The school day had barely begun Monday morning at South Point
Elementary School in Washington when a student in Ann Heinrich’s
“low incidence” classroom for children with intense special
needs was lying face down on a soft rug, wood blocks strewn
around him. Heinrich prompted the student to pick up the toys,
and he fussed a bit so she helped him. When he got up and walked
away, she brought him back to complete the task. When he
suddenly erupted in a tantrum, knocking over several of the
student chairs, Heinrich calmly guided him to the corner and
then sat with him. If he reached out to strike her or another
object she reminded him, “soft touch, soft touch.” Once he was
calm, Heinrich asked him something that people who are
unfamiliar with autism may consider a strange question — “Do you
need a squeeze?” But it made all the difference for this
student, who has an Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD. “It’s
proprioceptive input,” Heinrich said, explaining students with
autism need that kind of sensory input to help