Education on sensory awareness, the role of perception and its impact on well-being
Part of the preparation for the new school year is a diverse range of courses, where professionals from various fields are brought to the table. A sensory awareness course, in partnership with the companies Heimastyrk and Hlöðuloftið, is a recent addition, and this new addition to the autumn's training programme was very well received.
A better understanding of students' reactions and well-being towards different perceptions.
Staff at the Education and Public Health Department of Hafnarfjörður and in the municipality's primary schools have spent the last few days, weeks and months preparing for education, teaching and the organisation of school activities for the new school year. Part of the preparation involves a variety of courses in the autumn and throughout the school year, where professionals from diverse backgrounds are brought to the table. A sensory awareness workshop, in collaboration with the companies Heimastyrkur and Hlöðuloftið, is a new addition for this group. The new initiative in this autumn's training programme was very well received by both the course organisers and participants from the Hafnarfjörður school system.
Increased knowledge and a better understanding can promote greater well-being for both students and teachers.
Sensory awareness training aims to promote staff understanding and resilience to support children and young people who, among other things, face challenges with sensory processing, do not feel well enough, have difficulty sleeping, are fussy eaters, or have poor emotional regulation, low self-esteem, have difficulty being in a group and even have few or no friends. These children may be undiagnosed or have diagnoses such as ADHD, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), anxiety, depression, Oppositional Defiant Disorder or a disorder on the autism spectrum. Increased staff awareness of sensory awareness can contribute to greater well-being among pupils and the staff themselves, and the course is intended as part of the journey to strengthen the Hafnarfjörður school system and find creative and interesting ways to work even better in line with the new well-being policy.The training is based on the theory of perception and sensory processing, experiential learning, self-empowerment and empathy, and is delivered by Guðrún Jóhanna Hallgrímsdóttir, an occupational therapist and facilitator at Heimastyrkur, and Þorkatla Elín Sigurðardóttir, a psychologist at Hlöðuloftið.