Sensory Help Now

What difference does Sensory Integration Therapy make to children's lives? This was the question that Sensory Integration Education posed to its parent and professional membership. Their answers are enlightening and hope-filled.

What is Sensory Integration Therapy?

Sensory integration (SI) therapy is a specialised form of treatment designed to help children (and adults) who struggle with processing sensory information. 

SI therapy is delivered by a therapist with specialist postgraduate training and involves various activities like structured exposure to sensory input, doing exercises to improve balance, and making recommendations about adapting your child's surroundings or daily routines. The purpose of these therapies is to help your child's brain better handle sensory input, manage their feelings and actions, and learn essential life skills. These activities are personalised to suit each child's specific needs, making their daily experiences smoother and more enjoyable.

You may see reference to Ayres Sensory Integration® or ASI therapy, which is a very specific way of assessing and working with people with sensory processing difficulties.

What Differences Does Sensory Integration Therapy Make?

Sensory Integration Education, the not-for-profit training organisation, asked its professional and parent members what difference sensory integration had made to their lives. Here's what they had to say:

"I have just been learning about sensory integration difficulties this year. A friend suggested that my son might have issues relating to SI. This is helping us as a family to understand the difficulties my son has with motor development and to learn more about what we can do to help." - Parent of a child with sensory integration/processing difficulties

"Our amazing OT (trained to level 3 in Sensory Integration Therapy). Her input has been life-changing for our son and for our whole family." - Parent of a child with sensory integration/processing difficulties

"Using sensory integration has enabled me to help children to better regulate themselves to that they can better access activities at home, school and in the community." - SI-trained Occupational Therapist

"I have supported parents to learn strategies and alter routines to minimise the impact of sensory challenges. Small changes, like changing around his bedroom and doing calming activities before bed, had a big positive impact." - SI-trained Occupational Therapist

"By adapting my classroom as an SI-themed room within a classroom setting my students with severe ASD are all able to regulate themselves with support to access their curriculum. Other professionals on seeing this have adapted their own rooms to the same effect. It has changed the delivery of the curriculum in our and other schools.” - Teacher with a specialism in OT & SI

"I have provided sensory activity advice to parents and carers who gained hope and direction on how to help their child cope with sensory stimuli and live happier lives together." - SI-trained Occupational Therapist

"I have helped a little boy with his auditory sensitivity and now the family can go out for a walk without it being hugely distressing for them all." - SI-trained Occupational Therapist

"I worked with a boy with SI difficulties. He was on the go, could not focus, climbed the all at home (literally). After some sessions with me, we had a short break. When he came back he was like a different child. Calm and able to engage in a variety of tasks to build gross and fine motor skills. I was genuinely blown away by how different he was." - SI-trained Occupational Therapist

"I once met a young person who presented as clinically depressed, angry and giving up on the world. Through assessment and talking, it became clear he was constantly overwhelmed by his environment and fatigue was bringing him down. He was fed up of always feeling like he couldn't manage to do everything he was capable of. School was struggling to understand him… 

"...We worked together to create advice to school and ways of minimising sensory input and creating resources he could use independently, as well as with support, to help him feel better. He now does not present with clinical depression and is managing his anger and behaviour more positively at school. School is understanding and spotting his warning signs and offering better support." - SI-trained Occupational Therapist

"My support teacher understood and looked out for me when I was overwhelmed by sensory input and she would give me a moment alone with headphones on. It was a small act every so often that was a big part of how I got through school." - young adult with sensory integration/processing difficulties

So you can see that sensory integration therapy can be life-changing for families. You can search for an SI-qualified independent therapist here and you can access lots of free sensory resources here.

If are a parent or carer and you'd like to have your questions about sensory processing answered by an experienced SI-trained therapist, go to the Sensory Help Now Forum.