Sensory Help Now

Starting school or starting a new school year can be an exciting time for children but for those with sensory processing issues, they often have to face a variety of challenges in a traditional classroom setting that can make it difficult for them to succeed. 

In this month’s Our Sensory Family Resources blog, we’ve put together a number of articles and guides that will help you help your sensory child or teen navigate the start of the new school year.

One-to-One Online Coaching with a Sensory Integration Trained Occupational Therapist – if you have a child with sensory processing differences, you may be interested in booking a one-to-one online coaching session with one of SIE’s Occupational Therapists trained in Sensory Integration. Whilst this is not an assessment or therapy session, you’ll receive tailored information and advice specific to your child’s or teen’s sensory processing challenges along with practical strategies and actionable insights to support the individual’s development and daily life.

Starting School for Sensory Seekers - starting school is an exciting time for any child, but it can be particularly overwhelming for sensory seekers. Sensory seekers are individuals who actively seek sensory input to regulate their nervous system. They may crave movement, touch, or visual stimuli, which can make the school environment challenging. As a parent or carer, understanding your sensory seeker’s needs and providing appropriate support can greatly ease their transition into school life. This blog from Sensory Sid explores some helpful strategies to ensure a successful start to school for your sensory seeker.

8 Sensory Strategies to Manage After-School Meltdowns – this free course is available to watch on the Sensory Help Now website. Occupational Therapist and Advanced Sensory Integration Practitioner, Jessica Kirton, shares easy and practical strategies to support children who bottle up their sensory integration difficulties all day at school and then melt down as soon as they are safely home.  The course is designed for parents and families with quick and easy strategies for the first hour after coming home from school.  

BBC Children’s and Education Prepares Children and Parents in Time for School with New CBeebies Shows and Online Content – BBC Children’s and Education has announced an exciting line-up of new commissions and online content to prepare children and parents across the UK for the return to nursery and school. CBeebies will provide a host of new educational and entertaining programmes and content to help children and parents through a time that is mixed with excitement, anticipation and change. The new line-up of online content includes Dodge’s Pup School, Waffle the Wonder Dog and a specially commissioned Time for School film in the Bitesize area of the CBeebies Little Learners app. 

Resources for Autistic Teenagers – the Know Yourself series from the National Autistic Society offers a comprehensive set of free resources (videos, PDFs, worksheets, etc.) to support autistic teens in understanding what being autistic means to them.

Tackling School Refusal Starts with Supporting Neurodiverse Kids - this article highlights the importance of supporting neurodivergent children when addressing school refusal.

These Are the Best Lunches for Sensory Seekers and Sensory Avoiders - this article explains the value of considering sensory preferences when packing your child's lunchbox.

How to Manage Sensory Overload in ADHD - this informative blogpost from Verywell Health discusses sensory differences and sensory overload in individuals with ADHD. Sensory overload is a feeling of anxiety that happens when you experience too much sensory input and is a common feature of ADHD. People who are experiencing sensory overload may cover their ears or eyes to block out the stimulus. This blog looks at the reasons why people with ADHD are prone to sensory overload, triggers, and how to cope. (Note that this article refers to SPD which is not the terminology used by SIE).

Top Strategies to Help Autistic Girls Make the Smooth Transition Back to School - transitioning back to school after a long break can be tricky for neurodivergent children and young people, particularly when it's a new school year with many unknown factors. This blogpost, written by a neurodivergent blogger, contains helpful transition tips for autistic girls to go back to school at the start of a new school year.

NB: Sensory Help Now is not responsible for the content on external websites. Sharing a resource does not imply endorsement by Sensory Help Now.