History of the Sensory Program at Allegheny Valley School

Since 2003, Allegheny Valley School (AVS) has devoted significant time and resources to develop a Sensory Program specifically geared toward individuals with severe developmental disabilities.  While many assessment tools to identify sensory processing problems in children and adults with less severe problems exist, AVS identified a need for these types of resources for individuals with significant cognitive and physical disabilities.  The Sensory Program that has been developed includes a checklist, worksheet and summary along with a user's guide for these tools.  In addition, a set of sensory activities has been developed to allow the staff to have ready access to techniques that benefit each individual based on his or her sensory preferences and needs.

 

In 1999, the first sensory room was installed at AVS to provide individuals with visual, auditory, tactile and olfactory stimulation.  A variety of exciting equipment was incorporated into the room, including bubble columns, fiber optic light strands, optokinetic projection wheels, sound systems and aromatherapy. 

 

While the staff was enthusiastic about the sensory equipment available, program administrators observed that using the sensory equipment fully was limited by minimal training opportunities and ongoing support for the staff.  It was determined that the development of a comprehensive sensory program was necessary in order for clients to achieve maximum benefits from sensory activities.  As a result, AVS began pursuing a grant with the Pittsburgh Foundation for the development of a comprehensive sensory program.  The grant proposed to hire a consultant to design and coordinate the program and develop a checklist and other tools to evaluate an individual's sensory-based characteristics, implement training programs for the staff and provide ongoing support, to meet regularly with staff and to serve as an in-house resource.  The grant was awarded for a two-year period and began in April 2003.

 

During the first year of the grant, much of the groundwork was laid.  Accomplishments included:

Moving into the second year of the grant, further work was completed:

While a great deal of progress was made in two years, AVS recognized that there was great interest in the community among other providers and families and wanted to more widely share information about sensory development.  As the initial grant was coming to a close, AVS pursued a grant from the FISA Foundation to extend the consultant for a third year and to purchase additional equipment.  The funding is allowing the following goals to be accomplished:

Allegheny Valley School's Sensory Development Program is a set of tools that have been developed to address the sensory motor development needs of those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These tools are designed to be used together to identify sensory areas in which targeted activities may be beneficial for an individual and to provide a resource for such activities.  

 

The Allegheny Valley School Sensory Checklist and accompanying tools were created to identify areas of sensory processing that may impact the daily functioning of individuals. The checklist, based on sensory integration theory, was developed as part of the comprehensive sensory program and provides a means of collecting and analyzing information that reflects an individual's response to sensory stimuli.  Based on the checklist results, these activities may range from enriching the individual's sensory environment to improve enjoyment and quality of life to activities targeted to enhance sensory processing in a specific sensory area.

 

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities have a high incidence of sensory processing problems. A sensory processing problem can show up in many different ways, depending on which sensory systems are not working well and on the severity of the problem.  We may see an individual having trouble with simple, everyday activities, problems with learning, difficulty with motor skills, or showing behavioral problems that really have a sensory origin. The goals of the AVS Sensory Development Program are to:

By employing a sensory approach to caring for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, we can easily build in techniques to daily routines that can help an individual manage more effectively throughout his or her day.

 

The program has been copyrighted and is available for purchase from TFH by calling 1-800-467-6222 or online at http://www.tfhusa.com/.  Individuals from AVS' Zapp Center are involved in putting the program materials together and a portion of the proceeds from sales of the program are used to fund further expansion of sensory offerings within the AVS network.

 

All children need movement and sensory experiences to learn. Young children are active and curious. They love to move and use sensations from exploring to learn about their bodies and what is around them. When children cannot explore and experience, normal development and learning are hindered. Understanding the need for sensory stimulation for normal development to occur helps us to understand why those with intellectual and developmental disabilities have difficulty with sensorimotor skills and social/emotional interactions with others.

 

Sensory information is information that comes into the brain from all the senses including vision, hearing, touch, taste, smell and two others that we often don't think about the vestibular, or movement system, and proprioceptive system which gives information from our muscles and joints.  The inner ear senses vestibular input.  These last two systems tell our brain where our body is in space and what is and is not a part of our body.

 

The tactile (touch), vestibular and propioceptive systems together are the basic sensory systems that allow us to establish a foundation of who we are and what is around us.  If there is a problem with the brain getting and using input from these three basic systems, information from the other senses cannot be interpreted and used.

 

People with normally developed sensory and motor systems constantly take in information from their bodies and the outside environment. As we are bombarded by sensory information all day, our brain acts as a filter to help us to pay attention to what is important. This allows us to make sense of the world and to respond to it appropriately. 

 

For example, those with typically developed sensory systems can carry on a conversation at work with another person even though there may be fire sirens outside and a heater running in the background.  Our brains automatically filter out these other noises so that we can listen and talk.  We can also tune out the unimportant auditory input in different situations such as the grocery store, the mall or at home.  Those with sensory problems may be able to filter out those extra noises.  Because they pay attention to the irrelevant sounds, they are unable to focus on a conversation under those conditions.  Or they may follow a conversation with someone at home but be too distractible in other situations.

