SENSORY NEEDS AND INTERVENTIONS FOR DEAF STUDENTS WITH ADDITIONAL DISABILITIESCHRISTY BORDERS, STACEY JONES BOCK, AND KRISTI PROBST

ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY

DEAF WITH ADDITIONAL DISABILITIES

• Over 40% of children with DHH have an additional disability

• Disability labels may change depending on what appears to be the most

impacting

• Placement drives program

• Academic placement changes impact overall growth trajectory

• Behavior is always a concern with this population

RESEARCH ON THE TOPIC

WHAT DO YOU SEE HERE?

HOW ABOUT HERE?

KNOWLEDGE OF ADDITIONAL DISABILITIES

• You all know about characteristics and diagnosis of Deafness/Hearing Impairment

• Characteristics of the additional disability may overlap with D/HH

• ASD – triad of impairment

• Speech Language Impairment

• Low Vision/Blindness

• Severe ADHD

• Developmental Delay

• The list continues

WHAT ARE YOUR SENSORY NEEDS?

• The Sensory Profile- take a minute to rate yourself.

SENSORY SYSTEMS

Sensory Processing

Sensory Processing is the procedure in which we take in sensory information from our bodies and surroundings

OLFACTORY

• Olfactory input is our sense of smell

GUSTATORY

• Gustatory input is the sense of taste

TACTILE

• Tactile input is the sense of touch.

VESTIBULAR

• Vestibular input is the sense of movement and balance and

position in space

PROPRIOCEPTIVE

• Proprioceptive input is the sense of body position

• Located in the muscles and joints

VISUAL

• Visual input is the sense of vision or sight.

• Located in the retina of the eye

AUDITORY

• Auditory input is our sense of hearing.

• Located in the inner ear.

LET’S GO BACK TO THE VIDEOS

• What do you see with Julie?

• What do you see with Clarisa?

SENSORY INTEGRATION AND PROCESSING

• A process that involves organizing sensation from the body and environment

for use (Ayers, 1979)

• Sensory integration can be broken down into 5 components

• Registration

• Orientation/ Attention

• Interpretation

• Organization of a Response

• Execution of a Response

REGISTRATION

• Sensory registration occurs when one first becomes aware of a sensory event.

ORIENTATION

• Orientation allows someone to pay attention to new sensory input being

received.

INTERPRETATION

• Our brain interprets and gives meaning to sensory

information

• The ability to interpret sensory information allows us

to determine what to respond to.

ORGANIZATION OF RESPONSE

• Our brain determines if a response to a sensory message is necessary

RUN

EXECUTION OF ADAPTED RESPONSE

• The execution of a response is the final stage of the sensory integration

process.

• A response is an action that generates the process to begin again.

COLLABORATION & INTEGRATION

• Lots of overlapping and collaboration amongst the sensory systems.

Tactile

Olfactory

Visual

Gustatory

VestibularProprioceptive

Auditory

WHY IS SELF-REGULATION SO IMPORTANT?

Communication Socialization

Behavior

HOW DOES THIS AFFECT AN INDIVIDUAL WITH DEAFNESS AND ADDITIONAL DISABILITIES?

• Faulty filters

• Alertness

• Arousal levels

• Hypersensitivities

• Hyposensitivities

US OR THEM

• What are your issues?

• What are your strategies?

• What are common issues with

the students with sensory

dysfunction?

• What are traditional methods

for addressing sensory

dysfunction?

FFPBS, 2004

BEHAVIOR

• Serves a function

• Is communication

• Is reinforced

• Occurs in a context

• Don’t forget, behavior may serve

many different functions!

FUNCTIONS OF BEHAVIOR

• Remember….

• Sensory

• Escape

• Attention

• Tangible

• …Power and Control…

S E A T

TACTILE SYSTEM

HYPERSENSITIVE

• Resists being touched

• Avoids getting messy

• Eating issues

• Self-help / Grooming

• Temperature & pain

• Discomfort with clothing

HYPOSENSITIVE

• May have a high pain tolerance

• Likes pressure

• Seeks rough and tumble

• Prone to self injury- low reaction

to temperature and pain

• May mouth hands or objects

• May constantly touch objects or

other people

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN…

• The student has hyper/hypo tactile sensitivity?

