The Sensory Diet Center program: incorporating (SDC) into classroom daily routines to help children in sensory regulation and enhance their mental health and wellbeing
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Citation
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the mental health and well-being of young students, particularly those aged three to five, leading to disruptions in their daily routines and sensory dysregulation. The Sensory Diet Center (SDC) program offers a structured schedule of personalized sensory activities for early-grade students to regulate sensory input effectively within the classroom environment. By providing various sensory experiences, the Sensory Diet Center program aims to enhance students' sensory processing skills, attention, self-regulation, and readiness for academic tasks and social interactions. Utilizing evidence-based practices, the SDC program fosters a sensory-friendly classroom environment that promotes interactive play, social connections, and overall well-being. Offered twice daily for 30 minutes each, the SDC program targets tactile, proprioception, and vestibular systems, creating a balanced sensory environment that supports students' development of necessary academic and social skills. The author includes a funding plan that will assist in purchasing the necessary items to make the proposed intervention successful. In addition, this doctoral paper provides a comprehensive program evaluation plan highlighting the key stakeholders and a multiple baseline study designed to evaluate the program's effectiveness.