Document Type

Capstone

Abstract

The overall concept of this capstone project is to gather evidence supporting the positive effects of sensory integration in relation to attention in school-aged children, including children diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and those with no forn1al diagnosis. The goal of this project is to provide teachers and support staff, including occupational therapists, in a school system with training to implement sensory activities throughout the school day to improve students' attention. Occupational therapy can play a unique role in school systems by providing teachers and other staff with the tools and education to understand the importance of sensory integration and the role it can play in improving attention. One of the primary occupations of a child is school participation; however, decreased attention spans limit children's performance in this occupation. There is sufficient evidence that supports sensory integration in the classroom setting. Environmental modifications as well as sensory diet activities implemented throughout the school day can have positive impacts on a child's learning ability, ultimately improving their occupational performance as a student. Five individuals, including four teachers and one occupational therapist, participated in a pre-survey and post-survey before and after being presented with an in-service training about classroom sensory strategies for improving attention among students. Pre-survey results revealed that the majority of participants were both unfamiliar with and unlikely to implement sensory strategies with their students; however, all participants reported observing attention deficit behaviors. Post-survey results showed a significant difference among participants, revealing that the in-service presented was both informative and beneficial.

Publication Date

7-2019

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