Many of our children here at Newfield find it difficult to process everyday information properly. This can interfere with their learning, communication and general well being.
We are all familiar with the 5 senses of touch, smell, sight, hearing and taste but we also gather information through senses in our bodies related to movement and body position. Research has found that 3 sensory systems help us to make sense of the world around us, they are called the tactile sense (all about touch), proprioceptive sense (spatial awareness) and vestibular sense (balance and movement). Please see the attached link for more information about Sensory Integration.
Newfield school work with Julia Dyer, an expert in the field, to put together individual sensory assessments for our pupils so that we can meet their sensory needs through a range of strategies. Pupils may be under or over responsive and their sensory diets will accommodate for this, this could be as simple as providing ear defenders for those who are over responsive to sounds, or a chewy tube for those who require oral stimulation.
Our School for Autism has the children’s sensory needs in high priority, with a new sensory studio providing a calm environment for movement and deep pressure activities, room in the new hall for time on the trampolines, space for movement activities in individual playgrounds, retreat rooms off each classroom to cater for each class’s individual needs and much more.