Social Sensory Detective

What can I do?; Sensory Detective; Learning Challenge Detective

Home; School; Stims; Play; Social; Other

Social
Behavior	Interpretation	Area	Intervention
Is sensitive to criticism.	May have poor self concept about abilities based on motor planning difficulties that result in uncoordinated movements. Overconfidence may be a defense mechanism for coping with motor planning difficulties. May be reacting to sensory characteristics of the person providing the criticism (i.e., voice quality, volume, pitch) rather than the criticism itself. Anxiety about skills or performance affects ability to generate ideas or problem solve.	Emotion Control	Deliver feedback in a positive manner at a time when the child is emotionally available. Consider providing feedback visually through cartooning, social stories, or social autopsy. Provide opportunities for the child to identify his strengths and discuss characteristics that can be a concern. Present potentially difficult tasks with models, written or pictorial directions, and structure. Model how to react to criticism. Teach the child a strategy of how to respond to criticism.
Steps on peers' heels/feet when walking, misses the chair when attempting to sit down, or sits on peers when group is sitting on the floor.	Poor awareness. Difficulty planning motor actions. May have poor Body Aware processing.	Motor Planning, Body Aware	At the preschool or early elementary level consider having the child hop, skip, do jumping jacks, bend down and touch toes half way down the hall (depending on motor planning ability). These activities may also be effective if done within the classroom just before walking down the hall. Consider placing the student at the front or back of the line. Ensure appropriate amount of spacing between students in line. Instruct the child to carry her books against her body with hands touching opposite elbows. Teach the child a song that she can sing to herself while walking down the hall.
Has difficulty regulating reactions in the lunchroom, including tantruming, screaming, or refusing to cooperate.	Situations that have loud echoes, noise, movement, and strong scents can be stressful.	Smell, Taste	Allow the child to go to the cafeteria early. Allow the child to eat in the classroom or other nonstimulating environment. Decrease time in the lunchroom. Assist the child in setting up for the meal (opening milk, condiments, helping to select food).
Overreacts to new person (new smells).	Is olfactory sensitive.	Smell	Protect against unnecessary odors.
Difficulty maintaining personal space.	Seeking input to muscles/joints by crashing into others or objects Seeking different input. Unaware of where body is in relationship to others Avoiding or seeking any other stimuli by moving impulsively toward or away from it	Body Aware, Touch, Balance / Movement, All	Do the activities in the major three calming Touch/Tactile -- Balance and Movement/Vestibular -- Body Position Awareness/Proprioception areas daily.
Leans on peers while in line, sitting in groups, or sitting at table.	May have poor postural control. May require Body Aware or Balance / Movement input; his central nervous system may need "waking up."	Body Aware, Balance / Movement	Provide opportunities for large motor activities such as jumping, pulling and pushing prior to these activities. Allow the child to stand during activities. Provide the child legitimate opportunities to move, such as sharpening pencils or throwing away trash. Place rubberized shelf-lining or Dycem™ on the seat of the chair. Place a tennis ball on two chair legs (diagonal). This allows for continual small movements.
Doesn't seem to understand body language or facial expressions.	May be uncomfortable directing visual attention to body parts, body movements, or the faces of others. May have difficulty processing the many changes in body movements and facial expressions. May have problems distinguishing meaningful visual information from competing visual background detail. Awareness of other individuals in the surrounding environment may be limited by intense preoccupation or focus.	Body Aware, Visual, Balance / Movement	Maintaining a distance from others to avoid physical touch could limit ability to perceive body language and facial expressions. May be reliant on auditory information to guide actions. Provide auditory cue to direct attention. Use an inflatable disc or camping pillow during times when concentration is needed. Teach the meanings of facial expressions, specific body postures and gestures. Whenever possible, eliminate some of the background distractors that may be present in the environment. Respect the individual's need for distance to avoid physical touch. Verbally reassure her. Request that she watch you for specific cues. Accompany facial expressions, gestures and body language with spoken language. Be aware of the use of unspoken cues when delivering instruction. Try to use as few sensory modalities at a time as possible.
Appears to like father's touch better than mother's.	Mother's touch may be too light. May not anticipate mother's touch because mother walks up quietly behind the child. Father's touch may be anticipated because the child may hear father coming or father may always approach head-on.	Touch	Make the child aware that touch is coming. Mother and all familiy and team members should use deep pressure when possible as this is usually more calming and less uncomfortable. Allow the child to initiate the touch.
Dislikes being hugged or kissed, but is okay when he initiates.	Touch may be uncomfortable if unexpected.	Touch	When appropriate, allow the child to determine when he will hug or kiss. Enlighten family members or friends about the child's preferences to avoid uncomfortable and embarrassing situations. Let the child know before a hug or kiss takes place.
Has difficulty keeping hands and feet to self when sitting in groups.	Craves Touch input. Doesn't understand about personal boundaries. May learn by handling or manipulating objects.	Touch	Provide visual or physical boundaries for sitting such as tape boundaries, carpet squares, placemats, inflatable disc, or camping pillow. Provide a "fidget item" such as a Koosh Ball™ or Tangle™. Often fidget items can be academically related, such as holding a play cow when studying farm animals or grasping a squeeze/stress ball that looks like a planet when studying the solar system. If the reaction occurs during a floor-based activity, have child lie on her stomach, propping her head on her elbows. Have child hold or squeeze a large pillow held in lap.
