A “sensory diet” is a personalized set of sensory activities designed to help students regulate their sensory needs and improve their focus, attention, and overall behavior.
It has nothing to do with food and everything to do with step by step procedures that the child should take in throughout their day to ensure they are on track at school.
The concept was first introduced by Patricia Wilbarger in 2002 and builds on earlier research by Ayres (1972) about the importance of sensory input in supporting adaptive responses to the environment. Occupational therapists often create sensory diets to help students from preschool through high school, but implementing them effectively can be challenging without a clear understanding of the process.
For paraeducators, sensory diets are an essential tool for supporting students’ success in the classroom. These activities can improve performance in several areas, such as fine motor skills, gross motor skills, attention, task initiation, and most importantly, self-regulation. By incorporating sensory breaks or activities throughout the day, students can manage sensory overload, stay more focused, and engage with their peers more effectively. Paraeducators should connect to the OT in their building to ensure they understand their student’s sensory diet.
Here’s what paraeducators should know about creating and implementing sensory diets:
-
Creating Sensory Diets: Sensory diets should be individualized to each student’s sensory needs. These diets include activities that provide specific sensory input (e.g., tactile, auditory, or proprioceptive), which helps the student stay calm and focused. Activities can be simple—like using a fidget tool, squeezing a stress ball, or taking a short movement break—and should be tailored to what helps each student the most. The activities should also be varied (or “novel”) to keep the student engaged.
-
Implementing Sensory Diets: Paraeducators play a key role in carrying out these sensory diets during the school day. This might mean setting aside time for sensory breaks or guiding students through specific activities. It’s important to observe and document how the student responds to each activity to ensure the sensory diet is effective.
-
Data Collection: Paraeducators should help collect data on how well the sensory diet is working. This can include noting changes in a student’s focus, behavior, or engagement before and after a sensory activity. Keeping track of this data helps to determine whether the sensory diet is effective, or if adjustments are needed. This information is useful in meetings with teachers, therapists, and parents to decide whether to continue, modify, or discontinue the sensory diet.
-
Collaboration: Sensory diets are most successful when all stakeholders work together. Paraeducators, teachers, and parents should communicate about what’s working and make adjustments as needed. By collaborating and sharing observations, everyone can help the student succeed and feel more comfortable in the classroom.
-
Incorporating into IEPs: Sensory diets can be part of a student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Educators can help by ensuring sensory activities are documented clearly in the IEP, making it easier for everyone involved including paraeducators to implement and track progress.
Ayres A. J. (1972). Improving academic scores through sensory integration. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 5, 336–343
Wilbarger J. L., Wilbarger P. L. (2002). Wilbarger approach to treating sensory defensiveness. Clinical application of the sensory diet. In Bundy A. C., Lane S. J., Murray E. A. (Eds.), Sensory integration: Theory and practice (2nd ed., pp. 335–341), Philadelphia: F. A. Davis