Teresa Garland – Environmental Enrichment: A Sensory-Based Protocol to Reduce the Severity of Autism

Environmental Enrichment: A Sensory-Based Protocol to Reduce the Severity of Autism – Teresa Garland

• A NEW sensory awareness and desensitization protocol:
  • Decrease autism symptoms and severity
  • Increase awareness of touch, temperature, vision and movement
  • Increase tolerance of sound and scent
• Live demonstrations with children!
• Latest research

In this workshop, you will learn how to customize and implement a sensory awareness and desensitization protocol for a child with autism of any age in a home or school setting. This evidence-based protocol (Woo & Leon, 2013, 2015) has been shown to reduce autism severity in children of all ages. You will walk away with 34 rotating activities that develop the child’s awareness to hot/cold, visual, touch, vestibular and sound sensations. Additional activities for speech, physical exercise and emotions are included and can be incorporated into the original protocol. You will learn how to adapt the 34 activities to give the child a just-right challenge. There will be live demonstrations of the activities.

• Customize a sensory awareness and desensitization protocol for a child with autism of any age.
• Administer 34 activities to develop the child’s awareness to hot/cold, visual, touch, vestibular and sound sensations.
• Explain how to modify the enrichment protocol.
• Incorporate activities for speech, physical exercise and emotions into the protocol.

Introduction to the Environmental Enrichment (EE) Protocol

• What is it?
• What evidence do we have?

A Step-by-Step Guide to the Enrichment Protocol

• The short and long versions
• The materials
• How, where and when to put the protocol in place

Activities to Enrich the Senses in Autism

• 34 activities
• Live demonstrations with children

Modifications to the Enrichment Protocol

• Grade the challenge with alternate activities
• Add in speech, physical exercise, rhythm and emotional activities