a combination of hand/tactile and visual supports. I find these are really engaging when a student is super escalated. It takes so much of their focus to complete these tasks this can often really de-escalate them when they are really at the top of their crisis cycle!
Pop It Fidget Spinners: This seems to be the two ultimate fidget toys combined into one, right? So many teachers hate the fidget spinners, but honestly I find them great when students are needing to listen to a read aloud, auditory version of a story or even during whole group lessons. They are quiet and keep students in their areas as well as engaged.
Liquid Motion Bubbler: I LOVE these. I tend to pull these out on testing day, set in front of a kids desk while they are testing. They are so relaxing and such a great visually supported fidget that isn't a distraction.
Sensory Fidget Tubes: I bought these for my younger students, but my older students ended up really liking these too. I found many of my Autistic students really gravitated towards these tubes. Some of them are interactive as well like having to push a button on them.
Liquid Motion Bubbler Pen: Can we talk about maybe the coolest fidget ever? I find these so helpful when working with reluctant writers! They think it's so fun to use and they build in bubbler in the middle gives that visual sensory support they need. I really would categorize this alongside an accommodated writing utensil. I tend to pull these out during times I know my students really struggle (for me, that's my writing block).
Whole Body Sensory Supports
Body Sock: I had a student who lived in a body sock all day. He really needed that deeper compression on a consistent basis. He used it during work time and during relaxation time. Such a great investment for my classroom!
Wiggle Cushion: An easy sensory support to implement, especially for those students who are super wiggly in their seat. This allows them to move in their seat and makes their chair more comfortable. For many of our students the traditional seat can be triggering for their bodies.
Bilibo Seat: This is really geared towards our younger, smaller students. This can be seen as an adaptive set of seating in the classroom that gets them the sensory input they need while completing their work!
Wiggle Feet Sensory Cushion: I bought two of these for my classroom and my students love them. It's an easy sensory support for students who are always moving their legs or are wanting to get up a lot in class. It can easily be moved from place to place as well!
Bouncy Band: I really like these! I have tried the traditional kick supports you tie on, however they tend to rip or get destroyed. I liked these because you can adhere them to the bottom of the chair and they are very durable.
If you want a bigger list of sensory supports and tools organized by category, visit my Amazon storefront page! Here is the link for it.