We all make sense of the world around us using our 8 senses: visual (seeing), audial (hearing), tactile (touch), olfactory (smell), gustatory (taste), proprioception (the feedback we get from our joints and muscles), vestibular (our sense of balance and where we are in space) and interoception (our sense of our internal signals such as hunger, thirst, pain, etc).
For many people, particularly people with a learning difficulty, there can be difficulties processing and tolerating sensory information. This can lead to someone feeling dysregulated. We can only learn when we are regulated.
Many of our pupils experience varying degrees of sensory challenges, which can impact on their learning and behaviour, both in school and at home. All staff are trained to look for signs of sensory difficulties and to employ strategies and resources to support pupils to achieve a regulated state in order for them to learn.
We have two well-resourced sensory rooms and a soft play room, which are timetabled for individual pupils and small groups to use. All classes have access to a wide range of sensory resources, from exercise trampettes and dark tents to fiddle toys and putty. Our playground and adventure playground are designed to provide a range of opportunities for pupils to meet their sensory needs, including monkey bars to hang from, a basket swing and a sensory garden.
Our Sensory Curriculum Leader, Jen Griffin, undertakes sensory assessments with identified students who need additional support with managing their sensory needs. This involves liaising with staff and parents to identify specific areas of need, and suggest a programme of activities and resources for class teams to try.
Our aim is to support all of our students to understand their own sensory systems, and the exercises, activities and resources that they can use to regulate themselves and to achieve their full learning potential.
For those who have an interest in sensory needs, there are some useful websites and social media pages you can follow:
http://www.sensoryintegrationeducation.com
hhttps://sensoryprocessinghub.humber.nhs.uk/what-is-sensory-processing/ttps://sensoryprocessinghub.humber.nhs.uk/what-is-sensory-processing/
Facebook – Sensory Integration Network https://www.facebook.com/SensoryIntegrationNetwork
Facebook – Integrated Learning Strategies https://www.facebook.com/ilslearning
