I go from one IEP to the next, all across the country, and what I see more than anything are common themes addressing “sensory diets, “sensory intergration”, and “sensory profiles”. No matter what diagnosis presents itself within the evaluation, whether Autism, ADD/ADHD, Down Syndrome, or specific learning disabilities, many of the students within my caseload feature sensory needs as a critical element of the overall picture.
And consistently, the following scenario plays out in such cases: When asked, “How does sensory present within your child’s life as a gift, a strength, or an asset?”, frequently, parents often share a similar theme; “my child’s sensitivity toward animals, others, nature, or just within the environment is amazing … it’s as if s/he knows things or feels things that the rest of us just don’t know”. For example, one of my clients described her son as someone who “knows how we feel without us saying anything; he seems to be so empathic and sensitive”. Another client talks about her daughter from the perspective, “She seems to connect with people on a whole different level, as if she is an old soul.” Time after time, I hear remarkable stories about children who are acutely sensitive and demonstrate attributes which are often associated with very insightful people. Some of these kids experience extraordinary dreams, intense sense of clairvoyance, or seem to have a knowingness associated with “old souls”.
Then again, as these kids move through infancy and childhood, these talents, gifts, or attributes, often create a formula for anxiety because they are not emotionally prepared to handle the sensory bombardment associated with living in this world, especially, within schools. So the following behavior patterns tend to be relevant in these cases: Sensory overload = Anxiety/Agitation = Compensatory Behavior. And that’s where I come in. As an Education Consultant, often addressing very complex cases, behavior tends to be the focus of the IEP. I call this pattern the “Inconvenient Truth of Special Education”. Simply, if the student is compliant and docile, then there is little traction within the IEP process; this may lend itself to years and years of being outside the radar with needs never being addressed. Whereas, when there is behavior at the forefront of the student’s profile, the need for an IEP takes center stage and will be placed at the front of the line. So when we are addressing sensory issues related to ADHD, Autism, and other manifestations within the sensory profile, it’s all about finding the relationship between antecedents (causes-triggers) and the behavior. Most often, the correlation comes back to sensory overload and anxiety associated with this experience.
Unfortunately, within the context of functional behavior analysis, when schools take a deeper look at the behaviors associated with defiance, disruption, or distraction, most behavior plans land upon one of two causes: Avoidance or Attention seeking. So in a nutshell, from what I read in behavior plans across the country, most students are either avoiding work or seeking the attention of others and that’s about as far as it goes. Then, the common approach found within these plans will present cognitive strategies where you are trying to manipulate the motivations of these students with stickers, rewards, high interest activities, or punishments. Rather than changing the environment, which is often the cause of the sensory response associated with many sensory related behaviors, the system attempts to change the child with token approaches or reward systems which may yield temporary changes. Nevertheless, when sensory issues are at the core of a child’s behavior, manipulative attempts fail to last the test of time. We tend to forget that behavior is a form communication. And an effective functional behavior analyst will get to the root of the cause and listen, hear, observe, or see the true relationship between behavior and communication. For all roads don’t lead to avoidance or attention. From my perspective, many of these extraordinary kids are telling us the following:
1. Please create a learning environment which decreases anxiety, worry, stress, and tension; one which creates ease, comfort, and peace.
2. Please create a learning environment which addresses the gift, talent, and the interest I was called upon to do; give me something to learn and experience which addresses the passion I have within that needs to get out.
3. Please take notice of me for who I am; relationship is everything within the context of learning for I am more interested in our connection as people rather than the content of what you are trying to present each day.
Sensory kids are truly sense-ational!