While all children can seem quirky or particular about their likes and dislikes, many children with autism will be so severely affected by their sensory preferences that it interferes with their normal, everyday functioning with over-responsiveness or under-responsiveness to sensory stimuli.
My students are in kindergarten and first grade in a self-contained structured learning special needs classroom.
Though they all have autism, their skills differ with varying cognitive abilities, speech and language disorders, emotional/behavior disorders, and learning disabilities. They have difficulty functioning in a general education setting and need a lot of support. They are in a low income area where many of them are receiving free or reduced-price lunches.
My Project
Since my students struggle with processing sensory stimuli, we have created a sensory room for them. This is a room in our building where the students can go to get a break from the different inputs they deal with throughout the day. There are different activities for them to get sensory feedback to meet their visual (sight), auditory (hearing), tactile (touch), olfactory (smell), gustatory (taste), vestibular (balance), and proprioception (joints/muscles) needs. I requested multiple fidget items for my students to use for sensory inputs. These are great because they can be removed from the sensory room to give students a break in other locations in the building.
Remember, you will not only be providing better tools in a classroom but also a better foundation for those who are less fortunate.
You will make it possible for my students to focus on learning by giving them the opportunity to get breaks from their sensory stimuli.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Keller and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
