| One of the challenges of educating students with | | | | such as modeling clay. They constantly touch or even |
| autism spectrum disorders is accommodating their | | | | bite themselves. Fidgety students crave the inputs that |
| sensory needs. Balancing too little vs. too much input is | | | | come from movement. |
| sometimes beyond educators who do not have the | | | | Autism schools have a variety of strategies to provide |
| experience of teaching children with autism. The need | | | | inputs in a safe manner that won't interfere with other |
| for this kind of specialized experience is why many | | | | activities. Weighted vests or textured chairs help |
| parents prefer their children attend a specialized autism | | | | students who need strong tactile inputs. Rocking chairs |
| school in New York rather than public school. | | | | allow a student to move while still paying attention to |
| Too Much Input | | | | class. Brightly colored tape helps a student locate the |
| Children with autism can be overwhelmed by sensory | | | | boundaries of a desk or the carpet used for circle |
| input. They might be mesmerized by brightly colored | | | | time. Through all of this, a structured schedule helps the |
| objects, run from a room when it gets to loud, or | | | | child with autism function smoothly. |
| refuse to eat foods with certain textures. An autism | | | | Finding Equilibrium |
| school classroom is set up to minimize the amount of | | | | Balancing the needs of an individual student with the |
| extraneous inputs that will distract students. | | | | needs of the class is a critical element in creating a |
| Carpet and soft furniture absorb excess noise. If a | | | | plan for educating an autistic child. If Child A needs |
| loud noise is coming, teachers warn the students so | | | | strong auditory input but Child B is oversensitive to |
| they are not startled. Classrooms have fewer bright | | | | sound, the needs of both children must be met. A |
| posters and use shades on the windows to regulate | | | | solution in this case could be to let Child A use an FM |
| the amount of light. Quiet areas allow students to get | | | | system and headphones so the teacher's voice is |
| away from things when they start to become | | | | louder, being careful of course the student does not |
| overwhelmed. Teachers wear less perfume or | | | | turn the volume so high it endangers hearing, while not |
| cologne. These steps allow students to focus on the | | | | interfering with Child B. |
| sensory input that is important without having to filter | | | | Accommodation of opposing needs one reason an |
| out irrelevant information. | | | | autism school in New York is better suited for ASD |
| Too Little Input | | | | students then public school. These institutions already |
| At the other end of the spectrum, students with autism | | | | know strategies that have worked in the past and |
| may have muted senses so crave strong inputs. They | | | | don't have to experiment to find the right solution. |
| may lick toys, particularly anything with a strong taste | | | | |