My students need 3 sensory activities (a Chewlery Necklace, an image captor board with chrome pins and a Pea Pod which applies deep, even pressure to many sensitive areas of the body, to calm them and to enable them to focus and to learn.
Imagine wanting to be good and to listen to your teacher when she says, "Be still, calm down," but something in your body is demanding input so you run, bounce, and crash to get the sensory input your body demands. That is how children with autism and sensory integration disorder feel every day.
My students are in kindergarten, first and second grades.
They all have moderate to severe autism and come to my separate setting classroom for children with autism from other schools. They face many challenges that typically developing children do not. Despite this, these kids are eager and excited learners. They love school and want to do their best. They make me proud every day and I am honored to be their teacher.
My Project
These resources will help the children meet the sensory needs that so often accompany autism. When these needs are not meet, children are unable to concentrate or sit still long enough to learn. If these needs are ignored, the children will seek to meet them in unacceptable or dangerous ways such as crashing into walls or other people. They may hand bang or head bang or chew on clothing or instructional materials. The image captivator will provide input to their hands which decreases both head and hand banging. The Pea Pod will provide deep pressure to their trunks which will decrease crashing behaviors. The Pea Pod is also especially useful to calm an angry or upset child when his "autism gets too big".
My students deserve every chance to have their sensory needs met.
Sensory needs impact every area of their lives. Meeting these needs helps them to make progress in academic, social and behavioral areas.
Half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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