VIDBE-Q Volume 65 Issue 2
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(tactile stimulation), or turn the radio up (auditory stimulation). Likely, the first
thing you do, without even thinking about it, is to shift your position and sit up
straight. Your ability to deliberately enact these changes helps to regulate your
biobehavioral state. Students with multiple disabilities have significantly reduced
ability to elicit or achieve the sensory input, environmental and physical conditions
needed to calm themselves when agitated, or to alert themselves when drowsy.
Figure 1 shows examples of alerting and calming stimuli for individuals with
typically developing sensory channels and central nervous systems. It is important
to recognize that children with multiple disabilities, depending on their etiologies
and experiences, may have different responses to sensory input. See Morgan
(2004;
http://www.tc.columbia.edu/i/a/1719_NYSTAPResourceBioBehavioralStates.pdf)
for more information on calming/alternating stimuli.
How can we support meaningful intervention to increase availability for our
students?
Individualized assessment is the first step toward understanding the child's unique
needs in promoting availability for learning. Figure 1 presents several assessments
for gathering child-centered background information supporting biobehavioral
assessment and intervention.
