Using Sensory Circuits

Using Sensory Circuits

Helping to regulate sensory needs

Our 8 senses

• Tactile (Touch)
• Auditory (Hearing)
• Olfactory (Smell)
• Sight
• Taste
• Vestibular (Position, direction and movement of head)
• Proprioception (Body in space, motor planning and execution)
• Interoception (Understanding and feeling what is going on in the body) 

What is sensory processing and why is it important?

• It is how we organize and respond to the sensory information we recieve from within our environment and body.

What is sensory processing disorder?

The inability to register discriminate, adapt and respond appropriately both physically and emotionally to sensory information from our bodies and environment.

Sometimes described as a traffic jam to the brain.

May cause a child to become oversensitive (hypersensitive) or under sensitive (hyposensitive) to sensory input. 

Causes children to display problematic and inappropriate motor, behavioral or adaptive responses after recieving sensory stimuli. Easily overwhelmed by sight, smell, sounds, taste and movement.

Sensory Modulation: Hypersensitive vs Hyposensitive

Difficulties with regulating a response to sensory input that results in a negative response, withdrawal or wanting more of the input.

Sensory Discrimination

Difficulties with interpreting and recognising similarities and differences in sensory stimuli.

Dyspraxia

Difficulties with planning sequencing and executing actions that are not familiar which result in poor coordinated motor skills

What is a sensory circuit?

A range of gross motor activities that aid with regulating the sensory system.

Who benefits from a sensory circuit

• Individuals who are over stimulated
• Individuals who seek proprioceptive and vestibular input throughout the day
• Individuals with attention difficulties
• Individuals with difficulties sitting still

Alerting Activities

• Jumping on the trampoline
• Spinning on a spinner
• Running
• Bouncing on a gym ball
• Dancing

Organising Activities

• Throwing a ball in a hoop
• Dribbling a ball around cones
• Rolling on a therapy ball
• Balancing on a balance board
• Bouncing a ball
• Walking along a balance beam
• Batting a ball

Calming Activities

• Sitting with a weighted blanket
  
• Rolling therapy ball over body whilst laying on stomach
• Hand or body massage
• Body Sock
• Blanket wrap

Sensory Circuit Example

Trampoline

Obstacle course

Deep Pressure

Sensory Diet

Breakfast

Snack

Lunch

Snack

Dinner

Snack

What activities work best?

Sensory diets should be made by an Occupational Therapist

Sensory diets should be tailored to the child's needs

Sensory diets should not overstimulate the user

If pupil is seeking vestibular input through movement, then calming proproceptive activites should be incorporated in sensory diet

If pupil appears tired all the time, then alerting vestibular activities should be incorporated within sensory diet.

Wake up

Breakfast

Mid morning

Lunch Time

Afternoon Snack

Late Afternoon

Dinner

• Rolling into duvet and squash
  
• Use staw to drink
  Do the strong man or wall push ups
  
• Wheel barrow walking for 5 minutes
  Trampoline
  
• Use straw to drink
  Roll a ball all over their body while they lay on their back then on their stomach
  Trampoline
  
• Eat something chewy or crunchy
  Stretch green exercise band
  Trampoline/jumping
  
• Rolling into duvet and squash
  Squash with therapy ball
  Sit on therapy ball and bounce
  Trampoline/Jumping
• Donkey kicks - put weight on arms and kick legs in air 

Interventions for Tactile Processing Difficulties

Hyposensitive

- Hand massage with cream

- Tactile box with different textured items
- Hiding small items in play dough for them to find
- Rolling tightly in blanket
- Deep pressure
- Weight blanket/bag
- Theraputty 
- Using a stress ball 

Hypersensitive

-  Hiding small items in play dough
- Painting outdoor with water, paint rollers 
- Promoting high fives
- Gardening
- Cooking or baking
- Sensory bins
- Finger painting 

Interventions for Auditory Processing Difficulties

Hyposensitive

- Give your child extra time to process the information
- Use visual as well as verbal cues
- Doing heavy work
- Allow a longer time to process information
- Break instructions down
- Use headphones to listen to music
- Provide sensory aids such as fidget toys
- Gain attention before giving instructions 

Hypersensitive

- Ear defenders
- Reduce the sound within the environment as much as possible
- Provide warning of when loud noises will occur
- Provide a quiet space for them to access
- Use visual timers
- Give them control of the noise
- Teach and regulation strategies 

