How Sensory Activities Transform Learning for SEN Students
Every teacher working with students who have special educational needs knows the challenge: how do you maintain engagement when traditional approaches fall short? Amy Kemeridis faced exactly this dilemma in her secondary SEN classroom, where students with autism, Down's syndrome, and severe learning difficulties struggled to stay focused during learning activities.
Her innovative solution? Sensory circuits – structured sequences of alerting, organising, and calming activities designed to prepare the brain for optimal learning. What started as a hypothesis became a remarkable transformation that saw engagement levels soar across her diverse classroom of 16-19 year olds.
This comprehensive action research project tracked eight students over five weeks, using both baseline measurements and detailed implementation data. The results speak volumes: students moved from spending just 29% of their time in the optimal "green zone" of alertness to consistently higher engagement levels throughout the intervention period.
The beauty of sensory circuits lies in their simplicity and accessibility. Using everyday equipment like exercise balls, resistance bands, and laminated "puddles" for jumping, Amy created a morning routine that addressed the sensory processing needs often overlooked in traditional education settings. The three-stage approach – alerting the nervous system, organising responses through multi-sensory activities, then calming for focus – proved remarkably effective across different diagnoses and ability levels.
Perhaps most compelling are the individual success stories embedded within the data. One student with autism, previously prone to self-regulation struggles and rushing through work, found the circuits reduced his need to remove himself from learning situations. Another student with Down's syndrome, typically unmotivated by academic tasks, showed marked improvements in focus during written work.
The research goes beyond individual benefits, revealing a concerning knowledge gap among educators. Survey results showed that while 68.8% of teachers wanted more information about sensory-based activities, many working with higher-ability students dismissed these approaches as irrelevant – a misconception that could be limiting student potential across the spectrum.
What makes this study particularly valuable is its practical applicability. The methodology is replicable, the equipment affordable, and the time investment minimal – just 10-15 minutes each morning. Yet the ripple effects lasted throughout the day, improving not just immediate alertness but sustained attention during academic tasks.
For educators seeking evidence-based strategies to enhance student engagement, this research provides both inspiration and a clear roadmap for implementation, demonstrating that understanding sensory processing isn't just beneficial – it's essential for inclusive education.