Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)

Department

Occupational Therapy

First Advisor

Breann Lamborn

Abstract

Background: Sensory stimuli bombard humans at every point during their day. Senses are the avenue through which humanity interacts with its world. Individuals have varying thresholds of sensory stimuli. When people face more stimuli than they can cope with, they struggle to interact with the world around them. This can pose a significant challenge for graduate-level college students due to the already strenuous mental load required for formal education. The association between sensory processing and stress has strengthened in recent years, with individuals reporting a positive feedback loop between these constructs (Harrold et al., 2024). Stress leads to greater sensory sensitivity, creating more stress until individuals feel overwhelmed by their environments. In one study, 90% of first-year college students who took the Adult Sensory ProfileⓇ scored outside standard ranges, demonstrating a clear need for sensory programs in college settings (Nelson et al., 2022).

Purpose: This project aimed to create a sensory guide for higher education personnel to accommodate various student sensory needs. The goal of Coming to Your Senses: A Guide for Sensory Considerations in Higher Education was to promote student mental health, well-being, and academic achievement by providing personnel with a guide that outlined how to accommodate various sensory needs and preferences in collegiate environments.

Methods: A needs assessment was conducted through a literature review, using the person-environment-occupation (PEO) model to organize the information into the constructs of person, environment, and occupation and the transactions between these constructs. The author had discussions with the head of Student Disability Services to determine current accommodations for students’ sensory needs and potential areas for improvement. Based on this information, the author created a product to address the areas of need.

Results: This product's anticipated outcome is to facilitate student well-being and academic success by addressing sensory needs and preferences in the higher education environment.

Conclusions: Coming to Your Senses: A Guide for Sensory Considerations in Higher Education addresses student sensory needs by providing a guide to meet these needs through environmental modification and multisensory teaching methods. This product is anticipated to improve academic success and well-being for students with diverse sensory needs.

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