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Most teachers pursuing school counselling courses will be equipped to support students with sensory needs. In today’s time, when everything has become so advanced, educational institutions around the globe are trying to hire teachers who know the correct approaches to identify best practices for teaching & supporting students with disabilities in the regular classroom. And this can be successful if all students, including those with sensory needs, are given easy access to quality education.

What is Sensory Overload?

Sensory overload can be defined as when one or more of your five senses take in more information than your brain can process. Anyone can be affected by it anytime. The results of sensory overload may result in students shutting down, covering their ears, squinting their eyes, and holding their nose, trembling, panicking or freezing. Hence, students must find the correct sensory tools they need at that moment to control their senses and return to a productive state.

Using Sensory Toys with All Learners

Sensory materials are integral part of an engaged and interactive classroom. When these materials are appropriately used, they can provide students with focus and calmness as they work. Some popular items like fidgets and squeeze balls help students stay on task. Other such objects that are helpful in this regard include putty, sand timers, play dough, and weighted stuffed animals. A great example is the application of fidget toys to manage the restlessness of learners with ADHD whereby they may seek external output to regulate and keep themselves calm. However, this can also happen with all kinds of learners from time to time.

Using Visuals & Textures with All Learners

It has been found that children with sensory needs benefit from enhanced visual input. For instance, several autistic children work better with high contrasting colors and strongly patterned designs. This is because the visuals help to strengthen memory and provide a stimulating visual environment, thereby keeping these children engaged. Moreover, the visuals also provide different textures in the classroom found to be helpful for children with sensory needs. To help students feel calm and focused, you can make use of items like bumpy fabric, furry animal toys, smooth clay, and wooden materials that provide tactile input. These are mainly done to push the student make physical contact with different textures and describe the feelings.

Using Gestures to Strengthen Sensory Processing

Another essential way to help a child with sensory needs is by using gestures. For instance, when an autistic child is overwhelmed with environmental stimuli, they may take time to respond to verbal commands. In such situations, as a teacher, you can use gestures to help students understand what is expected of them. If the student seems distracted, a teacher with school counseling techniques might know the correct approach in such situations; in this case, it may include putting a hand on the student’s shoulder to get his attention. Try to use simple hand gestures that are easy to follow, like pointing and shaking your head if a student does something you don’t like. Non-verbal communication such as this can help a child understand better what to do and what not to do in a given set-up, and ultimately help them effectively in the learning process.