Some children experience sensory processing difficulties which impact on participation and function in everyday activities. Many children with Neurodevelopmental difficulties including ASC and ADHD experience these difficulties. If you think your child has sensory processing difficulties, please talk to any healthcare professional already working with your child. They can help you to unpick your child’s behaviours and whether they are sensory or have another cause.

The Milton Keynes Occupational Therapy Service have created some free information and resources to support parents, carers and professionals to understand sensory processing. For example, chew toys, head banging, planning wheels and videos to support different sensory needs. 

Guides and information

• sensory processing difficulties - Some children experience sensory processing difficulties which impact on participation and function in everyday activities
• sensory differences - How sensory differences may affect students with ASC and strategies to help
• sensory alerting - Produced by NHS Occupational Therapists
• proprioception difficulties - Proprioceptive input helps the child to reach a "just right" state of alertness so they can focus and learn
• LEAP handout on proprioception - What is it?
• oral sensory difficulties - When talking about children with oral sensory processing difficulties , there are two different types of oral sensitivities: hypersensitivity and hyposensitivity.
• joining in with sensory differences advice sheet - Milton Keynes community Occupational Therapy advice sheet

Hearing and visual impairments

St Paul's Catholic school's sensory-ICT team have produced information to support children and young people with hearing and/or visual impairments. 

• modifying resources for children and young people with hearing impairments - produced by St Pauls sensory team
• modifying resources for children and young people with visual impairments - produced by St Pauls sensory team

The 'Wiggle and Whoosh' programme

Movement experiences are fundamental to the development of all human beings and are particularly important to people with special needs. The input or ‘feeding in’ of movement experiences has to be concentrated and more continuous if people who are challenged in special ways are to realise their potential.

• ideas
• activities to try

The 'Fizzy' training programme

The FIZZY and Clever Hands Programmes are recommended by occupational therapy as programmes for schools to use to assist in the development of motor skills for those children who find this challenging. The full programme can be found on the Fizzy training programme website.

Activity breaks and sensory play

Activity breaks are important and should be included in a child or young person's daily schedule. Below you will find some examples and ideas for personalising activity breaks.

• activity breaks - guidance for schools - resources to support with activity breaks
• activity break example 1 
• activity break example 2
• garden circuit - a simple circuit that can be completed and adapted to suit your child's needs

Sensory play is a great way to support your child's sensory needs through fun and engaging activities. Sensory play can be added through out your child's day to help keep them regulated. We have produced some ideas and resources to support with sensory play, which you will find below.

• sensory play activities - a booklet full of sensory play ideas
• sensory toy box ideas - images of types of toys to include in your child's toy box
• play strategies - exploratory play - produced by NHS Hillingdon Talks
• messy play - sensory activities to support children speech, language, communication and interaction skills
• play time - five tips for talking

Sensory sensitivities 

• sensory sensitivities checklist - an editable checklist to support sensory sensitivities 
• sensory sensitivities strategies - Sensory integration issues and strategies 

Other resources

• fidgeting - a social story for teachers - produced by Leap for teachers.
• biting advice - why children bite and strategies to support
• sensory chew toys - websites and images of chew toys
• desensitisation - examples and how to support
• air cushion, ear defenders, chewy tube - examples and images of sensory resources for children and young people
• proprioception with clear visuals - visual examples of strategies 
• diagram - pyramid of development - A diagram of the central nervous systems pyramid of development
• stress is caused by - Factors that may cause your child stress

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