Assessment resources for students with sensory disorders

k1p1ssk, BSN, RN · Jan 8

I'm guessing a lot of the time, these kids are being brought down because they are "not themselves" but there aren't any specific reported symptoms. This is tough because you need to use your nursing judgment and determine if there is illness or injury at play or if it is behavioral. I try to give my staff the benefit of the doubt when they use this line as much as possible, but I can't deny that this is a frequent "excuse" among adults who work with students with behavioral challenges when they are sick of dealing with said student or understaffed.

With that said, I use a no-touch thermometer (the iHealth one is relatively inexpensive but seems to do a good job) and I often demonstrate the instrument on the adult with them first and let the kids explore the instruments as well. Of course if they are just going to take it and chuck it across the room, then I wouldn't allow the latter. If there is a private area in their classroom, that might be more familiar to them and so going to them might get you further. Getting down to their eye level, or even below, if it feels safe to do so, can be quite impactful, but if they have severe ASD and are non-verbal, there is a chance you won't be able to do anything.

You can always call the parent and explain that you've attempted an assessment but the student is unable to tolerate it and you of course do not want to force anything. You can ask about their typical presentations of things - do they guard areas in pain, or tug their ears when they have an earache? Do they drool more with a sore throat? Are they avoiding typically favorite foods? Other information to gather could be things like appetite in the last day or so, when their last BM was, and how did they sleep the night before.

biscuits · Jan 8

Thank you for the thoughtful response. I appreciate it!