Impact on Learning and Participation in classroom

Dominique Chew

Azmah Mohamed Zain

KIDZ Pediatric Occupational Therapy Consultants Pte Ltd

AGENDA What is SPD?

How does it link to learning & motor skills

Understanding and analysing behaviours in the classroom

Strategies to facilitate learning and participation in classroom

WHAT IS AN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST? “a health professional concerned with improving a

person’s occupational performance.”

WHAT DOES AN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST DO?

Child’s Occupational Performance Areas:

Work / Productivity

Self Care

Leisure

ENCOURAGE INDEPENDENCE

WHAT IS IT?

WHY DO WE NEED IT?

HOW DOES IT IMPACT LEARNING AND MOTOR SKILLS?

Sensory Processing Disorder A condition that exists when sensory signals

don not get organised into appropriate responses

(from SPDorg.com)

We are Sensory Beings …. • We use our bodies to get the sensorimotor

experiences to help self-regulate

• Our arousal level is affected by sensory input

• We use our senses to make sense of and to learn about the world

OUR SENSES • Touch (Tactile) • Taste (Gustatory)

• Smell (Olfactory)

• Hearing (Auditory)

• Sight (Visual)

OUR SENSES Vestibular (movement sense)

Proprioceptive (muscles and joints)

External Senses Internal Senses

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Vision Olfactory

Auditory Taste

Tactile

Vestibular

Proprioception Interoception (Internal Organs)

Under responsive Over responsive

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We take in information (sensations)

We make sense of the information

(perception)

We respond and act (performance)

Touch (Tactile) SKIN is the largest organ of the body

It tells us when we are being touched

Oral-tactile (Senses inside mouth)

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Tactile (Touch)

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“Flight, fright, fight”

What kind of touch?

e.g.: light, hot, pain

Where is the touch?

What is touching the body?

Quality of the touch?

Which is alarming, comforting, to be ignored or to be explored?

Protection Discrimination

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TACTILE

SENSE

Fine motor

control

Gross motor control

Visual

perception Body

awareness

Praxis

Social skills

Emotional

security

Effects on Everyday Skills

Oral Motor Control

Arousal Level

PROPRIOCEPTION SYSTEM • Unconscious awareness of the position of our

body parts.

• Makes sense of touch and movement experiences

• Assists in Body Scheme Development, for Motor Planning.

• Closely linked to vestibular system (modulation and self regulation)

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Body

awareness

Praxis

Postural

stability

Grading of movement & pressure

Emotional security

PROPRIOCEPTIVE

SENSE

Effects on Everyday Skills

Arousal

Level

VESTIBULAR SYSTEM Related to movement, gravity & balance

Strong relationship with the auditory and visual

systems

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Movement & balance Muscle tone

Bilateral coordination

Praxis

Auditory language

processing Visual spatial

processing

Emotional

security

Arousal

level

VESTIBULAR

SENSE

Effects on Everyday Skills

When all senses are integrated we can: regulate (modulate) ourselves before learning new

skills i.e.: feel safe

develop our motor skills (gross & fine motor)

plan our physical actions (motor planning)

interact with the environment and people appropriately and meaningfully

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How do we help our students to attain and change their arousal level in class or at home?

Regulate attention

Promote learning

Improve behaviour

LINK to Learning

Not all behaviours are sensory!

Challenging Behaviors Appeared noncompliant, difficult, strong-willed or

hyperactive

Described as intense, persistent, sensitive, slow to adapt or energetic

Challenging Behaviors A behavior is considered ‘challenging’ when it affects

functioning of our daily activities (ADL) – self-care, work/productivity, play

ability to attend, learn and master new skills

social interaction and communication

Types Of Behaviors Seeking Behaviors

To obtain/ gain/ achieve something i.e.: attention, objects, sensory inputs, etc

Avoiding Behaviors

To avoid perceived threatening situations/ activities i.e.: difficult tasks, change schedules

OR

To escape from aversive/ unpleasant sensory input i.e.: ‘loud’noise, movements, etc

Off seat often

Fidgety on seat

Spaced out

Pushing friends

Biting objects

Sleepy

Tantrums

Sensory based

Compensatory/ Coping

Communicative

Reasons for Behaviours

Seeking Behaviours

Communicative Sensory

Attention

Productive

Underresponsive

Stimulate sensory

processing

Postural tone &

arousal

Personal needs -

food, drink,

toileting

Preferred objects/

activities

Non

Productive

Self

injurious to

release

Endorphins

Need/Want an

object/activity

Compensatory/Copi

ng

Smiles, Hugs

Being in control

Shock/Surprise

reactions

Avoiding/Escaping Behaviours

Attention/

Event Task/Activity

Avoid

strangers,

situations

Desired activity is

interrupted or changed

Task too difficult

Fear of failing a task

Over

responsive

Over

stimulated

Sensory

processing

disorder

Pain/Discomfort

Hunger

Illness

Communicative Sensory Compensatory/

Coping

Be a Detective - OBSERVE Is the behaviour challenging?

What are they doing?

Do they avoid an activity most children enjoy?

Are they overly excited/”hyper”?

When do you see the behavior?

After recess? At the last hour?

How long does it last?

Biting (non–food obj)

Coping

(stress)

Dislikes task/ task

too difficult

Auditory filtration

visual-spatial

????

Sensory (seeks P/T)

arousal lvl

To attention

SEEKING

Fidgety

(on seat)

Compensatory

To postural

tone

Poor core strength

Poor endurance

Coping (due to stress)

Dislikes task/ task

too difficult

auditory memory

visual tracking

????

Sensory (seeks V )

arousal lvl

To attention

SEEKING

Hits classmates/obj

ects

Communicative

Seeking attention

Want to be in control/Rigid/Perfectionist

Why?

Sensory

(Seeks T/P)

Poor gradation of force exerted

Poor body awareness

SEEKING

Hits classmates

Coping

( stress)

Dislikes activity/

Task too difficult

Why?

Dislike being touched or

being in a crowd

Over responsive to T

AVOIDING

There is no magic recipe for ALL!

General Strategies Activities that help achieve optimal arousal level for

learning and attention to happen, can either be ALERTING or CALMING

Your selection of activities depends on: 1. students’ arousal level

2. environment (i.e. classroom setting)

3. logistics

GOLDEN RULE Always choose “heavy muscle” work (proprioceptive

based) when dealing with big group of children

Any activities that involve muscle action against resistance i.e. pushing, pulling, carrying, lifting

Golden Rule “Heavy Muscle” work, on its own, is usually “safe” – not

too alerting or calming

“Heavy muscle” work can be combined with:

Movement (vestibular)

Touch (tactile)

Group Activity MOVEMENT BREAKS

Frequent, short, intermittent

Do “heavy muscle” work alone or combined

Let’s try some activities!