Sensory-adaptive embodied design: Integrating movement for sensory regulation and conceptual learning

Abstract

Academic environments heavily restrict movement and sensory exploration. However, researchers in multiple disciplines have challenged this instructional norm, showing the role of bodily action in developing concepts (embodied learning in the learning sciences) and of sensory experiences in regulating affect (sensory regulation and sensory seeking in occupational therapy/psychology). Drawing on embodiment theory, I problematize the intersection of these two perspectives to propose an integrative framework for inclusive pedagogical design that fosters bodily action as both sensory/affective and embodied/conceptual, centering the somatic senses: sensory-adaptive embodied design (SA-ED). I present findings from a task-based interview study with sensory-neurodiverse children exploring a proof-of-concept SA-ED: Balance Graphing. Balance Graphing invites bodily movement, specifically rocking on balance boards, as means of both exploration of math concepts through dynamic graphing activities, and of dynamic sensory regulation through flexible-intensity activation of the vestibular sensory modality. Findings suggest that SA-ED can (1) allow children to adapt stimulation to their sensory needs, (2) legitimize and amplify movement as a meaningful dimension of thinking and communication.