Dealing With Sensory Processing Disorder in Preschool

Do you have kids in your classroom who have strong reactions to things like loud noises or certain smells? 

If your answer is “yes”, then you’re dealing with a child with a sensory processing disorder!

At least once in your career, you will have to deal with a situation like this, and making sure to know what to do, and most importantly, what not to do, is crucial for your students’ wellbeing!

So, to discuss this, I’ve invited Keri Wilmot on the podcast. 

Keri is a pediatric occupational therapist with more than 20 years of clinical experience, and today, she’s here to discuss how to help your students cope with their sensory challenges in the classroom.

Ready?

Let’s dive in!

What Are Sensory Processing Disorders?

As we all learned in school, we have five traditional senses: Taste, touch, smell, hearing, and eyesight. However, to pediatric occupational therapists such as Keri, there are many more, such as your vestibular sense (which is your movement sense), your proprioception (which gives you body awareness), and interoception (which is the sense that makes us feel hunger, thirst, etc…).

All these different senses work in harmony to keep our bodies balanced. When one of those systems is not working as it should — or is out of whack, as Keri says —, you end up with a sensory processing disorder.

So, when it comes to children, if one or more of those senses are not working accurately, we get overreactions such as them not wanting to play with playdough or wanting to run around the classroom during circle time.

Why You Need to Know About Sensory Processing Disorders

It’s important to understand sensory processing disorders and recognize their symptoms. It’s the only way you’ll be able to help children who experience them. 

Keep an eye on your students’ behavior, but don’t overreact either. 

As Keri says, just because a child doesn’t like to touch playdough, it doesn’t mean they have to end up in therapy with a sensory processing disorder diagnosis. It takes more than just one or two peculiar behaviors. After all, we’re all people with different sensory profiles, and we all have our quirks.

Pediatric therapists, such as Keri, use checklists to make sure they’re not misdiagnosing children. You can use those checklists as well, and talk about the issue to other teachers or the school therapist if you have one. They’ll be able to give you an objective point of view.

As a teacher, you will want to be mindful of the students who are really struggling with this. Sensory processing behaviors can impact a child’s development and learning, but there are ways you can help, and a lot of resources out there for you if you ever feel stuck.

Here’s What You Can Do

There are ways you can help your students who are struggling with sensory processing disorders. 

As an occupational therapist, Keri has a few different ways to deal with children like that. For example, if a student is constantly talking, making loud noises, twirling, spinning, and touching others, then they’re overstimulated, and there are ways to help with it.

There are certain kinds of calming movements — called deep pressure — that you can use. You can ask the student to push the wall for twenty seconds, or, if you’re dealing with your own child, you can give them a big hug, the biggest squeeze you can, and count to twenty. 

This technique is about giving a calming input to as many joints and muscles as possible. That helps bring the arousal level down and positively impact the child’s ability to self-regulate. It’s a simple trick, but it’s powerful.

You can also use music to change a child’s mood. Playing softer music helps calm them down. So, if your students are really amped up, maybe move on from Baby Shark to something a bit more calming.

All of this is part of what’s called a sensory diet. The other side of a sensory diet is tools. Your students can use things such as wobble stools, fidget toys, stretchy bands, and stress balls to self-regulate. Weighted blankets and weighted vests can also help tremendously. 

However, all of these tools are still just band-aids. You’re using them simply to give your students something to access right then and there to redirect them. But they won’t solve the issue in the long term.

What does actually solve the issue in the long term? I dive into this in more depth in the episode above, so make sure to give it a watch!