By: Sarah Evanko, OTR/L

As we re-enter the classrooms our children are going to be making new friends, learning, and growing! You may ask yourself, “Why is my child having such a hard time paying attention in school?” Which many parents may be wondering? In a typical classroom, there are so many sensory sensations that occur all at the same time. Below is a list of the different challenges. To help encourage your child’s ongoing participation in class, talk to your occupational therapist to discuss creating a specialized sensory diet.

• Tactile
  • Art Class (using clay, glue, paint, sand, glitter)
  • Keeping masks on all-day
  • Clothing choices (too tight, itchy, etc.)
  • Touching others and their items
  • Eating snacks, or certain foods at lunch
  • Washing hands or using sanitizer
• Visual
  • Lights in the classroom (too bright or too dim)
  • Copying words off the board
  • Reading from a book
  • Cutting with scissors
  • Writing name
  • Completing crafts
  • Playing catch
• Auditory
  • School bells
  • Fire alarms
  • Toilets flushing
  • Students talking in the room
  • Class exchange
  • Pencil sharpeners
  • Pencils clicking
  • Gum chewing
  • Chairs scraping
• Proprioception
  • Sitting still in the chair (wanting to wiggle)
  • Standing still inline
  • Pressing too hard when writing or coloring
  • Playing too aggressively on the jungle gym
  • Standing too close or too far from peers
• Taste
  • Pickiness when eating undesirable lunch foods
• Smell
  • Lunchroom smells are a medley of challenges for friends that are sensitive
  • Smells in public bathrooms
  • Art supplies
• Vestibular
  • Being either afraid or seeking out swings/jungle gyms
  • Clumsiness when walking
  • Nervousness around stairs
  • Sitting on toilets