Balancing Sensory Stimulation and Special Needs Learning! Sensory Stimulation refers to how we take in information from our Environment:
- Visual Receptors enable vision
- Auditory receptors enable hearing
- Tactile receptors enable touch
- Olfactory receptors enable smell
- Gustatory receptors enable taste
- Proprioception receptors tell us where our body is in space
- Vestibular receptors tell us about movement and balance
Although we employ Auditory, Proprioception and Vestibular Stimulation throughout the Learning to Read Programs my focus is on Visual Receptors, how do they affect learning?
Simply put, "A Picture is worth a Thousand Words".
Picture Academics is designed to tap into the Visual Sensory Receptors to enhance the learning process. The illustrations in all three programs are black and white, this was not done to save money. Finding the correct balance of sensory stimulation is the key to Learning For Special Needs. One of the challenges for teachers and tutors is finding material that does not over stimulate their Special Needs Students. With Special Needs such as Autism, Down Syndrome and Brain Injuries the filtering system does not filter all of the information out. I have discovered that illustrations that are done in color often interfered with Special Needs Learning. By using black and white illustrations the visual sensory system does not get overloaded, in fact it enhances Special Needs Learning.
The Tutor's guide in all three programs will provide you with positive phrases and techniques that will help stimulate the Auditory Receptors. it's important to remember that when learning something new, no one responds well to negative feedback! The words "No", "Wrong" and "That's not right" will not be found in the Tutors guides, they have been replaced.
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