When a student's sensory need is not being met, the need will manifest itself in their behavior. Sit-down activities are particularly challenging for students who have sensory needs related to movement. They often show this need by kicking the table, tipping their chairs, or leaving the activity altogether. These actions can be very disruptive to learning. The key is to find a way to meet the student's sensory need while still keeping them engaged in the activity. Chair bands and rolling footrests allow the students to stay in one place while moving their feet and exerting energy. This year, six of our students have sensory needs that could be met by these flexible seating resources. We have had great success with the two chair bands we have and feel that the rolling footrest will provide variety for students who tire of one form of sensory movement.
In addition to flexible seating, a main focus of this project is to obtain the right tools to foster student independence by helping them learn skills to care for themselves. Our students often leave our class after second grade without the skills to tie their shoes, zip a zipper properly, or complete other important tasks for self-care. This is why we have requested clothing frames. There is a strong need for tools that practice zipping, snapping, buckling, buttoning, tying, and lacing. With these clothing frames, we will introduce discrete skills at our 1:1 teaching station and use them in our independent station drawers to facilitate extra practice. We hope that through this instruction and practice, our students will leave our class prepared to dress themselves and manage their clothes independently.
About my class
When a student's sensory need is not being met, the need will manifest itself in their behavior. Sit-down activities are particularly challenging for students who have sensory needs related to movement. They often show this need by kicking the table, tipping their chairs, or leaving the activity altogether. These actions can be very disruptive to learning. The key is to find a way to meet the student's sensory need while still keeping them engaged in the activity. Chair bands and rolling footrests allow the students to stay in one place while moving their feet and exerting energy. This year, six of our students have sensory needs that could be met by these flexible seating resources. We have had great success with the two chair bands we have and feel that the rolling footrest will provide variety for students who tire of one form of sensory movement.
In addition to flexible seating, a main focus of this project is to obtain the right tools to foster student independence by helping them learn skills to care for themselves. Our students often leave our class after second grade without the skills to tie their shoes, zip a zipper properly, or complete other important tasks for self-care. This is why we have requested clothing frames. There is a strong need for tools that practice zipping, snapping, buckling, buttoning, tying, and lacing. With these clothing frames, we will introduce discrete skills at our 1:1 teaching station and use them in our independent station drawers to facilitate extra practice. We hope that through this instruction and practice, our students will leave our class prepared to dress themselves and manage their clothes independently.
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