Students with underdeveloped visual processing abilities get distracted by the abundance of visual stimulate, and can withdraw from these areas and have difficulty functioning normally. Visual processing strategies involve removing excess visual stimulation -- bright, rich or overly lit areas which cause students' eyes to react. This includes keeping only those materials you and your students are currently using available, removing materials from view once you move to another project. Remove light bulbs from some lamps in your class to reduce the light level in your classroom. Avoid colorful pictures on your walls and worksheets with too many pictures.
Underdeveloped auditory processing abilities agitates students when they hear an unfamiliar or unexpected sound and can force a child to withdraw from areas where these sounds originate. Auditory processing strategies involve limiting excess noises from your classroom while preparing students for the sounds they can expect during the day. This includes moving your classroom to a quieter room in the building and away from louder areas, such as away from active areas like the kitchen or parking lot, and removing things that cause regular noises, such as excess jewelry, cell phones or computers. Some sounds are unavoidable, such as the doorbell or parents walking outside the classroom, but you can help students prepare for these noises by explaining what to expect during the day.
Students with an underdeveloped ability to process smell grow frustrated and agitated when they encounter a scent that is unfamiliar or particularly strong. This includes potent smells such as perfume, but this also includes less potent, and more subtle, changes in scent, such as your changing your brand of shampoo, body soap or household cleaning agents. Olfactory strategies include introducing your students to the smells of your classroom early, letting them grow accustomed to those scents and avoiding changes in those scents during the year.
Gustatory processing involves a student’s ability to process the taste of foods, and an underdevelopment in this ability leaves students frustrated and even angry when forced to make changes in the daily diet. Gustatory strategies involve learning your student’s dietary desires early in the year and then avoiding any changes to these diets during the year. Make sure that each student’s favorite food is represented in your daily snacks, and let the students make the choice of which foods to eat.