Sensory Integration Education

As a Speech and Language Therapist (SLT), your scope of practice includes supporting individuals who experience difficulties with communication, eating, drinking, and swallowing (EDS). These complex functions are underpinned by the brain’s ability to receive, process, and respond to sensory information from the body and environment. Motor planning and control, interoception, proprioception, tactile processing, and vestibular function are just some of the sensory systems that contribute to successful communication and safe, coordinated oral-motor functions.

Research indicates that sensory processing differences, where the brain has difficulty interpreting and integrating sensory input, can have a significant impact on communication and feeding-related behaviours. For example, children with sensory modulation difficulties may struggle to remain regulated enough to participate in speech and language interventions, while those with oral-tactile defensiveness may present with food aversions or difficulties tolerating oral-motor input during feeding.

SLTs increasingly recognise that in order to provide effective, holistic assessment and intervention, it is essential to understand how sensory processing may be affecting the individual's ability to engage, attend, interpret sensory cues, and perform skilled motor actions involved in speaking and eating. This is particularly relevant when working with individuals with neurodevelopmental differences such as autism, developmental coordination disorder (DCD), and sensory processing disorder (SPD), where sensory integration challenges are common.

Understanding sensory integration enables SLTs to more accurately identify underlying factors contributing to a client’s presentation. It supports collaborative, person-centred care planning that takes into account the sensory needs of the individual and creates environments and routines that facilitate learning, participation, and comfort.

For more information on the relationship between Sensory Integration and Speech and Language Therapy, including current guidance on practice standards, please refer to the joint position statement from the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) and Sensory Integration Education:
SI and SLT Position Statement

In Summary:

• Communication, eating, drinking, and swallowing are multi-sensory processes that rely on the accurate registration, integration, and interpretation of sensory input, alongside effective motor coordination.

• Sensory processing differences can significantly affect a person’s ability to engage in and benefit from speech and language therapy, particularly in the areas of attention, regulation, social interaction, articulation, and feeding.

• As an SLT, it is essential to be able to recognise and consider sensory processing differences during assessment and intervention planning.

• To do so effectively and ethically, appropriate training and competence in sensory integration approaches are required.

• With a recognised Sensory Integration Practitioner qualification, SLTs are equipped with validated assessment tools and evidence-based intervention strategies. This enables them to collaborate more effectively with individuals and their families or caregivers, tailoring support to the person’s unique sensory profile to enhance developmental outcomes.