NORWICH – As human beings, our senses gather the information we need to perceive, process and interact with the world around us. For those suffering from sensory processing disorders (SPD), where the central nervous system does not organize or process the information it receives into appropriate behaviors and responses, the world can be a confusing, frustrating place.
For children with an SPD, school in particular can be a challenge.
“Sensory disorders impact a child’s ability to interact with peers, with the ability to attend to tasks and therefore their ability to learn,” explained Karen Randall, director of Chenango County Head Start.
In recent years, she said, her staff has noticed an increase in the number of kids with sensory issues and requested more training to ensure they are meet the needs of these students.
Last week, they received that training by way of a full-day program presented by Carol Stock Kranowitz, MA. Kranowitz is the author of two books on the topic, The Out of Sync Child and The Out of Sync Child Has Fun, as well as a number of articles and other writings.
“We’re thrilled to be able to offer this level of training by one of the experts in this field,” said Randall, who explained that the program was funded through a $12,000 federal grant from the Department of Health and Human Services.
The full-day training session, held on Friday at the Howard Johnson Hotel in Norwich, was attended not only by Head Start staff and others from Opportunities for Chenango, but also representatives from DCMO BOCES, Broome-Tioga BOCES, the Oxford Academy and Central School District, Sherburne-Earlville Central Schools, Opportunities for Otsego and Opportunities for Delaware. The 100 plus participants included educators as well as speech, occupational and physical therapists.
During the program, entitled “Catching Children Before They Fall,” Kranowitz discussed different types of SPDs, the behavioral clues which can help educators identify kids suffering from sensory integration issues and offered practical exercises and tools which could be employed in the classroom to help these children be successful.
“I want (those present) to put on their sensory goggles and look at children’s’ behavior,” she said, explaining that often teachers can mistake the signs of sensory processing issues, believing instead that these children are being willfully disruptive.
“If we watch kids behavior, it will give us a clue what is going on,” she said.
According to Kranowitz, the fact that today’s youth spend more time in front of the television and on the computer than in active play, is a contributing factor in why sensory issues have become more pervasive in society. She suggests parents and educators use ordinary items for creative play in order to encourage sensory exploration and enhance development. Examples of these every day items, from textured foot scrubbers to kitchen utensils, were placed in baskets on each table for participants to explore throughout the day.
During her presentation, Kranowitz used students she had encountered during her own 25 years of experience as a preschool teacher, to illustrate not only the behaviors common with different sensory disorders, but also to explain how early intervention can make a profound impact. She also talked about what can happen to kids who don’t get help at a young age and continue to struggle with these issues into adulthood.