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All children and
adults are unique in the way they
experience the world through their senses. Each of us has
his or her own most effective way of taking in
information, be it through looking, listening, feeling or
doing. Children with special needs often have unique
differences in the way they react to sensations, organize
movement and processes and comprehend what they hear and
see. When we work with children with autism or other
developmental challenges, we tailor our intervention to
both the child’s developmental level and to his or her
individual differences.
It is the
parents’ and the clinician’s job to learn, through careful
observation, which sensations cause a child to become
calm and regulated, which ones are overwhelming and which
one’s don’t provide enough input to stimulate his or her
attention. In addition to sensory reactivity and
processing, the child’s ability to plan and execute motor
movements also must be observed. Here, the clinicians and
caregivers watch how the child is able to sequence
multiple steps in order to solve problems. For example,
can the child take Mommy by the hand to the kitchen and
then gesture and vocalize to get a cookie or juice?
Informed by their
knowledge of the child’s individual differences, parents
and clinicians can provide interactions that support the
child’s ability to be engaged and relate to others, thus
setting the stage for learning to occur.
 
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