VISUAL SYSTEM

HYPERSENSITIVE

• Dislike of dark and bright lights

• Frightened by sharp flashes of light

(i.e lightening)

• May look down a lot to try to

block out excessive stimulus

HYPOSENSITIVE

• Attracted to light - stares

• Stares intensely at objects and

people

• Fascinated by shadows and

reflections

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN…

• The student has hyper/hypo visual sensitivity?

AUDITORY

HYPERSENSITIVE

• Unable to filter out noises

• Avoids sounds and noises - dislikes

crowds, storms etc

• Self care tasks difficult

• May use own voice to ‘drown out’

environmental noise

HYPOSENSITIVE

• Seeks noisy environments

• Likes to make noise

• Makes loud rhythmic noises

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN…

• The student has hyper/hypo auditory sensitivity?

OLFACTORY

HYPERSENSITIVE

• May find any environment

overpowering

• May show extreme aversive

reactions to odors and substances

• Will not use toilets

HYPOSENSITIVE

• May smell things obsessively

• Seeks strong odors

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN…

• The student has hyper/hypo olfactory sensitivity?

GUSTATORY

HYPERSENSITIVE

• Poor eater

• Uses tip of tongue for eating

• Gags/vomits easily

• Craves certain foods

HYPOSENSITIVE

• Eats everything

• Mouths and licks objects

• Eats mixed foods ( i.e. several

tastes in combination)

• Regurgitates

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN…

• The student has hyper/hypo gustatory sensitivity?

PROPRIOCEPTIVE

HYPERSENSITIVITIES

• Places body in strange positions

• Turns whole body when looking

• Difficulty manipulating small

objects

HYPOSENSITIVITIES

• Low muscle tone

• Lack of awareness of body in space

• Tendency to fall

• Rocks back and forth

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN…

• The student has hyper/hypo proprioceptive sensitivity?

VESTIBULAR

HYPERSENSITIVE

• Fearful reactions to ordinary

movement activities

• Difficulties walking or crawling

over uneven or unstable surfaces

• Dislikes being upside down

• Becomes anxious or distressed

when feet leave the ground

HYPOSENSITIVE

• Enjoys swings, merry-go-rounds -

may be excessive

• Spins, runs round and round

• Rocks back and forth

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN…

• The student has hyper/hypo vestibular sensitivity?

DO YOU KNOW YOU?

• What picture would you draw?

PRIORITIZING PROBLEM BEHAVIORS

• Does the behavior threaten the life of the individual? Yes No

• Does the behavior threaten the physical well being of the individual? Yes No

• Does the behavior threaten the physical well being of others? Yes No

• Does the behavior interfere with the educational progress of the individual? Yes No

• Does the behavior interfere with the educational progress of others in the setting? Yes No

• Does the behavior result in destruction or damage to materials? Yes No

• Does the behavior become more serious if there is no intervention at the present? Yes No

• Does the behavior interfere with social acceptance by others in society? Yes No

(Adapted from Demchak & Bossert, 1996)

HELP!

• Describe a child you are currently supporting that is not learning at the rate you would like.

• Use descriptive terminology including specific sensory observations but please avoid names.

• Briefly list the interventions you have tried.

• Rate the child’s behavior on a scale from 1-5 for interference with learning. (1= rarely

interferes and 5= always interferes) in the following environments:

• School environment

• Home

• Dorm

• Community

DIRECT OBSERVATION

• Most accurate representation of the student's behavior

• Observe the behaviors as they occur in the environment

• Analyze the antecedents and consequences

• Use to predict when the behavior will occur and why it is occurring

(function)

WHAT IS YOUR REINFORCEMENT?

THE ONLY WAY TO INCREASE BEHAVIOR IS TO KNOW REINFORCERS

• Understand there is a difference between ‘liking’ something and ‘working’ for something

• Don’t tell me you can’t get the child to work for anything…this means you haven’t found

Alpha Omega

• Use sensory preferences for reinforcers

• The only constant is change– be prepared to make changes to the reinforcement list over

time

• Take them out of rotation– it’s a reinforcer, not an addiction (Diet Coke, coffee)

METHODS FOR DETERMINING REINFORCERS

• Ask the student

• Having the student list reinforcers in order of preference

• Observe the student

• Reinforcer sampling/Preference Assessment

QUESTIONS OR NEED A SPECIFIC RESOURCE?

• Christy Borders

• christy.borders@illinoisstate.edu

• (309) 438-5829