Occupational therapy assists people who for various reasons cannot meet their responsibilities and are not functioning at their highest potential. A child who is not succeeding in school and can’t meet the grownup’s expectations falls into this category.
Sensory integration based occupational therapy can be very helpful to a child who is struggling in the classroom by strengthening his body, correcting delays in his neurological maturation, improving the way his senses take in and respond to his environment, and helping him become more emotionally flexible. School based therapists also work on helping the child with his hand eye and fine motor coordination, handwriting, social skills, and anything else a child needs to succeed in the classroom.
What Does Sensory integration Mean?
Sensory integration refers to the ability to take in, perceive, and act on sensory information in an accurate way. Our behavior is based on our perceptions of the world around us. If a child cannot correctly perceive and interpret what goes on around him, or if his balance is off and his coordination is poor, his behavior and actions are going to reflect that.
Children who could benefit from sensory integration therapy are notable for being unable to meet the expectations of the grownups. They are “out of synch” in the classroom.An “out of synch” child may have some of these issues:
Can’t maintain focus in a noisy classroom
Can’t sit still
Has a hard time internalizing and following the unspoken expectations and routines of the classroom and acts as if every day is the first day of school
Has continual difficulty controlling impulses
Lashes out when others come into his personal space
Refuses to interact with classroom materials such as paint, chalk, clay or glue
Has difficulty transitioning between activities
Is emotionally rigid, can’t roll with the punches, needs to be in control, has difficulty socializing in an age appropriate way
Has a tough time modulating behavior; can go from zero to 60 in a second; his responses are often not appropriate to the situation
Slumps over his desk; rubs his eyes; his handwriting is painful, illegible, and slow, with a poor grasp; he may use too much force and break his pencil frequently; he has difficulty organizing his work on the page
Appears to not understand what is said to him; can’t pick out teacher’s voice over other noise in classroom; can’t recall or follow long strings of instructions
Is easily distractible; looks up at every ambient sound or movement and then has a hard time refocusing
Is clumsy, trips and falls frequently, holds onto the handrail and uses step to step gait pattern on the stairs, can’t do what the other children do in gym or on the playground
Behaves in unexpected or inappropriate ways in noisy or chaotic environment
Is frequently tuned out, not present
Requires constant redirection and guidance from adults; takes up more than his fair share of attention
Does not like to play in groups, mostly chooses to play alone
Sits with a frozen expression in class, especially when it’s noisy
Is obviously bright but can’t get his work done on time; poorly organized
Does not have a flexible attention span; he is either unable to focus at all, or he is so hyper-focused that he is in his own world
Has a short attention span, poor frustration tolerance, is unable to self soothe or self regulate in an age appropriate manner
Is anxious, needs constant reassurance, seems lost and can’t follow directions.
If you have a child who is struggling in your classroom with any of these issues, a referral for an occupational therapy evaluation is in order.
