In this article, we zoom in on the meaning of multisensory integration and multi-sensory learning and what multisensory activities can help people with autism.

What does multi-sensory mean?

Sensory integration (also called sensorimotor integration or multisensory integration) is the ability of the central nervous system to integrate information from different senses (sight, hearing, feeling, smell, taste and balance).

What is multi-sensory learning?

Multisensory learning involves using two or more senses during the learning process. For example, a teacher who offers many hands-on activities such as using concrete material to learn concepts. Consider, for example, the teacher who uses apple wedges to learn fractions. Tangible for the students, they can do it better for themselves, touch and even smell it.

Multisensory education in children with autism

Multisensory education is an effective approach to teaching children with autism. In traditional education, students usually use two senses: seeing and hearing. Students see words when reading and hear the teacher speak. But many children with dyslexia or autism have problems processing visual and auditory information. By incorporating more sensory information such as touch, smell and taste into the lessons, teachers can reach more students and help them remember information.

Tips for creating a Multisensory Class Room

Use colors

Writing homework on the board. Teachers can use different colors for each topic and notations if books are needed. For example, use yellow for math homework, red for spelling, and green for history, writing a “+” sign next to the subjects where students have to take books home. The different colors help students to know at a glance which topics are homework and which books should be taken home.

Use different colors to represent different parts of the class. For example, use bright colors in the most important area of the classroom, to help motivate children and promote creativity. Use the colors green to ensure better concentration and feelings of emotional well-being in the places where independent work or computer tasks are offered.

Use music in the classroom

Offers math facts, spelling words or grammar rules to music or rhyme. Just like we teach the children the alphabet through a song. Use soothing music while reading or when students are quietly working independently.

Use scents in the classroom to convey different feelings

People who worked in the presence of a pleasant-smelling air freshener reported higher levels of self-satisfaction, set higher goals, and were more likely to work efficiently than people who worked in an environment without odor condition. Aromatherapy can therefore certainly be applied effectively in the classroom.

What are multi-sensory activities for people with autism?

Do an activity or a game every day and make use of the sense of touch, balance, posture and movement by using the different senses. Your child gets information about himself, what he can and cannot do and through this he gets to know himself. The use of these sensory stimuli helps him to keep his attention on the things he is doing. For example, they make him play. Children can often play endlessly in the sandbox or with swings. It doesn’t bother them at all; The game goes by itself.

Offering sensory stimuli in game form

But in children with sensorimotor integration problems or autism, the sensory stimuli are often insufficiently used. It is often much more difficult for them to play and keep their attention on the things they are doing. It can help to do one or more of the described activities or games daily, which is also called a sensory diet. Using multi-sensory activities could also be seen as a medicine to better focus attention and have fun in the things they do. Of course, your child will not change overnight, but because of this daily ‘dose’ of sensory information, changes will slowly take place. To get your child used to touching and moving, it is best to offer this in game form. It is the most important thing to have fun together with your child.

Games to stimulate your child’s senses

The activities and games described below are ideas to touch and move your child and play with him in a fun way. While playing, all kinds of variations of the game are likely to occur. Make use of that. During the game you automatically notice what your child likes and which stimuli he can use well. Children can often play endlessly with the same thing and can enjoy the same game for a long time. If you look closely you usually see that the game changes slowly and is slightly different every time.

1-play and discover with water beads (water pearls) you can, for example, hide animals in this
2-play with shaving cream or other sensopathic game (check these sensopathic tips)
3-make a sensory bottle (or buy a sensory bottle)
4-self gel pads crafting
5-offer a sand or water table
6-snooze room
7-play with light or glow in the dark
8-vibration material (such as senseez plush toys)
9 games with rice
10 things or games that stimulate all the senses (think of the happy senso)
11-play with paint
12-bladder with a straw and a wad of paper

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