We all acquire knowledge of the world through our senses. This includes how we move (vestibular sense) and our muscles (proprioceptive sense) as well as the more commonly known five senses.
But for children and young people who are extra sensitive to the way they experience the world around them, school can be an overwhelming place.
There are often lots of voices and different acoustic environments to navigate. Lighting can be particularly harsh: it is worth considering whether lights can be dimmed or turned off, or whether seating arrangements can ensure there is a place away from the main lights for students who need it.
And there are other simple steps you can take to ensure a less overwhelming experience for all of your students.
Create safe spaces
Ensuring there is a safe space, or breakout space, in the classroom is really helpful and can be done in lots of different ways, including having a small tent with fairy lights and blankets in it, a reading corner with a weighted blanket and a bean bag, or, in a secondary setting, a room in the school where this equipment can be found and pupils are allowed to remove themselves to regulate if they need to.
For students who find specific spaces difficult to manage - for example, the school hall - they could arrive there a few minutes early with a friend so they enter it when it is quiet and the noise builds up slowly around them.
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Communicate about clothing
Some pupils find clothing particularly tricky and many schools offer reasonable adjustments around uniform adaptations. Sometimes this may just be a slight tweak, such as wearing a fleece instead of a jumper if the barrier is pulling a top over the child’s head.
Having clear and regular communication with home around this is crucial, and working alongside families to ensure agreement and consistency is key. Sometimes this may require negotiation, and it’s worth having an agreed plan in these cases to make small steps towards wearing full uniform, working with parents and the child to agree on each stage, for example moving first from joggers to school shorts, then trainers to school shoes, with an agreed time frame.
This may need to be flexible and adapted as time goes along, but what you are always looking for is small steps of progress.
Educating everyone on sensory issues
Explaining to children what sensory overload is and why we experience it is important. There are lots of resources available to explain this through the “sensory cup” model, which uses the analogy to explain how overwhelm can occur when the cup is full. This can help to normalise behaviours in children with more complex needs, who may otherwise be misconstrued as being naughty or difficult.
In class, you could consider offering a list of inclusive sensory activities that anyone (including the adults) can opt into if they need a break, for example, chair push-ups or arm stretches. “Doing a job” is always an excellent plan for a fidgety pupil who would benefit from a short walk.
Ensure children are aware that these are de-escalation strategies and proactive tools we can all use during moments when we feel overwhelmed by our environment. Encourage open dialogue with and between students, where they can ask each other if they are feeling overwhelmed and offer tools to help.
If you are interested in finding out more about good practice in managing sensory processing difficulties, I would highly recommend a visit to a local special school. While the student needs there will be more complex, many of the tools and strategies used can be adapted for a mainstream classroom and I have always found these visits incredibly valuable.
Children who have specific difficulties with sensory processing may be more sensitive to particular senses and need identified tools to help them manage this. A child who experiences overwhelm through their auditory senses, for example, may need staff to focus their attention on moderating their voice, being mindful of loud noises, or ensuring there are ear defenders available that they are comfortable using.
In general, however, all of the strategies here are part of good inclusive practice within a classroom and can be adapted for any child who might be finding their sensory environment tricky on a given day.
Leyla Gambell is an experienced Sendco from Kent
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