The Out-of-Sync Child

by Carol Kranowitz

  Each school year, reopen the channels of communication. Teachers will come and go—some sensitive, some not so sensitive—and your steady support and voice will help your child succeed.

  Below you will find some classroom strategies to share with your child’s teacher. He or she may learn from these guidelines how to be supportive, how to gauge when to encourage and when to step back; how to refrain from overloading the child with excessive stimulation and unmanageable work; and how to control his or her own frustrations when dealing with an out-of-sync child.

  PROMOTING YOUR CHILD’S SUCCESS AT SCHOOL

  The child with SPD needs understanding and support if he is going to succeed at school, whether that school is public or private. A teacher may want to help an out-of-sync student but may lack training in the appropriate techniques. If so, the teacher may wish to try some of the following classroom strategies that will help the out-of-sync child. They also help every other child.

  Yes, every child!

  Every child benefits from a safe, calm, and distraction-free environment. Every child requires frequent breaks from work to move and stretch. Every child needs to know that someone is paying attention to his strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, ups and downs. Every child needs to be shown how to find solutions to problems. Every child needs assurance that it’s okay to have differing abilities, that he can be successful, that his ideas have merit, that his personhood is valued.

  When the out-of-sync child begins to feel more in control, his schoolwork and social skills will improve. When he is less distracted, he distracts the other children less. Then, when all the students are working to their best ability, the teacher can teach!

  Classroom Strategies

  CONTROLLING THE ENVIRONMENT

  Reduce sensory overload. You may have to intuit what kind of sensory stimulation is getting in the child’s way, because he may be unable to tell you. Remember that stimuli that bother him today may not bother him tomorrow, and vice versa. If you can remove or diminish most distractions, you will increase the child’s ability to attend to the important job of learning. Help the child focus on one idea at a time by minimizing unrelated sensory stimuli. Simplify, simplify, simplify.

  Tactile distractions may divert the child’s attention. If the proximity of classmates irritates the child, help him find a spot where he will feel safe. Steer the younger child to a seat at the head of the table, or at the edge of the rug, to lessen the possibility of contact with other children. Station the older child’s desk in a classroom corner, or up front near you.

  Let her bring up the rear when the class tiptoes single file down the corridor so that no one can bump her from behind. Provide her with the space she needs.

  Visual distractions may interfere with the child’s concentration. Eliminate clutter on bulletin boards. Secure artwork, maps, and graphics on the walls so they don’t flutter. Tack a sheet over open shelves to cover art materials, games, and toys that may attract the child’s attention. Remove mobiles swaying from light fixtures. Adjust window blinds to prevent sunshine from flickering through.

  The movements of other children may also be visually distracting. Have the child sit near you at the front of the room, with his back to his classmates. Surround him with children who sit quietly, pay attention, and serve as good role models.

  When preparing worksheets for the school-age child, keep to a minimum instructions to read and math problems to solve. White space around each written problem helps the child focus on one at a time. He may do best when he can frame each problem with a cardboard template.

  Auditory distractions may make the room seem like an echo chamber for the child with auditory processing problems. A classroom’s hard surfaces, such as desktops, linoleum tiles, and painted walls, reflect sound. Wherever possible, cover hard surfaces with carpet, cloth, or corkboard. Be sure the child isn’t seated near the humming fish tank, under the buzzing fluorescent bulb, or beside the window where he may be distracted by children’s voices outside.

  When the children are working at their desks, you may find that playing classical music, such as Bach and Mozart, softens the auditory environment and helps organize everybody.

  Olfactory distractions may include the smells coming from the lunchroom or from the gerbil cage. If it is possible to adjust the schedule, time your lessons so that the child’s most difficult subject is not being taught as the fragrance of grilled cheese wafts through the door. Keep animals, paint supplies, and other aromatic materials away from the child’s desk.

  Provide comfortable furniture. This prescription may be hard to fill for a teacher who must make do with regulation chairs and desks. However, the child who frequently falls off his chair because of inefficient body awareness may be able to align his body and maintain stable posture if the furniture fits.

  Find the child a chair that does not tip, or stabilize it by jamming the legs into tennis balls. The height of the chair should allow him to place his feet flat on the floor. The height of the desk should be at his waist level.

  An older child who is expected to sit at a desk for long periods might benefit from a textured cushion that will help him stick to the seat.* If the other students want to try the cushion, let them. Soon they’ll forget about it, and you can get on with your job while the child who needs it stays put.

  Sometimes, a special type of chair helps. If the preschooler is fidgety at circle time, for instance, a ball to sit on will help focus his attention. The ball’s diameter should equal the distance between his buttocks and the floor when his knees are bent at a right angle and his feet are flat on the floor.

  Keep chalkboards and worksheets clean. Fuzzy lines present problems for the child with visual processing difficulties. Most helpful are crisp white lines on a dark chalkboard and clear, dark lines on white paper so that the child can discriminate between the background and the letters or numbers you want her to understand.

