The Impact of Sensory Based Movement Activities on Students in General Education

Movement throughout the day in the school setting may help support skills such as time on task, and academics. This study examined the impact of sensory based movement activities on academic learning. In addition, the teacher and student perceptions of the activities were analyzed.  A mixed method design followed students in six classrooms during intervention (three classrooms) and control (three classrooms) (N 135) with results based on participation in pre and posttest scores on STAR reading and math and DIBELS assessments. Students in the intervention group participated in six sensory based movement activities, twice daily, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Each activity was categorized as either energizing, activating, or restoring/regrouping.  Results indicated the intervention group trended toward higher positive changes in all results as compared to the control group, although the differences were not statistically significant. The students' perceptions of the movement activities' effect on work completion, ease of learning, and overall enjoyment were very positive. The teachers perceived the program to have positive results as well, but had concerns regarding behavior during the activities and the transition back to learning after movement breaks.  This study found that the use of sensory based movement activities has the potential to influence academic outcomes and supported this program as a Tier 2 intervention. Teachers and students perceived the intervention to be effective and engaging. Occupational therapists can provide training and efficiently embed these types of activities into classrooms in collaboration with general education teachers. IMPACT OF MOVEMENT ACTIVITIES 3 The Impact of Sensory Based Movement Activities on Students in General Education Teaching so students will learn grade level skills in math, reading, and writing is the aim of every teacher in elementary school. For students to acquire these academic skills they need the underlying foundational abilities of appropriate attention, behavior, engagement, comprehension, and memory. Due to changes in modern educational policy and multiple curricular standards, our elementary school learning expectations continue to change. In the midst of this changing system, teachers are called upon to differentiate their instruction to support learning for each student (Center for Applied Special Technology, 2015) Additionally, there are increasing numbers of students identified with learning, behavioral, or attention deficits (National Association of Special Education Teachers, 2007) who are enrolled in general education classrooms and require appropriate application of differentiated instruction. Finally, many elementary schools now require 60 to 90 minute blocks for math and reading, during which students are required to sit and focus on learning. All the while, many schools are cutting physical education and recess time to create time for additional academic instruction (Lue, 2013) To provide additional support for students who are struggling, many school districts are using Response to Intervention (RtI) a multi tiered approach, to structure early intervening services and provide more assistance to those students in need. Occupational therapy (OT) in the schools typically serves as support for students eligible for specially designed instruction both individually and within their classrooms. Through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA 2004) and RtI, occupational therapists have the opportunity to offer their expertise early in the intervention process for all students. Occupational therapists are a valuable part of the educational team, having a wide scope of practice and bringing distinct value to interventions as they collaborate with teachers in IMPACT OF MOVEMENT ACTIVITIES 4 order to support student achievement. Their competence includes in depth knowledge of neurology, child development, gross and fine motor anatomy, physiology, and theories such as sensory integration (SI) SI is one frame of reference used by occupational therapists to understand how the nervous system's processing of sensation influences effective and ineffective functional performance (Ayres, 1972) Activities that include proprioceptive, vestibular, deep pressure and visual input are used based on the theory that this type of input effects arousal levels. These types of input have been used clinically to increase alertness and to produce a calm state, supporting the student's ability to attend and learn (Spence, 2015) Research examining the effect of physical activities has found a positive correlation with academic behaviors, increased academic performance and on task behavior (Mahar et al. 2006; Mullender Wijnsma et al. 2015; Rasberry et al. 2011) In addition to aerobic features, physical activity has sensory components that can be understood in the light of the sensory integration theory and used to promote adaptive student behaviors. The majority of the research has included physical activity that is primarily alerting in nature. However, few studies have been conducted using activities that were purposely selected for both their alerting and calming effects (Spence, 2015) Through the addition of classroom sensory based movement activities, that offer alerting and calming input, OT strategies have the potential to benefit not only identified students, but also the whole class. Mahar et al. (2006) found that while not every child needed physical activity breaks to remain on task, offering the breaks helped many of the students, especially those who were more off task initially. While these physical activities and sensory based strategies are easily embedded into general classrooms and have demonstrated effectiveness (Spence, 2015; Rasberry, 2011) the idea of adding additional expectations to the classroom can be met with resistance by teachers or administrators for many reasons. In a qualitative research IMPACT OF MOVEMENT ACTIVITIES 5 study by McMullen, Kulinna and Cothran (2014) teacher concerns included lack of time, threats to classroom control, ease of implementation, and student enjoyment. Typical Classrooms in the United States Each U.S. general education classroom is made up of a diverse population of students based on their background, learning abilities, and social skills. The academic diversity ranges from those identified as having special needs to those who are gifted. The number of students receiving special education in the 2012 2013 school year was approximately 13% of all students in public schools (National Center for Educational Statistics [NCES] 2015, para. 1) Within that number, 13% were students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are being diagnosed at a rate of 1 in 68 children, with a much higher rate in boys than girls (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015a) Moreover, the rate of school aged children diagnosed with attentiondeficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is approximately 11% (6.4 million) as of 2011, and each year this number is expected to grow (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015b) Sensory processing issues have been associated with both ASD (Watling, Deitz, White, 2001) and with ADHD (Mangeot et al. 2001, p. 404) Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is also recognized as a valid disorder as well by the Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders (Greenspan Weider, 2008) Students with any of these issues may struggle daily with academic performance in part due to problems with attention and on task behavior. Special Education Legislature and Policy Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act. For students who have a specific diagnosis and functional academics issues there is law and policy in place to guide their education. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA 2004) was most IMPACT OF MOVEMENT ACTIVITIES 6 recently reauthorized in 2004 with improved clarity and new stipulations. IDEA 2004 guarantees free and appropriate public education (FAPE) for children ages 3 21 and guides the evaluation and the individual education program (IEP) process. Students are required to be provided these services in the least restrictive environment which is often identified as inclusion, that process of including students with special needs into a general education classroom. It can be a challenge to integrate typically developing students with those with special needs, however, there are many positive benefits including increased social interactions, peer role models, and increased achievement (Kids Together Inc. 2010) Based on IDEA 2004 it is not only the right of the students to receive appropriate education, but also appropriate curricular accommodations and modifications. Occupational therapy is identified as a related service under Part B of this act, and is available to eligible students and as a preventative service for all students, to provide support for their education. Occupational therapy can be important in supporting classrooms in which students with special needs are integrated with typically developing students. Response to Intervention Model (RtI) Occupational therapists and OT assistants working in public schools may provide intervention to students in general education under the umbrella of early intervening services as well as to students who are eligible under IDEA 2004 or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Roley, Bissell, Clark, 2009) School districts have approached this early service provision in a variety of ways, one of which is RtI. Not every student learns at the same rate, and some students struggle to learn to the level of the Common Core State Standard (CCSS) in the way most schools teach the information. The aim of RtI is to identify students who are not learning successfully within the typical genera