Sensory Integration: Not About “Fixing” Anyone (Least of All Me!) – oh, and when coffee helps even if i kept losing the flask! 😆
If there had been an award for “Most Likely to Be in Trouble for Simply Existing,” I would have won it several times over. Not because I was naughty (well, not always), but because school was a sensory obstacle course, and my carefully crafted survival strategies—logical, essential, and often quite ingenious—were, inexplicably, not appreciated by the teaching staff. 🤷♀️
And yet, despite all the line-writing, occasional detentions, stern looks, and exasperated sighs from teachers, I turned out okay—so much so that years later, I found myself in OT school, sitting next to someone who had been in my Std 1 Class, and we both vividly remembered the moment we got punished for fixing a wobbly desk with folded paper wedges. (That’s what you get for demonstrating early problem-solving skills. 😜)
“Kathryn Alrick, a lady does not run on the stair.”
Ah, yes. The infamous staircase rule. Let me be clear: I was not running for the thrill of it. I was running because moving slowly up or down stairs felt unbearable— Running was simply efficient sensory regulation and provided much-needed proprioception and vestibular input. But did the teachers see it that way? Absolutely not. 🙄
Cue many, many reprimands, the most memorable being: “Kathryn Alrick, a lady does not run on the stair.” (Which, naturally, just made me want to run even more. 🏃♀️💨)
The Shoes That Marked Me As Different 👞
While other girls in primary school pranced around in adorable navy blue Mary Jane sandals, I had sturdy black “boys’ lace-ups”. Why? Because I needed extra ankle support—not that I understood that at the time. All I knew was that my shoes were not like everyone else’s, and at age 6 I desperately wanted to be able to change into my ‘inside sandals’ like everyone else on arriving at school. 🤦♀️
Looking back, those lace-ups probably saved me from a lifetime of flat feet, sprained ankles, and unintended acrobatics. But at the time? Jealousy levels: extreme. 😩
Sitting Still? Absolutely Not. 🤸♀️
Ah, the high chemistry stools in the science labs—the true enemy of every hypermobile, sensory-seeking teen studying chemistry, physics, or biology. Sitting still was never going to happen. Instead:
- I wrapped my feet around the desk chair legs.
- I pulled them under the desk while riding onto the back legs of the stool like a slow rocking chair—why I love Virco Zuma’s and Ergo Ergo stools now!
- I used the empty desk-hinged seat in front of me to push-pull for the ultimate heavy muscle work. 💪
Did this help me focus? Yes. ✅ Did my teachers appreciate it? No. ❌
The Heavy Bag & The Messy Locker of Doom 🎒😵💫
Carrying a ridiculously heavy school bag everywhere? A dream. It was like a portable weighted blanket, providing a sense of calm, control, and superior upper-body strength. 💼💪
Unfortunately, my locker was a war zone. Things that mysteriously vanished into its depths included:
- Textbooks, maths sets, my calculator, spare hymn book, books (sometimes ones I had never seen before). 📚
- A gym kit that may or may not have had sentience by the end of term. 🤢
- Various bits of uniform—jumper, cardigan (they are different!), blazer, belt, gymslip, hat.
- A flask. (Yes, a whole flask – which was bright yellow – meaning I needed another as coffee at school was essential for focus.) 🫗
On more than one occasion, I had to stand on stage in front of the entire school while the teacher publicly announced my latest lost item. I’d like to think this built character. 😆
Lunch Choices That Confused Everyone 🍽️🤔
My meal choices were perfectly reasonable. Others disagreed. 🙄
- Pineapple on bread – because the sweet, tangy, chewy, slightly sharp combination just worked. 🍍🍞
- Cheese and tangy chutney sandwiches made by my Gran, with grated cheese and chunky chutney bits. 🧀🥪
- Very proper “English lady” cucumber sandwiches – but only if I could open them up, and spice it up, adding the acid salt & vinegar crisps for crunch at the last second (crisps added last minute because otherwise, they’d go soggy, and that was unacceptable). 🥒🥪😋
Did people look at me strangely? Yes. 👀 Did I care? Not enough to stop. 🤷♀️
Sport: The Unexpected Sensory Lifeline 🏊♀️🏑🚴♀️
Despite my school struggles, I thrived on movement—because finally, I was allowed to move without being told off. 🙌
- Swimming, diving, lifesaving, and synchronised swimming—water-provided tactile input (outdoor pools are cold at 7:00 am! ❄️), proprioception, vestibular input, and full-body regulation. 🏊♀️
- Hockey in the winter (2-3x a week)—because charging across a field with a heavy stick in hand, with earth clogged studs was somehow acceptable, while fidgeting in class was not. 🏑
- Cycling to school—movement, rhythm, fresh air, and a much-needed sensory reset before sitting in lessons all day. 🚴♀️
- Choir and orchestra—because even my voice and hands needed to move. 🎶
- Playing the drums and other percussion—the ultimate sensory-seeker instruments—with variety, novelty, and built-in movement – the only orchestra members who move and stand! 🥁
Writing, Red Pens, and the Desk Incident ✍️🖍️
Handwriting was another battle that continues today. It only improved when I figured out that if I wrote with a fibre-tip fine liner (extra feedback) over a ruler, I could use the feedback and control my pen in-hand better. ✏️
Unfortunately, this realisation came only after many, many pages were slashed with red pen and sent back for rewriting. 🚨
And then there was The Great Desk Incident. One day, in Std 1 group work about whales, my friend and I realised our split hexagonal table was wobbling and affecting our drawing accuracy. So we did what any logical problem-solvers and future OTs would do:
- We folded bits of paper, ducked under our desk, and wedged them under the legs to stabilise them. 🛠️
- We did this entirely non-verbally, communicating in silent OT telepathy. 🤫
- We were immediately and severely punished for “talking under the table.” 😳
Fast forward years later to OT school, and the very same friend and I separately recalled that incident with perfect clarity. It was that bad! 😂
Sensory Integration: It’s About Thriving, Not Conforming
While the movement-rich lifestyle of my childhood helped, I wish I had had an OT trained in sensory integration! 🤩
More next time on being a student OT with neurodiversity! ✨
Kath Smith
📝 ASI Wise & Sensory Project 🎓