  MANAGING THE CLASSROOM

  Develop a consistent routine. The out-of-sync child may have trouble getting organized to do what is necessary. He may struggle to overcome a feeling of chaos, internally and externally. Thus, he is most comfortable when things are “just so,” exactly as they were yesterday and will be tomorrow. His rigidity is a manifestation of his need to organize his world.

  For this child, a classroom that is clearly structured is preferable to one that runs on spontaneity. Help him by writing classroom routines on the board, sticking to the schedule, keeping the room arranged in a predictable way, and remembering whose turn it is to be line leader or to play with the new set of magnets.

  Plan transitions as carefully as lessons. If focusing on a task is difficult, changing focus is even harder for the out-of-sync child.

  Notify students about impending transitions: “In ten minutes, we’ll go to the all-purpose room,” or “After recess, you’ll get the new reading books.” Give plenty of notice when something out-of-the-ordinary will occur, such as a field trip, a visit from a reptile trainer, or a change in seating arrangements.

  To facilitate transitions, signify what will happen next by clapping or beating drum rhythms. For instance, two long claps followed by three short claps may say that it is time to put away math books and stand up to stretch.

  A sequence of one long clap followed by four short claps and a final long clap may mean that it is time to come in off the playground.

  Prepare transition fillers to turn empty time into teachable moments. Recite poems and sing activity songs with motions. Offer activities to strengthen language and critical-thinking skills, such as passing around laminated “What’s Missing?” pages from children’s magazines, or playing “What If?” games (What if we had wings? What if we had no electricity?).

  Brainstorm together. Write down everyone’s suggestions for class plays or for science projects. Assure each child that his idea is valid.

  Take a vote. Who wants a happy face on the jack-o’-lantern, and who wants a scary face? Who h
opes the Democrat will win, and who chooses the Republican? Who wants to study rain forests, and who prefers deserts?

  Plan movement breaks between and during activities. Provide acceptable ways for the fidgety child to move. Incorporate movement into the routine, so children can stand and stretch, or move across the room from math to science center, or march to a drumbeat. Try activities such as “Simon Says” (where nobody loses), “Follow the Leader,” “Jumping Jacks,” or relay races. Play “Silent Speed Ball,” in which the children pass a ball quickly around a circle, without making a peep. Movement helps every child pay attention, think, speak, and write.

  Devise team or club efforts. Teams that read the most books, solve the most math problems, or produce cooperative projects earn a reward that you can decide on together. Earning team points can be a strong incentive for out-of-sync students, as well as for better organized classmates who may not choose to work with them.

  HELPING CHILDREN BECOME BETTER ORGANIZED

  Encourage students to be active rather than passive learners. All children have an inner drive to learn, and they learn best when they can move and touch. Remember that reading and listening are not every child’s main avenue of learning. Therefore, provide multisensory lessons so that the learning arrives through every possible route.

  For example, the preschooler with inefficient auditory processing may learn best through tactile and visual experiences. Thus, he may learn more about rhythm and pitch by playing “Jingle Bells” on the xylophone than by hearing a recording. The older child, whose visual processing problem makes worksheets a chore, may learn well in hands-on, real-life situations. Thus, he can absorb math concepts while making change in a school store.

  Many out-of-sync children have narrow interests. Find out what the child has an affinity for, and lead her to explore the subject she is passionate about, through her preferred sensory path. Is she interested in spiders? Planets? Native Americans? If she is a tactile learner, let her draw a picture or build a model. If she likes to talk, let her give a short oral presentation. If she loves to move, let her demonstrate ritual dances. Build on the child’s sensory strengths. Then, give her books to read in the area in which she has expertise. Even prereaders learn best when they can investigate subjects that they consider interesting and relevant.

  Post this Chinese proverb in your classroom as a constant reminder:

  I hear, and I forget.

  I see, and I remember.

  I do, and I understand.

  Give children time. Nobody likes to feel rushed, especially the child with SPD who may take longer than others to process new information. This child needs warm-up time, just as much as cool-down time.

  Give this child the luxury of time to learn new material:

  A) Before presenting a lesson, tell the class what you will teach them,

  B) Teach them,

  C) Tell them what you have taught them, and then

  D) Allow them time to absorb the lesson or to practice it. Drill is particularly valuable for the child who, lacking an internal sense of order, requires repetition of academic tasks before catching on.

  Give the child time to process a question and answer. The special child often has the knowledge but just takes longer to prove it. Ten seconds is not too long to wait for an answer that someone else may produce in three.

  Simplify instructions. When you give instructions, make eye contact with the child if possible. (Children with SPD or autism frequently are uncomfortable with eye contact and can listen better when they are not forced to look you in the eye.) Give one or two directions at a time. Be concise and specific. Repeat the instructions if necessary. When assigning daily homework, say it in words and put it in writing. Have the child repeat it and write it down herself.

  Short assignments will match the child’s short attention span, will help him see an end to the task, and will give him a series of little successes.

  Break down big assignments into small chunks. He may be a great reader but have difficulty planning long-term research projects. Provide a schedule and your clear expectations. For example, Week 1: Each child will tell you his chosen topic. Week 2: He will submit a tentative reading list. Week 3: An outline. Week 4: A rough draft. Week 5: A finished report.

