Customer Reviews

Answers to Questions Teachers Ask About Sensory Integration

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Sensory integration is well worth understanding because it is estimated that 20% of all students in the U.S. are affected by sensory integration issues. There is little offered to teachers who might have to work with children whose ability to learn is often clouded by affects of stimuli. Carol Stock Kranowitz is the author of one of the best books on the topic called "The Out of Sync Child." Stacey Szklut, occupational therapist, discusses practical advice on how to assist learning for children with sensory integration problems.

The book outlines how problems in sensory integration can adversely effect learning and how to develop useful strategies to help struggling students focus and absorb. The book also includes simple advice on how to improve educational and social success for kids with this particular LD and how to network with other teachers who have used various techniques to help their students engage. The book is geared toward preschool through high school teachers of all subjects.

I purchased a copy of this book to give to my SID kids teacher. There are good descriptions of the types of behaviors that many SID kids experience. In addition there are many fun activities that a teacher can use with all types of children in their classes that benefit all of the kids. My son's teacher appreciated getting this guide.

People on the autism/Asperger's (a/A) spectrum contend with a wide array of sensory issues, one of which is sensory integration. For many people on the spectrum, sorting out relevant stimuli from the extraneous can be difficult. Imagine being in a classroom and being distracted by the odors in the room, such as those from people and materials. Imagine having heightened sensory modes so that fire drills and alarms, as unpleasant as they are, are amplified. Dr. Temple Grandin equated fire drills to "dental drills in the ear," which is a very apt and accurate description.

Many people on the a/A spectrum often have trouble using multi-sensory modes, e.g. looking at someone while listening to them speak. The multitude of sensory input can be overwhelming, which in turn can lead to melt downs. This book does an extraordinary job of explaining these things and providing tips and resources for responding to sensory issues. The book also has some good information about how sensory distraction affects learning and strategies and techniques in working around this.

Former Beatle George Harrison unwittingly described the a/A experience with his stellar gem, "It's All Too Much." The lyric "it's all too much for me to see...it's all too much for me to take..." aptly describe sensory overload. It is not uncommon for people on the spectrum to close their eyes or go someplace private to come even after being bombarded with sensory input.

Be sure to read "The Out of Sync Child" and "The Out of Sync Child Has Fun" by Carol Stock Kranowitz. Those books are excellent companions to this one in exploring this further.

This book is a fantastic resource for the parents and teachers of a child with SPD. I plan on taking this with me when I meet my daughter's teachers at the beginning of the next school year. It has great recommendations for classroom accommodations that are simple to copy and provide to a teacher and make both their and my kid's life in the classroom a lot easier!

This book provides practical answers and ideas for helping children with sensory integration challenges to be succesful in the classroom.

I highly recommend all books by Carol Stock Kranowitz on this topic. This book is another winner. Some of her books have been translated into Spanish as well.