How to Create Alternative Lunch Room Settings for Special Education/Sensory Friendly Students

By Jeff Snyder, Autism/Neurodiversity Ambassador and Public Speaker

About the Presenter: Jeff Snyder

1. Born March 27, 1989 in Providence, Rhode Island
2. Grown Up and Currently Living in Seekonk, Massachusetts
3. Diagnosed with Autism at 21 Months Old (December 1990)
4. Nonverbal Until 4 Years Old
5. Became First Student with Autism to complete entire education in the Seekonk Public School System.
6. Moved into My Own Apartment in January 2015.
7. Writer of Fanfiction (stories based on movies, television shows and books)
8. Worked with Borders Group from September 2007 to September 2010 and Stop and Shop from December 2010 to Present Day
9. Fan of all things Disney and former member of the Brony Fandom which is a fan of the animated series “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” from 2011-2019.
10. Founder of “Going the Distance,” a self-advocacy/public speaking platform in May 2021.
11. Core Team Leader for Autism Tree Project Foundation in San Diego, California since October 2019.
12. Member of Board of Directors for Unicorn Children’s Foundation in Boca Raton, Florida since July 2022.
13. Flutie Fellow for the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism in Framingham, Massachusetts since September 2022.

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JEFF SNYDER’S

EDUCATIONAL CREDENTIALS AND AWARDS

Seekonk High School (Class of 2007)

A. Founding member of PEER Helping Network later named SPEAK

B. Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators Association (MSSAA) Principal’s Leadership Award (Presented by Principal Marcia McGovern)

C. Seekonk High School’s Student Leadership Award (Presented by Principal Marcia McGovern)

D. High School Diploma (Presented by Superintendent Dr. Emile Chevrette; High School Principal Marcia McGovern and School Committee Head Robert McClintock)

PRESENTER DISCLAIMER

All pictures and videos featured in the presentation all belong to their respective owners and not me.

Financial Disclosure- I, Jeff Snyder, have no financial disclosures to claim at the time of this presentation.

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WHAT IS AUTISM?

A serious developmental disorder that impairs the ability to communicate and interact.

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Scenario of a School Lunch

Scenario of a School Cafeteria

Who Are the Characters in a Lunch Room Setting?

Main Characters: Supporting Characters:

Students Cafeteria Staff

Teachers Custodial Staff

Administrators

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What Makes Going to School Lunch Challenging for Sensory Friendly Students?

1. Noise Level
2. People/Students that the student doesn’t want to be around
3. Overstimulation Risks
4. Disruption in the Student’s Mindset or Routine

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Disruption #1: Noise Level

Like all schools, lunch periods tend to be the most noisy outside of school assemblies and large sized classrooms. For students who are sensory friendly, the overall noise level can lead to overstimulation or uncomfortable situations.

Disruption #2: People/Students that Sensory Friendly Students Don’t Want to Be Around

In the eyes of the school, lunch periods are a time for students to have human to human interaction. However, not everyone wants to be around each other and forced human interactions are caused resulting in unnecessary overstimulation, sensory overloads, etc.

Disruption #3: Overstimulation Risks

Like other large school gatherings, school lunches are worthy of being high risk for overstimulation. An example would be when the sound level gets too loud from students, teachers/administrators screaming for silence and/or attention or other factors such as a noise detector.

Disruption #4: Disruption in the Student’s Routine/Mindset

While somewhat rare, lunch periods can often result in the student’s daily school routine or mindset to be disrupted and as a result, the student can have a meltdown or temper tantrum.

Why Are Alternative Lunch Room Settings A Huge Benefit?

Alternative Lunch Room Settings allows sensory friendly students to eat in an environment that is within their control and allows them to socially interact without the risks of an overstimulation whether its with the teacher, school staffer or other mutually friendly students.

Alternative Lunch Room Locations

1. Classroom or Student Home Base
2. Library
3. Selective Location on School Grounds (school courtyard)
4. Office of School Counselor or School Psychologist

How to Get Alternative Lunch Room Settings For a Sensory Friendly Student?

The best way for a student who is sensory friendly to get an alternative lunch room setting would be to put in the student’s Individual Education Plan or IEP that he or she cannot sensorily tolerate the cafeteria for an extended period of time.

What if the teacher/parent wants the student to be in the cafeteria?

Bear in mind that there are some teachers who will strongly encourage sensory friendly students to at least try and be in the cafeteria for lunch in an effort to build student interaction. A good “give or take” scenario would be for the student to spend 10 minutes in the cafeteria and then give them a head start on the rest of the students that are in the cafeteria.

Is a Sensory Friendly Lunchroom Setting a Bad Thing?

Finally, while some schools will view an alternative lunch room setting for sensory friendly students as a form of punishment or forced social isolation, sensory friendly students will often benefit greatly from eating in an environment that suits their sensory and overall mental health needs and desires.

To put it simply, the answer is no. It’s not a bad thing and in fact, teachers who themselves don’t want to interact with any other teachers may find the idea benefiting to them as well.

QUESTION AND ANSWER TIME

ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS OR FEEDBACK REGARDING THIS TRAINING?

CONTACT INFORMATION

Blog/Website, “Going the Distance”

https://jeffsnyderautismneurodiversityselfadvocate.wordpress.com

Email:

godistance3562@gmail.com

Also find me on the following social media sites:

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