This is a new venture for myself and my staff. What do you do when the sheer vastness of environments in the adult community cause sensory issues? How do you help your students self regulate when the tools that are typically used are left in the sensory room or classroom? I don't really know the answer is...but I certainly know what it is NOT. Do not, in any way, see this as an issue that should prevent the student from going out in the community. What is the ultimate goal that we are all working towards? It may be easier to see in a transition based classroom, where you deal with it every day...but we are all working toward independence, comfort and success in the adult community. I can tell you, it will be very hard to get there, if the student never spends any time in the community!
This is an issue that we have faced more this year, in my classroom, than we have any other year. Our number of students needing sensory integration has increased over the years, and so we are being forced to face these new challenges. As I mentioned before, I do not have an answer, but we certainly have found things that work. Our first priority is always for our students to be safe, but we also want them to fit and blend into whatever adult environment we are exploring without bringing too much attention to ourselves. Considering this, are their natural sensory supports in this adult environment, that a student could access? One thing we have found working very well is to have a student who consistently needs grounding and proprioceptive input to carry the milk or laundry detergent while we are at the grocery store. This same student often travels in the community with a back pack, loaded down with "necessary" things (they are most necessary to keep this student regulated, and not necessary for much else). Another suggestion for the grocery store is to have the student with sensory needs push the cart. These are all very natural ways to meet student needs without drawing attention while out in the community.
Sometimes, however, a student has needs that cannot be met with a tweak here, or through things naturally found in the community, and sometimes the best solution isn't so subtle either. My priority remains the students safety, and sometimes it is necessary to take steps that don't blend in. It is in this case that I always ask myself, "what attracts more attention, a student having a meltdown because their unregulated, or a student who has their sensory needs met in a more obvious way?" Some things that come to mind are headphones for noise, glasses for light, weighted vests, fidgets and other sensory "toys." If it does the job, and there is nothing natural in the environment, it is what needs to be done.
The biggest thing I can recommend is don't be afraid to get out in the community and try things out. The student will never be able to adjust and begin to self regulate in the community, if they aren't given the chance. Head out with a couple tools and strategies, and if none of them work, its okay to turn around and head right back to that classroom...you are one step deeper into the community than you were before, and it WILL get easier!
Do you have any sensory tools that you have found work well out in the community?
Come to the edge with me...
Mackenzie
