Autism in Mainstream Schools

Multisensory equipment: not just for special education settings

Every school, whether mainstream or special education, includes students who could benefit from support through a range of specialist sensory equipment.

Autism affects about one in 100 children, with an estimated 71% of children with autism now attending a mainstream school, so it is more important than ever to help students on the autistic spectrum get the support they need to thrive in a mainstream school setting. Continue reading →

What is Aspergers Syndrome?

Aspergers Syndrome is a lifelong developmental disability like other conditions on the autism spectrum. It affects the way people interact with others around them, and how they perceive the world around them. Autism and Aspergers are more common in the UK than people realise with around 700,000 people living with Autism. Continue reading →

This month we are celebrating differences as we petition for awareness for autism. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 68 children (1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls) will be born each year having the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Continue reading →

Example of a calming sensory room

Planning  A Sensory Room

It’s like a sensory massage. Ahhhhh. Step into a sensory room, or otherwise known as a multisensory environment, and witness the profound effect on an individual in need. Soothing, calming, organizing and orienting are just a few benefits of time well spent in one of these special places. Continue reading →

It’s all a bit confusing when it comes to sensory differences or sensory processing disorder. Unless you’re an occupational therapist, you might find yourself scratching your head when you hear terms like sensory seeker, sensory avoider or sensory under responder. In general the terms are interchanged quite a bit, but sensory integration disorder can be summed up as a sensory processing challenge. Our five senses: taste, touch, sound, sight and smell as well as our sense of body awareness and our sense of motion work to help us understand our environment. For some individuals (aka neuro typical individuals) that process is quite efficient. And for others, well, not so efficient.
Continue reading →