 

Sensory function is reflected by an individual's behavior.  We cannot directly see or measure how someone responds to sensory input.  Looking at behavioral responses can help to tell us how well an individual is using sensory information and if there are problems with sensory processing.

 

A sensory processing problem can show up in many different ways.  It depends on which sensory systems are not working well and on the severity of the problem.  There may be problems with one or more of the senses. The first step in looking at sensory processing is to know how an individual is using and responding to sensory input throughout the day. 

 

Careful observation and knowing an individual's responses are critical.  The AVS Sensory Checklist has been developed to gather this information.  The Checklist can help to identify areas of concern that may be affecting daily life activities.  From the identified areas of concern, specific and targeted activities can be selected for an individual's benefit.

 

For the individuals with sensory processing problems, any task becomes more difficult, even very simple tasks can become very challenging and stressful.

 

Think about how your interaction with others would be changed if you felt pain or a threat every time you were touched.  This is what happens to some individuals who do not have normal sensory processing and have a defensive reaction to normal touching.

 

Individuals show different behaviors when they have sensory processing problems.  Here is another example:

 

Often times we see individuals who seem to be distracted by everything that happens in a room.  They are not able to filter out what is happening around them in order to stay focused on a task.  For example, if there is a window in the room the individual may be distracted by seeing people outside.  Or if there is a sudden loud noise, the individual may be so distracted by the noise that it takes a long while to again focus on the task at hand.  Doing a familiar task at home can be very different from trying to do the same task at school where the sensory environment is different.

 

Because our brains automatically filter sensory input that we don't need, it is hard for us to imagine how much a sensory processing problem can impact daily activities.

All of us have sensory motor preferences that we use to keep us in an alert, active state throughout the day so that we can best respond in our day to day activities. We automatically and unconsciously do something to help us to focus.  If we find ourselves falling asleep at work, we may find ourselves swinging our leg, fidgeting with a pencil or moving around in our chair to keep alert.  We do these things unconsciously because our brains automatically want to get the sensory input our bodies need.  We may take off or put on clothing to keep us comfortable so that we can pay attention to what we are doing.  Have you noticed how hard it is to focus on what you are doing if you are extremely cold or extremely hot and uncomfortable?  You may drink caffeinated beverages, eat a crunchy snack or tap your fingers on the table to help you pay attention.

 

Think about how you feel on a bad day.  Driving to work, you nearly miss hitting a child who stepped out in front of your car. Then you encounter a huge traffic jam due to an accident and run into work late.  At work, they are testing the fire alarm system over and over.  The fluorescent lights in your work area are burning out and blinking and the walls that were painted last night still smell strongly. You realize that you are wearing a shirt with a tag that constantly irritates your neck. Do you think that all of this might make it harder than usual for you to stay focused? 

 

Even a sensory system that functions normally can become overly aroused.  When our nervous systems are in a high state of arousal as discussed in the paragraph above, we automatically engage in activities to help bring us back to a calmer state.  For example, at the end of a stressful day we can do things to relax ourselves and calm down.  Perhaps we turn on music that we enjoy, lie down in a quiet room or go out for a run.

 

For individuals with  and certain types of sensory disorders, their sensory systems may also become under or over aroused. However, they do not have the ability to change their own environments. They depend on us to recognize their difficulties so that we can develop strategies to help them stay in a calm, alert state so that they can better accomplish tasks and enjoy what they are doing.

 

Think about how you set up your own surroundings when you really need to concentrate.   Do you like to have bright lights?  Do you need to have a clear, uncluttered work space or is a cluttered area fine?  Do you need to have complete quiet or do you enjoy music playing while you work?  Do you like upbeat rock music or more calming, classical music?  Everyone has preferences that make them comfortable and mist effective.

 

For those individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who do not have specific sensory disorders, providing an enriched sensory environment for them adds to their quality of life and enjoyment. Every environment is multisensory.  We need to develop an awareness of the environment and create structure to best benefit the individual.  There are lots of ways to set up a room and select activities that are beneficial.

 

If an individual has severe problems with sensory processing, careful evaluation by a therapist is necessary so that appropriate, controlled sensory input can be provided that is therapeutic for the individual. It is important to know that just we cannot just bombard individuals with sensory stimulation and expect therapeutic benefits. 

 

There are many resources available to help us to understand why it is so hard for individuals with sensory processing disorders to function and why we often see behavioral problems or a lack of interest in activities as a result.

 

If we have a sensory orientation in our approach, we can easily build in techniques that can help an individual throughout his or her day.  Even small changes in the environment and the sensory experiences that we offer individuals can make a big difference in their lives.