Deploying sensory supports during high-stimulus emergencies like fire drills, and advocating for pre-taught routines so the student isn't blindsided.
At a glance
When: A drill or evacuation overwhelms a student who needs sensory regulation.
Remember: In a real emergency (not a drill), evacuation overrides everything — safety first.
What strong practice looks like — and why.
The scenario you saw
A fire drill happens mid-lesson. The noise and crowd quickly dysregulate the student you support, and they're refusing to move toward the exit. What do you do?
Before you read on — what would you do here? Picture your move, then reveal how strong practice handles it.
Safety first, but how you get there matters. Deploy sensory supports immediately — headphones, a compression input, anything available. Stay calm and quiet; you're the anchor. Guide rather than force; forced movement with a dysregulated student makes things worse. Afterward, debrief with the team: this student needs a pre-taught fire drill routine — a visual sequence, a practice run. Surprises shouldn't be how this works for them. Important: if this is a real emergency rather than a drill, student safety overrides all other considerations — evacuation must happen, and the post-event debrief becomes even more critical.
Why this works
Safety comes first in a drill, but how you get a dysregulated student out matters — forcing movement usually makes the dysregulation, and the danger, worse. So you deploy sensory supports right away, stay calm and quiet as the student's anchor, and guide rather than force. Afterward the real fix is upstream: this student needs a pre-taught drill routine — a visual sequence, a practice run — so the alarm isn't a surprise next time.
What to look for
Recall is where it sticks — a few quick scenarios.
Reading is useful, but recall is where it sticks. Three short scenarios, low-stakes, no scoring — about 3 minutes. You can stop any time.
Start the practice set →Short on time? Start with the first one.
Scope & safety
In a genuine emergency rather than a drill, evacuation overrides everything — student safety comes first even if they're dysregulated. The calm, guided, sensory-first approach is what you use when there are seconds to use it.
Understood.org
Practical guide on sensory regulation tools and emergency preparation, including pre-teaching fire drill routines for students with sensory sensitivities.