There were three donors for this project.
SENSORY SUPPORTS ARE SENSIBLE!
Help me give my students sensory supports like the weighted vest and lap blanket that will help them function more effectively in the classroom
My Students
I teach 3-5 year old special needs children housed in a public school in our community. They are included in a pre-k center with typical functioning children. My kiddos have a variety of special needs including: autism, physical limitations, speech and language delays, sensory differences, deafness, and cognitive delays. The main emphasis in our classroom is language and social skills.
Almost daily we are able to celebrate accomplishments that may seem small to most, but are HUGE for our little ones with exceptionalities.
Just today our little guy with down syndrome said his first two word sentence! "Ball in." It was a big deal! Another has begun to "go" in the potty. It's like a party each time he does. Even pointing to a picture to make a choice for snack is a giant step for some.
Teaching these exceptional children has been the highlight of my teaching career. They are so excited to learn new things and be involved in new experiences.
My Project
Children with sensory differences have difficulties with processing information from the five senses: vision, auditory, touch, olfaction, and taste, as well as from the sense of movement (vestibular system), and/or the positional sense (proprioception).
Learning to deal with sensory issues is very frustrating for the very young children in my class.
Items such as the weighted vest and weighted blanket can help a child feel "grounded" and enable them to calm themselves when upset.
Other items such as the chewy toys provide sensory output for children who "mouth" items . Many children with autism are also very sensitive to noises, music, etc. The sound reducing ear phones will be so beneficial to them in and out of the classroom.
These types of resources will assist my children in beginning to learn to regulate their sensory difficulties.
