Sight - Sound - Touch - Taste - Smell

Sensory Overload in School

Sensory processing can have a profound impact on a child's ability to access and benefit from their education. The inability to appropriately process and react to sensory input can cause extreme frustration and anxiety for a student.

Before we can expect students to self-regulate their responses to sensory stimuli, we need to teach them to recognize the signs of their frustration and anxiety.

While students may not be able to articulate things like: "I don't like the cafeteria because it's too noisy and the smells bother me", educators can help them identify the different places within the school where their (what I like to call) Spidey senses are activated. Then, with fading adult support, they can begin the process of adapting to the demands of each environment.

Use the below "My Spidey Senses" visual to help a student with sensory processing issues identify and indicate what bothers them and the most common places where sensory overload may occur.