Sensory-focused programs offered for EFMP families, community

The Fort Leavenworth Exceptional Family Member Program, in coordination with other organizations, presented sensory-themed programs, including an educational online workshop and the first monthly Sensory Story Time at the Combined Arms Research Library, this past week, and offers additional programs coming up to provide education and support to EFMP families and other community members.

Lunch and Learn

About 30 people attended the Microsoft Teams-based "Understanding and Supporting Sensory Needs," part of the Empowering Families Lunch and Learn Workshop Series, presented Jan. 18 by the Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training (K-CART) at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., and the Exceptional Family Member Programs at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.; Fort Riley, Kan.; and McConnell Air Force Base, Wichita, Kan.

Dr. Becky Nicholson, clinical assistant professor and Post Professional Doctoral Program director, Occupational Therapy Education Department at the University of Kansas, provided an overview of Dunn's Model of Sensory Processing — which includes bystander (people who don't notice sensory things), seeker (people who are always seeking more sensory input), sensor (people who notice things such as texture), and avoider (people who are uncomfortable with sensations and will avoid the stimulation) — and said everyone falls somewhere within the model's quadrants. She explained that understanding the model and where someone falls on it, helps to address a person's needs.

"Our goal with the sensory processing, Dunn's model, is not to change their sensory processing pattern but to help them to participate," Nicholson said. "We know certain diagnoses, (such as) people with attention deficit disorder, often have a very extreme sensory processing profile, that they will have extreme reactions to a lot of things, as well as children who are on the spectrum."

Nicholson described the model as a problem-solving tool.

"There's not a prescriptive measure, it's not an easy fix, there's not a magic wand that we can wave to say 'This is what they are and here's what we're going to do.'"

She said she tells students and parents that it is important to be aware of their own sensory processing needs to better understand how their needs might be interfering with others' needs or how they might be projecting their own sensory needs onto others with different sensory needs.

"As adults we have control over sensory exposure, and children don't, and that's why it is really important that we try to identify what their needs are and honor what their preferences are, we help them find strategies to cope."

Nicholson said she feels strongly that parents understanding their own sensory preferences and how sensory processing impacts daily life really helps them better understand their children's sensory preferences.

"You are the expert on your kid, and you know way more than I will ever know about them, and so I'm hoping to give you some tools and maybe some discussion points for your team, too."

Sound

Nicholson offered examples to illustrate each quadrant of the model. She said bystanders are not bothered by sound and might have the television, radio and computer on at the same time. Noise can be a trigger for sensors, like autistic author, speaker and educator Temple Grandin, who said she was afraid of babies and telephones because she never knew when they would make noise. Seekers might create their own noise by whistling, humming or tapping if there isn't enough noise for them. Avoiders turn down music, cover their ears and use noise-cancelling headphones to eliminate whistles, bells and the conversations of others.

She said the difference between sensors and avoiders, which might seem similar, is that sensors react strongly no matter what and avoiders actively seek ways to get out of situations with noise.

"Think about your own sound — can you think of sounds that are really bothersome to you? Or think about what you need in different contexts, what do you do when you are in a certain situation? If you are working on something, people tend to need to have silence; however, there are people that are able to seek out quiet music or the sound of a fan, something that gives them some white noise that is going to be settling, because too much silence can be bothersome to them if they are a person who is a seeker."

Nicholson responded affirmatively to a question from a parent, whose child talks a lot but puts on headphones while others are talking, that people can definitely be a combination of the quadrants.

"I am a seeker of colors and visual things and textures and things like that, but I am overwhelmed by noise," Nicholson said. "Some people are seekers of movement, they engage in very busy sports. You can have seeking in one type of sensory processing, but not in another. It depends on what you are doing, where you are doing it, and what the other demands in the environment could be."

Touch

Nicholson continued to offer examples how people fall in different, and multiple, areas of the model.

She said bystanders don't notice if their clothing is fitting properly and they bump into people. Seekers want to touch others, especially when they are talking to them, and might use items like a fidget spinner. A sensor can become startled when they are touched unexpectedly, and avoiders stay at arms-length from people.

"Touch has both stimulating properties and calming, so if it's a firm touch, if it's a deep touch, we know that that tends to calm and can have a calming effect, whereas the lighter touch will tend to make people more alert, so touch tends to have a very extreme response for some of our kiddos that are on the spectrum."

Movement

Nicholson described how movement requirements could factor into a person's sensory preferences.

"The bystanders of the world will have no idea how they got scrapes or bruises or how that happened, they don't notice. Seekers will seek out rough play, they want to be in constant movement, they like amusement rides, they want to participate in those risky sports. A sensor will want to be in control, they want to drive the car, they want to be in control of how much movement they have. Avoiders are those kiddos, adults too, that prefer to have sedentary kind of activities, they don't want to have a lot of movement," she said.

"I think movement is one of those kind of tricky things to look at because kiddos that seek movement, they do need movement, and the reason this is important is that they need to have the right sensory input in order to be available for learning. ... We've got to get the right balance of what they need so they are at optimum levels to take in information and be able to participate in what we need and want for them to do."

She said finding appropriate ways to meet movement needs could include being allowed to stand up, change positions, walk around, and on the flip side, making sure those who do not need movement are not disrupted by walking around too much or not being in control of their movement.

"There are people who believe you can desensitize someone — the evidence doesn't support that. Your sensory preferences remain pretty stable throughout your life, so we don't try to change preferences, and the only exception to that is when a child (has) extreme limits in what they will eat, that's a different situation."

Nicholson said a sensory profile, completed by someone who knows the child well, can help care givers and teachers help accommodate a child's sensory needs. School occupational therapists can provide a sensory profile, which is also available at https://pearsonsassessments.com/store/usassessments/en/Store/Professional-Assessments/Motro-Sensory/Sensory-Profile-2/p/100000822.html.

"The majority of kids that I've worked with that have ADHD or are on the (autism) spectrum or anybody that we could tell were having sensory reactions to things, we have usually given them the sensory profile," Nicholson said.

"Sensory processing is a complex situation, and even though I've spent my lifetime studying about it and learning about it and learning from experts, I still learn something every day from children and families, and it is the part of my job that I like the most."

The Lunch and Learn Workshop Series programs are noon to 1 p.m. via Microsoft Teams. Upcoming programs include "Step Ahead at Age Three" Feb. 15, "Movin' On: Preparing for Your Next Move" March 21, and "Strategies for Supporting Your Child With Autism" April 18.

For more information or to register, call 913-684-2838/2871.