Para eLink: Where Minnesota's Paraprofessionals Learn Online

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ASD-S2: Demonstrates the ability to adapt, modify, or structure the environment based on an understanding of which auditory, visual or other sensory stimuli may be distracting, offensive, reinforcing, or calming for the individual student under the direction of licensed staff.

1aR

1bR

1cR

Facilitator Supplement

Worksheets in this Unit

All worksheets are Adobe pdf files. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view and print the worksheets.

Facilitated Activity

Many of the activities that paraprofessionals are asked to complete in this unit have several correct answers, as they are scenario-based activities that ask paraprofessionals to utilize concepts and steps that are learned in associated lessons. We suggest that you look at the activities that paraprofessionals are asked to complete within this unit and bring together 2 or more of the paraprofessionals who have completed an activity (face-to-face or through email). Ask them to compare their answers in a discussion format. Were they the same? Different? Ask them how they came up with their answers? Were they based on different assumptions or conditions? Explain. Do the paraprofessionals have personal attributes that make him or her more comfortable making one choice over another? If the paraprofessional is currently working in a school, what conditions within the working environment does s/he think would influence their decisions? How would they influence their choices? (This discussion can greatly enhance the application of the skills learned in these lessons. They can provide opportunities to incorporate district-specific information and policies in the lesson as well.)

Discussion Ideas

Lesson 1: Sensory Defensiveness

This lesson covers the general topics of sensory integration, sensory integrative dysfunction, and sensory defensiveness. Senses include vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch, movement, balance, and a sense of where and how our body is located. What does integration of the senses involve? Has the paraprofessional(s) experienced sensory overload in any of the senses? How did s/he respond to this overload? What does an optimal integration of the senses look like? What is sensory defensiveness? What does it look like… in the classroom? What parts of the classroom are likely to invoke sensory defensiveness in students who have sensory integration difficulties?

Lesson 1a: Tactile and Auditory Defensiveness

Sensitivities to sounds, sights, and smells are common with individuals with ASD and greatly increase individuals’ difficulties in being able to function in a standard classroom. What is tactile defensiveness? What kind of things would trigger it? What is auditory defensiveness? What kind of things would trigger it? Have you ever experienced an oversensitivity to these types of things? How did you react? What steps do you think could you, personally, take in the classroom to reduce the likelihood of tactile and auditory defensiveness? If a person’s tactile and auditory sensitivities result in him or her under-reacting, what would this look like?

Lesson 1b: Olfactory, Visual, and Oral Defensiveness

Some sensitivities in people can be less tactile and include the other senses of smell, sight and taste. What kinds of smell, sight, and tastes in the classroom might be particularly irritating for these people? Have you ever experienced an oversensitivity to these types of things? How did you react? Is there anything you could, personally, do in the classroom to reduce the factors that could cause olfactory, visual, and oral defensiveness?

Lesson 1c: Vestibular Defensiveness and Proprioception

This Two forms of sensory perception deal with body position, orientation, movement, and balance. When these perceptions are impaired, a student experiences proprioception and/or vestibula system (movement) dysfunction. What is the proprioception system? What is the vestibula system? What can happen when one or both of these systems are not working properly? What does it look like? When one or both of these systems are not working right for a person, what can be done for the student to reduce their discomfort?

Lesson 2: Sensory Arousal Modulation

This sensory arousal modulation is the brain’s ability to properly regulate a person’s “state of arousal.” People need to be in a good state of arousal in order to attend, interact, and learn in our environment. When your state of arousal is low, what is your behavior like? How does it affect your ability to listen, think, move? Is there anything you do at those times to make yourself more functional? (Coffee, exercise, etc.?) When your state of arousal is extremely high, you may be easily agitated, feel hyperactive, etc. When modulation of this system is dysfunctional, the range for optimal arousal is narrowed. What typical activities in a classroom would have a tendency to become too much or too little for a person with this type of dysfunction to engage in, or sustain engagement? What could possibly be done to modify those types of activities to accommodate a person with a narrower than typical range of arousal?

Lesson 3: Sensory Strategies That Help

This lesson covers several strategies that have been effective for students with ASD. It covers how strategies work, which strategies should be used, and how to tell if a strategy is working. Why is it important to have trained and licensed staff identify and develop strategies? Discuss the four basic strategy focuses that are described: Movement activities, oral motor strategies, heavy work activities, and deep pressure. Which of the sensitivities (sensory, tactile, auditory, olfactory, visual, oral, vestibular, proprioception, or arousal) that we’ve talked about in this unit are probably addressed by each strategy focus? How can a person tell if a strategy is indeed working?

Lesson 4: Roles and Responsibilities

This lesson describes the roles and responsibilities of each of the categories of people involved in providing support for students with ASD. Discuss the different roles and responsibilities. Discuss the role of the paraprofessional among the other varying roles. What are the limitations to the paraprofessional’s role? Is there a level at which the paraprofessional makes decisions? What parts of the network of roles, responsibilities, and processes does the paraprofessional intersect? Are you comfortable with this? If the paraprofessional is currently (or has worked in the past) in a district: do the roles and responsibilities described in this lesson fit with your experience? Explain.

Consider using a tracking worksheet for Paraprofessionals to monitor their progress through the units.
For information on how to start an online discussion area, see the online resources section.