Sensing Success in a Sensory World

When Baylor University Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) alumna Emily Goodspeed was considering different options for her doctoral capstone, she was driven by a passion for the pediatric population and inspired by her past volunteer work with individuals with special needs. This ultimately led her to It’s a Sensory World, which provides sensory-based educational and recreational programming for special needs children in and around Dallas.

“I ‘preffed’ It’s a Sensory World as my number one choice for my capstone and ended up getting them, which was super exciting,” she shared.

Goodspeed’s capstone project sought to enable the center to better track sensory-related goals and student progress. By developing, implementing, and evaluating a goal-tracking tool, Goodspeed empowered teachers to quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of sensory strategies in the classroom, resulting in higher teacher confidence and the potential for increased student outcomes and progress.

One of the primary populations served by It’s a Sensory World is children with autism, and Goodspeed emphasizes the need for individualized goal tracking for this specific group.

“This is a population I love working with,” she said. “My capstone really focused on the individuality of each specific kid and their goals and interests. I wanted to create a tool that was individualized to each kid because they are all so different.”

Goodspeed continues to utilize this knowledge in her role as an occupational therapist working with children today, whether the child is or is not on the autism spectrum. She works alongside children, parents, and teachers to create individualized goals that are numerically scaled, which offers increased structure and clarity for everyone.

Thinking about her experience with the autism community in particular, Goodspeed shares how occupational therapy provides unique benefits for this population.

“As occupational therapists, we aren’t just looking at a child as a person,” she explained. “We’re also looking at their habits, their roles, their routines—and we’re able to take all of that holistically and create the best plan of action to help them achieve their goals and as much independence as possible.”

She also highlights the sensory focus of occupational therapy, which is extremely important in supporting individuals with autism.

“In order to be successful, especially for kids who are on the spectrum, they need to be regulated. If they’re not regulated, they’re not going to be able to work on other goals and make the progress they need to.”

Goodspeed is looking at every piece of the puzzle and putting it all together to better serve her clients, strengthened by a deep care and appreciation for the individuals she has the opportunity to work alongside.

“I feel like the autistic community are some of the most authentic people you will meet, and their joy is just so infectious because it is always 100% genuine. They see the world through a very unique lens, and I feel they all deserve credit for how resilient they are—because the world is not necessarily set up in the way that that their brain wants to see things,” she said. “And I think OTDs and other professionals can help them bridge that gap.” 

ABOUT ROBBINS COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SCIENCES AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Established in 2014, Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences seeks to enhance health, quality of life, and human flourishing for all individuals and communities through education, research, and innovation. It includes seven academic departments—Communication Sciences and Disorders; Health, Human Performance, and Recreation; Human Sciences and Design; Occupational Therapy; Physical Therapy; Physician Assistant Studies; and Public Health. Robbins College offers 13 bachelor’s degrees, 10 master’s degrees, and six doctoral degrees, as well as nine graduate programs in partnership with the U.S. Army. Graduate programs in Robbins College are offered in a variety of modalities, including on campus, online, and hybrid.