This blogpost begins with the chart below and explains a simple Sequential Intervention Strategy for youth with complex behavioral challenges. The strategy is simple to explain to teachers and therapists but must be initially individualized for each youth.
The strategy begins by first addressing sensory modulation challenges for helping achieve a calm alert state. This is done by initially lowering sensory stimulation. Simultaneously apply evidence-based environmental adaptations to reduce learning distractions.
As shown in the picture above if a student or therapy client is frequently visually distracted try using a study carrel to help him focus on visual material. If this alone does not achieve a calm alert state increase stimulation in a graded manner until a calm alert state is obtained. Graded increases in socially appropriate sensory stimulation could be achieved by increasing the expressiveness of the teacher’s or therapist’s voice, using color lined paper, and/or evidence-based using an FM system to increase the volume of the teacher’s voice in relation to background noise for youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Individualize the adaptations to the individual needs of the student by increasing the salience of learning or therapy cues. Click on PaperSequencing to view adaptations made jointly by the school teacher, social worker and occupational therapist using color lined paper and the writing prompt of feeling angry and scared used to help a student express his feelings to make them conscious as well as learn to proceed left to right and top to bottom while writing. This student also lacked fine motor and bilateral integration skills so a slant clip board were used as well to simplify fine motor requirements so he could focus on emotional and visual-motor writing skills. Sensory Modulation Strategies
After the student achieves a more calm alert state then body awareness is addressed if needed Basic Body Awareness Strategies Finally address comprehensive sensory discrimination enabling the youth to integrate all sensory modalities. Sensory Discrimination & Interoceptive Awareness Interventions
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