Project RISE - Supporting Participation Through Sensory-Informed Practice

This is a fully online, self-paced, asynchronous course.

Continuing Education hours: 1.5 hours
Featured Expert:  Amanda Wetmore

Learning Objectives: At the completion of this module, Learners will be able to:

• Describe sensory systems and explain how they may influence children's participation in everyday activities and routines.
  
• Identify strategies for supporting children's sensory regulation and engagement in classroom and learning environments.
• Recognize and evaluate how features the environment can create barriers or facilitate participation for children with diverse sensory needs.
• Apply principles of universal design and environmental modification to develop proactive strategies that support participation for all children.

Every child experiences and responds to the world in unique ways. Sensory processing, the way the nervous system receives, organizes, and responds to information from the body and environment, can influence how children participate in play, learning, daily routines, and social interactions.

Understanding sensory processing helps educators recognize potential barriers to participation and create environments that support engagement and inclusion for all children. While sensory processing is an important consideration, it is only one factor that may affect a child's behavior and participation. Development, communication, relationships, emotional well-being, medical needs, and environmental factors also play important roles.

Throughout this module, you will explore sensory processing as one lens for understanding children's experiences and learn practical strategies to support meaningful participation in inclusive early childhood settings.

This professional development is available at no charge for child-serving professionals in the Finger Lakes/Western New York regions. Learn more: Continuing Education for Child-Serving Professionals .