7. Sensual Overexcitability
Heightened awareness
of sensual pleasure or
displeasure
Increased appreciation
of aesthetic pleasures
Overstimulated by
sensory input
Sight Aesthetics
Smell Odors
Touch Tactile
Experience
Taste Flavors
Hearing Sound
8. Sensual Overexcitability
When overstimulated, some increase stimulation
Seek the center of attention
Go on shopping spree
Listen to loud music
Others withdraw from stimulation
Seek privacy
Quiet contemplation
Soothing music or nature sounds
9. People with SOR respond to sensation faster,
with more intensity, or for a longer duration
than those with typical sensory responsivity
Considered a Sensory Modulation Disorder by
some
11. CNS Arousal
• CNS responsible for controlling and regulating
autonomic responses
• Operates from rest
state (neutral)
– Excitation
– Inhibition
12. CNS Arousal
• Necessary for all cognitive function and all
emotional expression
• Must happen first in any
behavioral response
• Its occurrence leads to
every other aspect of
behavior
13. Neurological Thresholds
• Amount of stimuli required for
a nervous system response
• Children whose thresholds are
too low are likely to be overly
responsive to stimuli or
hypersensitive to their world
15. Sensory Modulation
Occurs as the central nervous system
(CNS) regulates the neural messages
about stimuli
Brain processes information from CNS to
maintain homeostasis and produce
adaptive response
If a student is having trouble with
Sensory Modulation, they may be
interpreting their environment uniquely
16. Sensory Sensitivity
• Greater CNS Arousal
– Show greater responsiveness
to sensory stimuli in all
sensory modalities
– Emits more voluntary motor
activity
– More reactive emotionally
• Might also explain
psychomotor and emotional
overexcitability
17. Characteristics of People with
High Sensory Sensitivity
• Sense of being different
• Need to take frequent
breaks during busy days
• Conscious arrangement
of lives to reduce
stimulation & unwanted
surprise
18. Characteristics of People with
High Sensory Sensitivity
• Acknowledge importance
of spiritual and inner lives
(including dreams)
• Sense that difficulties
stemmed from fear of
failure due to overarousal
– While being observed
– Feeling judged
– During competition
19. Sensory Sensitivity of Gifted
• Tested gifted vs. normed sample on the
Sensory Profile (Dunn, 1999)
• Significant differences on 12 of 14 sensory
sections between groups
• Gifted children are more sensitive to their
physical environment
• More affected by sensory stimuli
20. Why address sensory sensitivity?
• Sensory stimuli create CNS arousal which
places demands upon the body
• The intensity and duration of arousal affect
responses to stimuli
• Maximum and prolonged overload of
information can be stressful
21. Why address sensory sensitivity?
• To reduce stressors
• To positively enhance the experience of
the highly sensitive gifted individual
• To be responsive to unique needs
• To promote healthy working environments
• To increase the sustainability of focus and
effort in productive endeavors
22. Offensive Stimuli
• Loud or sudden noises
• Strong odors
– Molds
– Perfumes
• Rough textures or fabrics
– Clothing tags
• Sharp edges
– Angular furniture
Someone Has
Soiled the Air!
23. Offensive Stimuli
• Visual overload
– Certain color saturation
and hue
– Manmade materials
– Unorganized space
– Low ceilings
• Bright Light
– Glare
– Fluorescent lighting
28. • A controlled color vocabulary is essential in
creating a sense of place
• Low screeners perform better in blue work
spaces
• Feelings of emotional control are stronger in
monochromatic spaces than in vibrant colorful
spaces
• Mean blood pressure readings 9% lower than
white classroom
31. Color: Red Hue
• Workers in red offices reported more
feelings of dysphoria than workers in
blue offices
• More confusion and tension reported
• Lower performance for low screeners
73. Honor Diversity of Style
Allow students to participate in
classroom design
Help students define organizational
structures that suit their needs
Allow trial and error: Have patience to
give ideas a fair chance
74.
75. The Goal:
Balanced Sensory Integration
A dynamic integration in how the
brain processes sensation producing
balanced reactions in motor,
behavior, emotion, and attention
responses
HabituationCNS recognizes familiar or repetitive so neurons are inhibitedNecessary for mediation of incoming stimuliEnables one to ignore distractionsSensitizationCNS recognizes unfamiliar stimuli so neurons are excitedNecessary for mediation of incoming stimuliEnables heightened attention and immediate responseDunn, 1997; 1999; Aron & Aron, 1997
Pfaff, Ribeiro, Matthews, and Kow, 2008
Gere, Capps, Mitchell, & Grubbs, 2009
Rejected by workers when provided the opportunity to state their preference.
Less saturation preferable
Speck 2003
Speck 2003
Color can be used to facilitate the transmission of cultural values. The artwork and accents should reflect the culture of the region or the school community to enhance a sense of place. Use the bright and highly saturated colors sparingly and respectfully.
Architectural sketches: Fielding and Nair
Mental Fatigue = a state characterized by inattentiveness, irritability and impulsivity
Views of Nature via Student Garden
People generally like objects with a curved contour compared with objects that have pointed features.
Volatile Organic Compounds
About 75% of total body weight is supported on only four square inches of bone when humans sit up straight in a hard chair.Architectural sketches: Fielding and Nair
Steelcase
Steelcase
It allows the classroom to be responsive to the changing demands of educational settings and students’ needs.Architectural drawing: Fielding and Nair
Bundy, Lane, & Murray, 2002; Clark & Primeau, 1988
