1. Sensory toys 

Let’s start with the basics. Fidget toys, or sensory toys, are, thankfully, becoming more and more widely accepted by parents and teachers and are being used by neurotypical and neurodiverse groups alike. Pocket-sized toys such as stress balls, tangles, infinity cubes and more are ideal for the classroom environment, and can help people to concentrate on complex topics, or manage their anxiety so that they can refocus on class. 

However, there is still a temptation in many schools to ban anything perceived as ‘distracting’. Admittedly, there is the potential for them to become distracting, however if they work well for a child to manage anxiety then they can actually have the opposite effect, and children who use and benefit from them are less likely to take advantage or distract others with them. 

2. Uniforms 

While I am not completely against uniforms, the way uniform policy is approached needs to change. We live in times of changing professional identities. Adults in a number of professional roles are able to apply flexibility to their work attire, expressing some level of individuality and personal choice. Some argue school uniforms create a sense of common identity within school communities. However, even valued careers such as nursing place an emphasis on practicality over smartness when it comes to setting uniforms, recognising that it is what people do, and how they work, that matters, rather than the clothes on their backs. 

Many school leaders dictate not only what the uniform consists of, but even whether it is hot enough to remove a blazer or cold enough to put on a pair of gloves (all the more pertinent when we are leaving windows and doors open for ventilation). As an adult, I would be furious if my boss penalised me for taking off a layer when I’m feeling hot. Why should children not be granted this autonomy? 

While the comfort of clothing is important to many of us, it can be a particularly big issue for children who have sensory processing disorders. For some, even the feeling of a label or a bulky seam can feel intolerable. Stiff collars and tight waistbands can be a major source of distraction. Feeling uncomfortable can increase irritability, making children more prone to displaying the very behaviours that schools want to quash. 

Uniforms don’t need to go completely (although there are definitely arguments for this) but we need to use more compassionate judgement when deciding what we want children to wear. Some schools have had success with active uniforms such as jogging bottoms and sweatshirts, which keep children comfortable and enable them to be more physically active throughout the day. 

3. Movement breaks 

A sedentary lifestyle is contributing to physical and mental health problems in the whole population. But movement is even more crucial for children who are Autistic or have ADHD, and those with mental health conditions such as anxiety. 

Let’s take a moment to talk about stimming. Stimming is when someone acts to create soothing sensations for themselves, and often involves movement (although it can involve any of the senses). It’s important to note that anyone can stim, and we all have sensory experiences we enjoy and seek out to calm ourselves. Autistic children need to stim in order to regulate themselves emotionally. This means having time to get up, move around, and stim without drawing attention to themselves. Sitting in class, in a seat, for a whole hour (and again and again throughout the school day) inhibits the ability to stim. This reduces concentration on learning and causes emotional dysregulation. 

In children with ADHD, who also stim, movement and changes to activity are vital for their ability to concentrate. These children will often get in trouble for swinging on chairs or getting up out of their seat, and this is wrong. These are not behaviours meant to cause disruption but caused by a physical need for movement and different stimulation. Enabling children to work in a physically active way is great, but if it’s not possible or practicable we can still let children identify when they need to get out of their seats, encourage them to walk around the room, or even do some star jumps during lessons so they can go back to their desks with more focus. 

Speaking of desks, there are alternatives to the classic hard chair / table combo. Standing desks, stools, even bean bags and inflatable balls are possible alternatives that enable positive movement while still learning, and could make such a difference if they were adopted in more classrooms. Some children are much more able to focus and, for example, read a textbook or answer a page of questions if they are given these alternatives. 

4. Ear plugs 

So many times, children have told me they struggle with noise in their classrooms and in corridors. Noise that can increase anxiety for some, and provide a distraction from work for others. Yet school leaders are often against the idea of children wearing earplugs in class. 

There may be misconceptions at play here. Some presume that ear plugs will prevent children from listening to their teachers. Precisely the opposite is true! There is a growing market for specially designed earplugs used by many adults who experience sensitivity to sound. These ear plugs can drown out background noises such as chatting or the ticking of a clock, and enable the person to focus more easily on whomever is speaking to them. And if they *did* inhibit the child’s ability to hear the teacher, well, they can always be briefly removed and then put in when it’s time to get on with work. 

Allowing ear plugs or indeed noise cancelling headphones is something that can so easily be adapted into school policy, it’s definitely worth a try. 

5. Staggered corridor times 

Something I really struggled with when working in a school was the busy bustle of school corridors. I never liked it as a kid, and probably liked it even less as adult who is shorter than the average 14-year-old. Sights of busy corridors were briefly abandoned when the pandemic hit, but have made a return in many schools as restrictions have been removed. But should we be rushing to return to this practice? 

Of course moving around the school is important for many children. But corridors crowded with kids are overwhelming for anxious and neurodiverse people, full of visual (seeing), auditory (sound) and tactile (touch) stimulation. They can also pose a hazard to children with mobility problems, and continue to pose a risk of Covid infection. 

I propose a different approach. Utilizing one-way systems in corridors and stairwells, staggering lesson times so children are in corridors over a wider period of time, and planning timetables around how students need to get from A to B. 

This one has some real health and safety benefits, as well as benefits to wellbeing, which makes overcoming any logistical challenges worth it in my opinion.