  Provide a choice of writing implements. Some children do better with standard pencils, others with fat primary pencils; some with standard crayons, others with chubby crayons. While fine-motor skills generally develop later in boys than in girls, these skills are especially late-blooming in the boy or girl with SPD. Help the child choose the writing tool that fits him or her best.

  Respect the child’s needs. The child’s primary need is to feel safe. When he feels safe, his brain is available for learning.

  Many fine teachers, with the best intentions, commonly err with out-of-sync children by trying to jolly them out of their difficulties. For instance, a teacher may tell the preschooler with tactile overresponsivity that “everyone likes finger paint, so take your turn,” hoping to change his tendency to withdraw from touch. A physical education teacher of the older child with vestibular overresponsivity may try to position him to do a somersault on the tumbling mat. These encouragements won’t “fix” the child’s dysfunction but, instead, may cause an aversive response, because he feels threatened.

  Unless you know exactly what you’re doing, it is better to respect the child’s sensory defensiveness. Remember that the child’s behavior is out of line not because he won’t do things right but because he can’t. It is unfair to force the child to do things he is unready to do.

  Give the child alternatives. Anticipate problems, and help the child find suitable alternatives to situations that cause problems. For example, the child who is uncoordinated may avoid boisterous recess games. Guide him to other activities he can excel in that will strengthen his motor skills and that won’t make him feel like a bystander or a sissy.

  For the preschooler, going through an obstacle course at his own pace, after everyone else has completed it, is one possibility. If he resists a particular obstacle, such as the balance beam or tunnel, let him be! Praise him for conquering the obstacles he can manage.

  For the older child, ball skills may improve after playing tetherball, one-on-one catching and throwing games, or dribbling activities with a teacher or a buddy.

  In the classroom, the child who is easily distracted by too many choices may seem unable to choose any. He may say he’s bored, when he is really confused. Help him find an activity or project that he can do while socializing with just one or two other children.

  If possible, consult with an occupational therapist about classroom modifications, educationally relevant activities, and sensory-motor techniques you can use to address the child’s needs during the school day.

  ADAPTING YOUR OWN BEHAVIOR

  Emphasize the positive. Give each child what psychotherapist Carl R. Rogers calls “unconditional, positive regard.” The out-of-sync child needs constant assurance that her efforts are appreciated and worthwhile. She may not feel competent, even when she is! Reward the child for what she did accomplish, rather than remarking about what she left undone. Success breeds success.

  Keep your voice low. The child with a supersensitive auditory system can become very uncomfortable when he hears a high-pitched or loud voice. He may even misinterpret your tone of voice and become distraught.

  One day, I had to use a more forceful voice than usual to move a group of preschoolers through a Halloween song in which different rhythm instruments represent witches, skeletons, and pumpkins. Midway through the song, I raised my voice to be heard: “Now, please put down your tambourines and pick up your wood blocks.”

  I didn’t understand then, although I do now, why a particularly anxious boy cried, “Don’t talk to me that way! Don’t you know I can’t do anything right when you talk to me that way?” My words hadn’t been threatening; my directions hadn’t been complicated. It was my louder, higher voice that made him fall
apart. More effective would have been whispering, the technique I use now, especially in a noisy room.

  Provide physical feedback. When you want to be certain that the child is paying attention, get up close. Look the child in the eye, if possible. While speaking, put your hands on the child’s shoulders and press down firmly. These techniques may help the child focus better on what you are saying.

  Keep your expectations realistic. So what if the child doesn’t complete a task or doesn’t do it the way other children do? Remember what is most important in learning: process rather than product, and participation rather than perfection.

  * On the other hand, sometimes school is orderly and predictable, while home is stressful and chaotic.

  * A teenage boy, whose sensory problems had been overlooked for years, glued thumbtacks—points UP—to the seat of his desk chair at home. The tacks, he explained, reminded him when he was about to slide off the chair! A cushion would seem to be a preferable alternative.

  Chapter Eleven

  COPING WITH YOUR CHILD’S EMOTIONS

  For the child to become more self-regulated and for families to deal with the emotional fallout of SPD, there are positive words and actions that may improve the child’s skills and self-esteem, as well as pitfalls to avoid.

  A TYPICALLY DREADFUL MORNING

  Marge, the mother of two, tells this story:

  This morning was typically dreadful. Chip, my eight-year-old, got out of bed on the wrong side. Actually, he fell out of bed. Then, on his way to the bathroom, he crashed into Melissa and knocked her down. He yelled at her, “You’re always in my way, dumb head!” She ran downstairs, bawling. He’s always so mean to her, and she’s only three.

  While I comforted her, I heard Chip slamming his bureau drawers and shouting. He finally came downstairs wearing his T-shirt inside out. He said this way the tags wouldn’t hurt him. I thought that was pretty good problem solving, but my husband disagreed. Before I could say anything, he ordered Chip to change. Chip refused. My husband was furious. He pulled off Chip’s shirt, turned it right side out and stuffed Chip into it. Chip was really upset and fighting back tears.