3. Graduated and Got a Job…
Watson College of Education
Angela Housand, Ph.D.
housanda@uncw.edu
4. Sensory
Processing
Sensi-vity
• High
levels
of
sensi-vity
to
subtle
s-muli
• Easily
over-‐aroused
by
external
s-muli
5. Sensory
Sensi-vity
• Greater
CNS
Arousal
– Show
greater
responsiveness
to
sensory
s-muli
in
all
sensory
modali-es
– Emits
more
voluntary
motor
ac-vity
– More
reac-ve
emo-onally
• Might
also
explain
psychomotor
and
emo-onal
overexcitability
9. Sensory
Sensi-vity
of
GiCed
• Tested
giCed
vs.
normed
sample
on
the
Sensory
Profile
(Dunn,
1999)
• Significant
differences
on
12
of
14
sensory
sec-ons
between
groups
• GiCed
children
are
more
sensi-ve
to
their
physical
environment
• More
affected
by
sensory
s-muli
17. Characteris-cs
of
People
with
High
Sensory
Sensi-vity
• Sense
of
being
different
• Need
to
take
frequent
breaks
during
busy
days
• Conscious
arrangement
of
lives
to
reduce
s-mula-on
&
unwanted
surprise
18. Characteris-cs
of
People
with
High
Sensory
Sensi-vity
• Sense
that
difficul-es
stemmed
from
fear
of
failure
due
to
over-‐
arousal
– While
being
observed
– Feeling
judged
– During
compe--on
20. 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
21. Unlocking
Emergent
Talent
More
Than
Ability
is
Required:
Psychosocial Issues and Skills Needed for Success
The Important Role of Non-Cognitive Factors in High Achievement
25. Data Gathered
RCMAS-2
HSPS
• Total Anxiety (TOT)
• Physiological Anxiety
(PHY)
• Worry (WOR)
• Social Anxiety (SOC)
• Ease of Excitation
(EOE)
• Aesthetic
Sensitivity (AES)
• Low Sensory
Threshold (LST)
• Inconsistent
Responding
• Defensiveness
26. RCMAS-2
Total Anxiety
TOT
Represents all of the measures as a
combined score.
Physiological
Anxiety
PHY
Addresses somatic concerns
(e.g. sleep difficulties, nausea, fatigue)
Worry
WOR
Obsessive concerns. High score suggests
one may be afraid, nervous, or in some
manner oversensitive to environmental
pressures.
Social Anxiety
SOC
Anxiety in social and performance situations.
27. HSPS
Ease of
Excitation
EOE
Becoming mentally overwhelmed by external
and internal demands.
Low Sensory
Threshold
LST
Unpleasant sensory arousal to external
stimuli.
Aesthetic
Sensitivity
AES
Aesthetic awareness
28. Get My Geek On…
• Checked distribution
• Checked correlations
– Moderate and significant
• Checked HSPS model fit using
CFA
33. Regression Analysis
• Total Anxiety (TOT) as Dependent
• Controlled for race, age, & gender
– Not significant contributors
• Ease of Excitation
– Significant (p = .001)
– 37% of the variance
34. Regression Analysis
• Low Sensory Threshold
– Significant (p ≤ .001)
– Additional 3% of the variance
• Aesthetic Sensitivity
– Not significant
36. Group
Description
•
•
•
•
•
n = 49
Grades 3-14
Ages 8-18
32 Males
16 Females
Gifted
Identification
• Identified by school
testing
• Private testing
• Characteristics of
gifted students as
identified by parents
37. Goals of Program 1
• Provide opportunity for gifted youth to:
– Spend time with others who share their
characteristics and interests
– Interact with adults who understand them
• Allow gifted youth to:
– Be themselves
– Engage in interesting activities
– Connect with others
39. Group
Description
•
•
•
•
•
n = 60
Grades 5-6
Ages 9-11
32 Males
28 Females
Gifted
Identification
• Identified by District
• Screening Indicators:
• Teacher
recommendations
• Parent referrals
• Standardized test
scores
• Identified in another
district
• Work samples
40. Goals of Program 2
• Mentor and train teachers to serve
gifted students in educational settings
• Provide gifted elementary students with
academically rigorous enrichment
learning opportunities
• Allow students to choose
enrichment opportunity
based on interest
41. 3: Middle School Choice
Regional School District and University
Teacher Preparation Program Partnership
42. Group
Description
•
•
•
•
•
n = 41
Grades 7-9
Ages 11-13
19 Males
22 Females
Gifted
Identification
• Identified by District
• Screening Indicators:
• Teacher
recommendations
• Parent referrals
• Standardized test
scores
• Identified in another
district
• Work samples
43. Goals of Program 3
• Mentor and train teachers to serve
gifted students in educational settings
• Provide gifted middle school students
with academically rigorous enrichment
learning opportunities
• Allow students to choose
enrichment opportunity
based on interest
44. 4: STEM Focus
For Students from Economically Deprived
and Diverse Communities
45. Diverse Student Attributes
• Perform poorly in
math & science
• Rarely take
advanced courses
required to attend
college
• Have low
literacy rates
• Excel in math &
science
• Need additional
support to enhance
skills and interests in
STEM
46. Goals of Program 4
• Motivate underrepresented students’
interests in learning by engaging them
in real-world, hands on, field
experiences.
• Utilize technologies and books to help
enhance students’ literacy skills.
• Spark interest in STEM
50. Group Comparisons
• Multivariate Analysis
– Bonferroni adjustment
• Main Effects
– Statistically significant differences
between groups on Anxiety subscales (PSY, WOR, & SOC)
– Not so on Sensory Sensitivity
52. What can we do to
support those who have
heightened sensory
sensitivities or suffer
from anxiety?
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58. Support Autonomy
• Consider Individualized
Learning Opportunities
• Encourage Them to
Pursue OWN Interests
• Highlight Uniqueness
without Comparison
59.
60. • Explicitly
teach
and
prac-ce
breathing
techniques
• Focus
on
exhaling
• Sigh…
• Remember
to
breath
in
through
the
nose!
63. Mindfulness:
Practice of Being Present
• Wandering Mind? Bring it back.
• Watch the breath
– Baby Bear Attention
– Not “making” it happen but “letting” it happen
64. Mindfulness:
Practice of Being Present
• Witness Thoughts
• Let Go –
not of the thoughts,
but rather the judgment
• Seeking acceptance of what is
72. Offensive
S-muli
• Visual
overload
– Certain
color
satura-on
and
hue
– Manmade
materials
– Unorganized
space
– Low
ceilings
• Bright
Light
– Glare
– Fluorescent
ligh-ng
73. • A
controlled
color
vocabulary
is
essen-al
in
crea-ng
a
sense
of
place
• Low
screeners
perform
beaer
in
blue
work
spaces
• Feelings
of
emo-onal
control
are
stronger
in
monochroma-c
spaces
than
in
vibrant
colorful
spaces
• Mean
blood
pressure
readings
9%
lower
than
white
classroom
76. 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
