Tactile: Under Responsive

1. Student doesn’t seem to notice when someone touches him

Suggested Strategies:

• Gain student’s attention by saying name or using a visual cue.
• Consult with occupational therapist regarding activities to increase tactile awareness
  • Messy play activities
  • Using tactile materials within curriculum topics
  • Deep pressure activities

Point to remember

• Use visual cue to gain student’s attention e.g. symbol of an ear to indicate he needs to listen

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2. Student leaves clothes twisted on body

Suggested Strategies:

• Dressing in front of a mirror can provide visual cues to improve body awareness
• Provide a visual sequence to support the routine – this could include cues such as ‘check your shirt is tucked in’ and a picture of same
• Tight or heavy clothing may give proprioceptive and tactile input
• Practice the routine and keep the same sequence each time

 

Point to remember

• Provide visual prompts to check clothing when dressing

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3. Student touches other students or objects frequently

Suggested Strategies:

• Allow students to access other tactile sensory strategies. Sensory strategies can be discreet:
  • Provide fidget objects for students who need help focusing
  • Fidget objects with moveable parts that can be manipulated without disrupting others in the class can improve attention to task
  • Stretchy bands such as Theraband around chair or desk legs to provide a resistive surface to push against while seated
  • Velcro or stickers under the desk that the student can pick at discreetly
• Mark out where students should line up for break etc. e.g. feet on the floor can help with physical boundaries and personal space
• Provide desk partitions to remind student of personal space

Point to remember

• Allow student access to appropriate fidget object

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4. Student over grips pencil or uses too much pressure when writing

Suggested Strategies:

• Weight bearing and gross motor movement before writing
  • The student could perform chair push ups. See the Middletown video on handwriting for more useful tips
• Put a piece or card board under the page or try to prop the page up on a slanted file.
• Try writing on different textured surfaces (sandpaper, plastic stitching material, on carpet, sidewalks with chalk, etc.).
• Writing on tissue paper can give a visual cue to student that they are leaning too hard on page.
• A weighted pencil may provide the student with more awareness of the pencil. This can be achieved inexpensively by adding nuts and bolts separated by pencil grips on the writing instrument.

Point to remember

• Allow student to write with a felt tip pen or a weighted pencil and/or write on different surfaces

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5. Student may harm other students unintentionally when playing

Sensory Strategies:

• Teach the student about force and pressure of movement by engaging in activities using different pressures. Allow them to experiment with light and heavy pressure so they learn to discriminate the difference.
• Introduce non-contact games in the play ground:
  • Skipping
  • Hopscotch
  • Relay races
  • Treasure hunts
• Teach student gross motor and weight bearing movements to perform before playing
  • Jumping
  • Crab crawls
  • Tug of war
• Introduce organised activities to the playground which the student would enjoy e.g.
  • Tug of war
  • Activity circuits
  • Wheel barrow races

Point to remember

• Use structured games in the playground which involve less physical contact

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