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By the end of this lesson, participants will be able to name and use at least three simple classroom strategies (sensory modulation strategies) that help all students stay calm, focused, and included in learning that align with Universal Design for Learning principles to create more inclusive classroom environments.

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Participants will:

Distinguish between different sensory processing patterns and their impacts on learning

Understand different ways students respond to sounds, sights, touch, and movement

How sensory experience affect learning

Consider how your own classroom might benefit from changes to encourage participation

Create a simple action plan to implement in your classroom

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This lesson aligns with:
• Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines on providing multiple means of engagement and representation
• InTASC Standards 2 (Learning Differences) and 3 (Learning Environments)
• AOTA Standards of Practice (2021) focusing on participation and occupational performance in educational contexts

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The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST. The UDL Guidelines can be used by educators, curriculum developers, researchers, parents, and anyone else who wants to implement the UDL framework in a learning environment. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

Reenvisioning the UDL Guidelines

Because the UDL Guidelines are meant to be informed by feedback from the field as well as new research, they have been updated several times in the past. We are in the process of updating the Guidelines once again in our UDL Rising to Equity initiative.

This update will focus specifically on addressing systemic barriers that result in inequitable learning opportunities and outcomes. CAST aims to develop a transparent, inclusive, and community-driven process. If you are interested in collaborating and staying updated on our progress, we invite you to complete a brief survey.

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The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST. The UDL Guidelines can be used by educators, curriculum developers, researchers, parents, and anyone else who wants to implement the UDL framework in a learning environment. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

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How can we design learning environments that address diverse sensory needs while enhancing engagement and participation for all students?

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In small groups, analyze images of traditional vs. sensory-inclusive classrooms:
1. SEE: What sensory elements do you notice in each space (lighting, seating, noise, organization/clutter)?
2. THINK: How might these elements impact different students' learning, focus, behavior, or participation during the school day?
3. WONDER: What changes can be made to improve comfort, attention, learning, and engagement for all students?

Discuss

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Sounds of the Classroom, The Autistic Sensory Experience (Part 4 of 8)

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Direct Instruction: Sensory Processing 101

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Direct Instruction: Sensory Processing 101

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Sensory Systems

Students take in information through 8 systems through what they:

1. See (vison)

2. Hear (auditory)

3. Touch (tactile)

4. Taste (gustatory)

5. Smell (olfactory)

6. Feel on the inside (interoceptive)

7. How their body moves (proprioceptive)

8. How their muscles feel (vestibular)

Sensory processing patterns (over-responsivity, under-responsivity, seeking, avoiding) are how students react in different ways

Extra sensitivity (covering their ears, or leaving the room)

Less sensitive (not noticing noise or movement like their name being called)

These preferences impact student engagement, attention, and behavior

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Exploring different sensory modulation tools:
1. Alternative seating (wobble stools, therapy balls, standing desks)
2. Fidget/tactile tools (stress balls, putty, textured items)
3. Visual supports (visual schedules, noise level indicators, calm-down visuals)
4. Auditory tools (noise-canceling headphones, white noise machines)

Document observations about how each tool might support different learners.

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What Is Sensory Processing Disorder? A Teacher Guide to Supporting Kids With SPD

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Students with Sensory Processing Disorder are in every classroom. Find out what it is and how you can support children with SPD in your classroom.

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Working in small groups, brainstorm low-cost, high-impact environmental modifications for:
- Lighting (reducing fluorescent exposure, adding lamps)
- Sound management (acoustic panels, classroom zones)
- Visual organization (reducing clutter, creating defined spaces)
- Movement opportunities (standing workstations, movement pathways)

Each group will reflect on their top 3 most feasible ideas.

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So you might think that a sensory-friendly experience or environment is something that happens at the movies, the theatre, or a store. Consider that a sensory-friendly environment is needed at school too! Many children, both with and without diagnoses of sensory disorders, have sensory sensitivities. Schools and teacher often do not know how to help students with the creation of a sensory-friendly classroom. Read on to learn how schools and teachers can offer a sensory-friendly experience at school that supports students to learn and thrive.

Tanya White, social worker and mother of 6 children, 4 of whom have autism. She shares her experience and knowledge about the importance of creating inclusive education in schools. Furthermore, White highlights the advocacy work she is does to promote inclusive education for all students.

What is a sensory-friendly classroom?

The physical space

It is important to understand what a sensory-friendly classroom is and its purpose. Simply put, a sensory-friendly classroom modifies two key things. First the classroom space, and second, the learning experience to be inclusive of all students.

There physical characteristics of sensory-friendly classrooms include:

The learning experience

However, many teachers and parents may not be aware of how to adapt the learning experience to make it sensory-friendly, too. For many students, traditional ways of teaching are not effective. Furthermore, it causes students to feel overwhelmed and insecure about their ability to learn. There are several different ways to make learning sensory-friendly. For example:

Include movement or "sensory" breaks.

Have dedicated quiet study times.

Create a daily schedule of activities.

Ensure regular review of the daily schedule of activities, so students can prepare for the sensory experience that comes next.

Develop a classroom "routine"; so that students can create habits.

White speaks on her experiences within the education system and states,

"We talk about universal design for learning and making appropriate accommodation. I don't feel autism itself is understood in the education system. I am baffled that parents still have to fight to have sensory tools in the classroom. They are still looked at as toys and distractions."
Tanya White, social worker, parent.

Tanya White's children. Nikki is front and centre and going up from him to the left: Zachary, Teehan, Liam, Luke, Drew. Photo Credit: Judith Mattie September, 2020.

Problems with "standard" classrooms.

