Oh no, not again! You know that one student who has a seemingly random outburst of behavior that is disruptive and difficult to manage in a classroom setting? What if I told you that student might not be acting entirely voluntarily? What if there was something impacting their neurological system that was causing them to act out in ways that are generally frowned upon in the classroom or general public? Behavior is communication and our students are trying really hard to tell us what’s wrong. It may be challenging for many students who do not yet have the bodily awareness or language processing skills to communicate how they’re feeling. Today we are going to consider various reasons students may be more prone to pushing behavior.
You’ve probably encountered students who push. May it be pushing another student, teachers, or heavy objects, it can be problematic in the classroom. If pushing is directed towards another student, it can cause social tension or safety issues or both. Other students subjected to the pushing outburst may be unable to understand why their friend is “being mean.” Constantly being in trouble for “bad behavior” can lead the student to act even worse as they get stuck in a never-ending loop of self-fulfilling prophecy.
Students are faced with a lot of external stimuli throughout the day. This stimulus comes from so many different directions and it can be really overwhelming for them. You can read more about sensory overload on our blog “I Need a Sensory Break!” Some students are sensory seeking. There are a lot of different sensory seeking behaviors and one of them is pushing.
Students who are pushing are looking for proprioceptive input. The proprioceptive system governs our bodily awareness in space. The pushing is a symptom of dysregulation within the proprioceptive system. The act of pushing is the student’s natural reaction to a sensory imbalance that is impacting their spatial awareness. Pushing behavior is providing the necessary inputs to help reset the proprioceptive system and reorganize their body.
As teachers and administrators, we can’t allow students to push other students or heavy objects in the classroom. There are ways to help regulate students sensory processing systems. The Sensory Path is a great activity that will intentionally target all of the sensory needs of your students. The Sensory Paths produced by our company are the only ones on the market that are masterfully and mindfully sequenced to provide appropriate sensory inputs without over-stimulating your students.
Developed over years of experience in the classroom through dedicated research on movement and its benefits within an academic setting, The Sensory Path is your answer to reducing sensory seeking behaviors in the classroom. After visiting The Sensory Path, your students will feel relieved and reorganized within their bodies. They will return to the classroom ready to learn and grow.
If you’re ready to try a creative solution to proprioception seeking behavior challenges in your school, visit our shop page now! We have a lot of options to address the sensory issues in your population. There are options for all budgets and spaces. If you need help determining what would work best in your building, you can send us an email at holly@thesensorypath.com or call us at 662-607-0448! We can make recommendations based on your unique situation.
If you have a limited budget, we can help, too! You can read more about what to look for in a quote here. The Sensory Path can offer customized packages for ANY budget. Give us a call to get started!