Has difficulty making friends.	Poor motor planning skills impact success at group activities and games. Decreased (hyposensitivity) awareness of food and materials on face and hands limits social acceptance. Hypersensitivity to incidental or unplanned touch may result in reactionary behaviors not understood by others. May fail to observe and comprehend the meaning of gestures and facial expressions. Self-talk and other anxiety-reducing behaviors may interfere with conversational skills. Restricted interest or preoccupation with objects or activities may decrease sensory availability for other people and things in the environment, impacting opportunities for spontaneous play. Unpredictable emotional reactions may impact the child's ability to form friendships.	Touch, Motor Planning	Establish a structured recess activity with preassigned roles that can be practiced in isolation. Teach a self-care routine such as using a napkin after every 3 bites or handwashing following each recess. Practice a socially acceptable "script" that could be expressed by the child when unexpectedly bumped. Develop an integrated play group that involves the child and typical peers that will include various sensory motor activities. Teach the child how to approach an individual or group as well as the skills needed to interact with peers. Provide direct instruction for common gestures and expressions with opportunities to practice observation skills in a nonthreatening situation. Provide a hand fidget that can be discreetly manipulated, leaving visual attention available. Develop a "Circle of Friends," "Lunch Bunch," or "Recess Buddies" for the child.
Has problems making eye contact with others.	Peripheral visual information may be more comfortable or useful than central vision. May be difficult to "look" and "listen" at the same time. May lack confidence about abilities.	Visual	Consider decreasing expectation of "eye contact" in some situations and contexts. Position in "line of sight" without getting too close. Provide minimal auditory or slight Touch cue to encourage visual attention. Movement activities may be more comfortable or successful if the child is able to fix visual gaze on something besides another person. Incorporate activities that facilitate looking through labeling, turn taking and obtaining information and objects from others. Example: Have the child swing while asking him to label items being shown to him, held near the adult's face. Break down tasks to smaller steps where success will be more readily achieved. Provide imitation opportunities and activities for child to repeat a modeled behavior or action.
Stares intensely at people.	Has difficulty knowing which stimuli to attend to. May need additional time to process information from his environment. Visual acuity may be less than optimal. Has a low tolerance for movement, subsequently limiting head movements. Auditory comprehension problems may cause child to seek more intense visual information to compensate. May be visually fixing on a target not related to the task as a way to aid in concentration or to prevent sensory overload.	Visual	Develop auditory or visual cues that the child can use to help him know what to attend to. Provide direct instruction on how to shift attention. Use imitation games (i.e., "Simon Says") to reinforce the skill. Provide a written script that tells the student how to shift attention. Provide a social story that discusses how others feel when people stare at them.
Doesn't seem to understand body language or facial expressions.	May be uncomfortable directing visual attention to body parts, body movements, or the faces of others. May have difficulty processing the many changes in body movements and facial expressions. May have problems distinguishing meaningful visual information from competing visual background detail. Awareness of other individuals in the surrounding environment may be limited by intense preoccupation or focus. Maintaining a distance from others to avoid physical touch could limit ability to perceive body language and facial expressions. May be reliant on auditory information to guide actions.	Visual	Provide auditory cue to direct attention. Use a Disc '0' Sit™ or camping pillow during times when concentration is needed. Teach the meanings of facial expressions, specific body postures, and gestures. Whenever possible, eliminate some of the background distractors that may be present in the environment. Respect the individual's need for distance to avoid physical touch. Verbally reassure her. Request that she watch you for specific cues. Accompany facial expressions, gestures, and body language with spoken language. Be aware of the use of unspoken cues when delivering instruction. Try to use as few sensory modalities at a time as possible.
Poor eye contact with others.	Excessive input, attempting to reduce overall input or reduce undesired input. Unable to focus. Peripheral visual information may be more comfortable or useful than central vision. May be difficult to "look" and "listen" at the same time. May lack confidence in abilities. Movement activities may be more comfortable or successful if the child is able to fix visual gaze on something besides another person.	Visual	Consider decreasing expectation of "eye contact" in some situations and contexts. Position in "line of sight" without getting too close. Provide minimal auditory or slight Touch cue to encourage visual attention. Incorporate activities that facilitate looking through labeling, turn taking, and obtaining information and objects from others. Example: Have the child swing while asking him to label items being shown to him, held near the adult's face. Break down tasks to smaller steps where success will be more readily achieved. Provide imitation opportunities and activities for child to repeat a modeled behavior or action.