There are several sensory issues with the set-up of classrooms. White shares some of her children's experiences with difficulties that they had while at school. She states that the bright lights, crowded classrooms, and noisy environments are all problematic. In fact, research has found that classroom design, layout and level of support correlate with a student's educational success. Ultimately, leads to a sensory overload response and creates a negative learning environment.

The sensory issues at schools are apparent when talking to White about her childrens' experiences. For instance, she explained that one of her children, Nikki, was consistently taking several "washroom breaks" a day. However, in reality, this was Nikki's coping method to remove themselves from the sensory-rich classroom environment. Ultimately, this was due to the lack of accommodations made.

Furthermore, something in particular that she noted is Nikki's difficulty paying attention to verbal cues while at school. In one incidence, White describes the inaccessibility of instructing children when to come inside from recess. She states:

When the first of my children with HFASD (high functioning autism spectrum disorder) started school, he was reprimanded and punished for repeatedly not lining up when the recess bell rang, signalling it was time to come into the school following recess. In truth, he couldn't hear the bell, and as a child who was often alone, he didn't have the social cues to follow that would have encouraged him to line up. His brain is overloaded by the noise and congestion of kids playing. It took the principal "observing" him outside at recess before what I understood and knew about my child was believed. Going forward, my child had an Educational Assistant or teacher gently touch his shoulder to remind him that the bell rang.
Tanya White, social worker, parent

Sensory-friendly solutions for teachers.

A question that a lot of parents and teachers have, "How can I effectively support students with sensory sensitivities?" According to White, learning and embracing student's differences is a crucial step to create inclusive education. Thus, teachers then create a holistic and diverse environment that supports student's needs.

An effective way to learn more about diverse learners is through open communication with the students and parents. Based on White's experience, many of the issues and concerns about her children's education would have resolved with improved communication between educators, parents and children. However, many students are wrongfully punished for their "abnormal" behavior. Oftentimes this is due to their diverse minds and unique ways of thinking. Additionally, parents are given little say in the teaching style and discipline of their children while at school. Therefore, it's important to establish strong relationships with students and caregivers that promotes inclusion.

Tanya White and her late husband Patrick. Photo Credit: Lynette Mason.

Sensory-friendly classrooms and inclusive education.

White does a lot of advocacy work reiterating the importance of developing more inclusive education. She explains that the design of the current public education system is a "one-size-fits-all". Unfortunately, this means that schools only support one specific type of learner. Hence, this makes it difficult to support more diverse learners and limits their ability to succeed.

To achieve true inclusion requires understanding and embracing the inherent differences that make us individually human; acknowledging the spectrum of diverse experiences, ways of being, and interpretations of the world; taking a holistic person-centred approach and a willingness to create policies and practices to meet individual needs and differences. There can not be a one-size-fits-all approach; indeed, it is solely counterproductive to inclusive design. Not all children bloom at the same time nor under the same circumstances or environments. As Alexander Den Heijer once said, "when a flower doesn't bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower"-a central understanding of true inclusion.
Tanya White, social worker, parent

Children's development: its unique.

Additionally, White explains that it is important to understand that every child develops differently. Therefore, not every student will be able to advance to the next school grade after each academic year. Critically, there needs to be greater flexibility within the education system. By forcing a student to "advance" to the next school grade when they are not ready can result in several consequences. Moreover, this includes poor learning skills and mental health consequences.

White explains that repeating a school year does not mean a student "fails" academically. In contrast, it simply means the student was not yet ready to progress to the next grade. White implores that the stigma surrounding students repeating an academic year and the lack of inclusive education must shift. Therefore, educators, caregivers, parents and the general public needs support flexibility to promote the success of all students. Finally, parents should not have to fight for their children to be appropriately accommodated at school.

To learn more about inclusive education and White's advocacy work, check out her change.org page.

Thank you to parent and social worker Tanya White for sharing her experiences and valuable knowledge about what sets her children up for success in a sensory-friendly classroom.

Interested in other sensory-friendly topics related to school? Check out:

Find tools for the classroom:

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How to Create a Sensory-Friendly Classroom

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So you might think that a sensory-friendly experience or environment is something that happens at the movies, the theatre, or a store. Consider that a sensory-friendly environment is needed at school too! Many children, both with and without diagnoses of sensory disorders, have sensory sensitivities.

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Create a sensory-inclusive classroom action plan that includes:
1. Assessment of your current teaching environment's sensory profile
2. Identification of 3-5 priority modifications with implementation timeline
3. Alignment with relevant standards (UDL, InTASC, AOTA)
4. Strategy for measuring impact on student engagement and participation

Plans be focused on feasibility, evidence-based practices, and standards alignment.

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Complete individually before signing off:
- 3 sensory modulation strategies you plan to implement
- 2 ways these strategies align with UDL principles
- 1 anticipated challenge and how you might address it

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Complete the sentence: "One way I will make my classroom more sensory-inclusive within the next week is..."

Write on an index card to take with you as a reminder of your learning and commitment.

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Complete a sensory audit of your current teaching space:
1. Document current sensory features across all 8 sensory systems
2. Identify 3 strengths and 3 areas for improvement
3. Note which students might benefit from specific modifications
4. Connect observations to UDL principles

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American Occupational Therapy Association. (2020). Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain and process (4th ed.). American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(Suppl. 2), 7412410010. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.74S2001

CAST. (2018). Universal Design for Learning guidelines version 2.2. http://udlguidelines.cast.org

Council of Chief State School Officers. (2013). InTASC model core teaching standards and learning progressions for teachers 1.0: A resource for ongoing teacher development. Author.

Dunn, W. (2014). Sensory profile 2: User’s manual. Pearson.

Sensory Processing 101. (n.d.). What is sensory processing disorder? https://sensoryprocessing101.com

Teach Starter Publishing. (2023). Supporting students with sensory processing disorder in the classroom. https://www.teachstarter.com