0 Monique Thoonsen, Carmen Lamp, Ruud Bijman
Every teacher knows them - the students who are continuously balancing on their chair legs or who prefer to hide in their hoodies all day long. These students are using all kinds of tricks to be able to stay focused, as they are under- or overresponsive to sensory input and trying to restore their balance.
Children who struggle with processing sensory input can experience a wide range of symptoms, including hypersensitivity to sound, sight and touch, poor fine motor skills and easy distractibility. Using this accessible, science-based guide, school staff can support these students by understanding their symptoms and how they impact their learning.
Teachers can learn to look at students in a different way: through so-called 'SPi glasses', introduced in the book. With these glasses on, you learn to recognise behaviours linked to sensory processing and respond quickly, easily and with more understanding, without using a diagnosis, medication or therapy. The techniques provided help children feel settled and soothed at school, enabling them to learn and communicate better. Creating the perfect learning environment for all students - a sensory supportive classroom - this tried and tested guide is an essential tool for teachers (with or without prior knowledge of SPD), to better support and understand their students and their sensory needs.
Preface - Professor Winnie Dunn
Introduction
1 Stimulate your sensory side
2 Do you prefer a double espresso or green tea?
3 The first link: the eight senses
4 Before you begin
5 Strategies in the classroom
6 Strategies outside the classroom
7 More about strategies and tools
8 Layout of the classroom
9 Organize the classroom
10 Tips for teaching methods
PART IV The teacher with SPi-Glasses
11 Practice makes perfect
12 He never does that when he's with me
"The content applies to anyone in teaching! This book facilitates practical application in a classroom situation. It's very accessible and useful."
- Kim Capone, Primary school teacher, West Kent
"Very engaging and lots of great examples. I really like the flow of information from neurology to practical application. It's very thorough! it is a great book, with lots of helpful information and strategies for the classroom."
- Gwen Wild, MOT, OTR/L, Sensational Brain LLC, Co-Author of Just Right!
"The illustrations and charts make the processes clear, with simple strategies & good explanations of the strategies that teachers can put into their classrooms. I like the fact that a lot of the suggested strategies can be used for individual students and /or the whole class.This would be great information for the teachers to have at the beginning of the start of the school year to be prepared in the layout of the room but also with knowledge of what to do when they encounter children with sensory needs."
- Karen Apgar, Occupational Therapist, USA