Interventions for Gustatory Processing Difficulties

Hyposensitive

- Provide a chewy toy
- Incorporate crunchy, chewy snacks throughout the day
-Blowing games (bubbles, balloons, bubbles with straw) 

Hypersensitive

- Touch, taste, smell activities to introduce new foods
- Offer the child different textured foods
- Use new ways to present food
- Introduce 1 new food at a time
- Create a food chart to keep track of liked and disliked foods

Interventions for Visual Processing Difficulties

Hyposensitive

- Provide favoured visual stimuli at certain times of the day (flashing light toys, different colours)
- Provide visual structure
- Use visua resources when teaching to gain attention
Practice writing on different textured surfaces
- Highlight the lines on paper when writing
- Get child to participate in visual tabletop activities such as matching, spot the difference, dot to dot activities 

Hypersensitive

- Minimise displays within the environment
- Change the lighting
- Sunglasses or lightly tinted glasses to reduce light sensitivity
- Use visual supports to provide information about the change in lighting and when they should put on their glasses
- Do not force or demand eye contact
- Teach to look near the eyes and not directly into them 

Interventions for Olfactory Processing Difficulties

Hyposensitive

- Use scented items such as playdough, hand creams, aromatherapy oils
- Get them to carry a tissue with their favourite scent
- Teach visual indicators if something has gone off
- Cook with strong scents
- Provide a sensory smell box with different smelly items that can be used throughout the day 

Hypersensitive

-  Try to use fragrance free cleaning products
- Sit the child away from things such as bins that produce a strong odour
- Try not touse scented objects such as candles or incense
- Try to keep rooms ventilated such as opening windows
- Provide child with a scent that they prefer
- Opportunities to eat in rooms with minimal smells 

Interventions for Vestibular Processing Difficulties

Hyposensitive

- Dance
- Bouncing on trampoline
- Swinging or spinning 
- Hanging upside down
- Climbing
- Scooters
- Promote the use of a Move and sit cushion
- Promote the use of a ball chair 

Hypersensitive

- Yoga
- Slow rocking on a ball
- Structured activities such as hopscotch, skipping, relay races, team games
- Activities that involve deep pressure
- Prepare the child before taking part in any movement activities
- Rocking back and forth on a rocking chair slowly
- Slow marching 

Interventions for Proprioceptive Dysfunction

Proprioception
- Provide weight bearing activities such as crawling and push ups
- Promote resistance activities such as pushing and pulling activities
- Promote heavy lifting activities such as carry books or weighted backpack. These should only be provided by an Occupational Therapist
- Promote cardiovascular activities such as running or jumping on trampoline
- Promote oral activities such as chewing and blowing bubbles, blowing up balloons, playing windpipe instruments
Promote deep pressure activities tight hugs, Lycra suit, deep pressure massage

OT Groups

Set up of groups

OT will arrange all activities prior to the session and will be kept in the box with instructions of the tasks that need to be completed for example:

Fine Motor Skills Group

• The following activities should be completed by the pupils within the session: 
  
  
• Button board
• Zip board
• Buckle board
• Clasp board
• Shoelace Tying
• Bra Clasp (female pupils only)
• Pupils need to be encouraged to do and undo buttons, zips, buckles, clasps and shoelaces
• If a pupil has difficulties with a task, staff should model how to do the item before providing any physical support to complete the task
• Staff need to fill in the activity analysis sheet for each pupil noting the support required to complete the task and should leave it on the OT's desk 

Pupil Activity Analysis Sheet

• Staff should also fill out the activity analysis sheet for each pupil. 
  There is an example below on how this sheet should be filled out:

Pupil name and date	Large button board	Small button b card	Belt buckle	Zips	Clasps	Clip buckle	Shoelaces
John	Independent	Physial support to push in button	Independent	Task modelled and then was able to complete	Verbal prompt to push clasp together	Independent	Unable to complete

Tips for running groups

Staff should allow pupils to complete as much of the task independently and should only offer support when needed.

Staff should use backwards chaining to aid with helping the pupil complete the task (providing support for the first steps and then encouraging the pupil to do the last step independently.

When the group is finished, staff should place all activities back in the box along with the activity analysis sheet and leave it on the OT desk.

Questions?????