Material | The Sensory Fan-Model

Description

The Sensory Fan-model is intended as a tool to explain to someone which systems are active in their body, and how they can influence the systems by using activating and calming strategies.

The Sensory Fan-model shows three systems:

• The engage- & recovery system is shown in the blue-green part of the fan.
• The stress system is shown in the orange part.
• The emergency system in the red part.

Someone who does not respond sufficiently to sensory input, needs more activating input, so the blue part becomes smaller and the green part can unfold more. An overresponsive person needs calming input, causing the orange to fold and at the same time further unfold the green part. How fast this folding and unfolding happens, differs from person to person. The ‘expandability’ differs from person to person as well. There are people with many ‘folds’ and there are those with fewer.

In chapter 1 of Sensory Solutions in the classroom you will find more information about the three systems.

It feels good to function mainly in the green area. That doesn’t mean you will never move into blue or orange. In fact, that’s completely natural.

Rest and recovery happen in the blue area. And at times, you’ll experience stress, which brings you into the orange part of the fan. Stress isn’t automatically negative. It can be a healthy and useful part of life as long as it isn’t chronic or limiting.

The people you use the Sensory Fan-model with can also learn to use it themselves to show how they are doing:

• Which color is most unfolded for them?
• Which system feels active?
• Do they experience too little or too much sensory input?
• Do they feel comfortable?
• Are they able to do what they want or need to do?

If the blue part is mostly unfolded, they may be experiencing too little input and be underresponsive. Together, you can explore activating strategies or ways to fold the blue and gently unfold the green.

If you see a lot of green, but also too much orange unfolded, they may be regularly overstimulated. You can explain how calming strategies at specific moments help them unfold the green more fully, while folding the orange.

With practice, the Sensory Fan-model becomes a powerful self-awareness tool. Over time, the person may be able to describe how they are doing, perhaps even without using the physical fan, and begin applying helpful strategies independently.

Is it difficult to explain using only words and a two-dimensional image? Then create a real, colored paper fan and attach it to a surface. Now you can move the three-dimensional fan and make the concept come alive.

Scroll down for downloads and instructions on how to make your own fan.

Your Fan (With Your Own Content)

Download your own Sensory Fan-model below.

Everyone uses their own words, gestures or sounds to express how they feel. This is also the case when using the fan. To be able to connect well with someone else, it’s nice to use those terms that suit the person for their ‘type of sensory processing’: the under or overresponsiveness, the ‘shutdown’ and certainly also the terms that indicate that they feel good. That is why you can make your own fan.

Within the care landscape for people with trauma, with ADHD or autism, with brain injury, with psychological problems or with giftedness, for example, different terms are used. Which terms suit you and/or your client? SensoMatters invites you to write them in your own fan.

Make Your Own Fan

• Paint an existing fan.
• Make a fan with colored paper (download below).
• Make a fan with a color print (download below).