Chair's Update By Rosalind Rogers, SensorNet 58
By Sensory Integration Education, 15 March 2022
I was hoping that when I came to write this update for the first issue of SensorNet in 2022 that I could discuss the impact of the pandemic in the past tense but Covid-19 is unfortunately very much still making its presence felt across the globe.
And there’s no doubt that huge challenges remain in tackling the impact of the pandemic. The toll on ‘Generation Covid’ in terms of physical and mental health; the loss of time in education and/or receipt of therapy; and the delay in assessment and diagnosis is only just emerging. We look forward to research on this and actionable recommendations for the sensory community. (Anyone wanting support on conducting SI-related research, should have a look at SIE’s Researcher Support and Grant Awards.)
Record Registrations
The pandemic conditions meant that we hosted our second virtual version of our SIE Annual Conference in November. Our presenter line-up was inspiring, with Dr Teresa May-Benson and Dr Varleisha D. Gibbs keynoting, supported by a fascinating line of presentations that attracted a record 4,700+ registered delegates from across the globe. Members of ASIP (more on this later) can still access all Conference materials. We also announced the winners of the Sensory Integration Education and Sheffield Hallam Student Awards and you can read more on this in this edition of SensorNet.
Sensory Integration Difficulties are Common: So Why Have Over a Third of the UK Population Never Heard of Them?
We were unsurprised at the results of a national poll1 that we commissioned from Ipsos MORI late last year. The poll, which asked over a thousand people representative of the UK adult population how much they had heard about “sensory integration” or “sensory processing difficulties”, found that over a third (36%) had never even heard the terms. Less than 10% of people said they had strong knowledge of the terms sensory integration or sensory processing.
And this is against the backdrop of sensory differences being quite common within the population. As you will know, it is estimated that between 5% and 16.5% of the general population2,3,4 have symptoms associated with sensory integration difficulties and these estimates are much higher for people with autism5,6,7,8,9 or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)10,11.
It is our serious concern that these poor levels of awareness are detrimental to the daily lives and mental health of people with sensory integration difficulties. You will be well aware what this poor awareness of sensory integration means for people with sensory differences when they come into contact with employers, teachers, civil servants, customer service staff, etcetera, and their behaviours are not understood and their needs are not properly catered for.
In its recent report12, the National Autistic Society (NAS) stated: “Parents have told us that schools will often argue that their child’s behaviour is a choice, while as parents they recognise their child is overwhelmed by the social and sensory demands of school. [...] In school, social skills training, physical therapy, and sensory integration therapy all featured heavily in additional services which parents stated they would like to see.”
Research has already demonstrated a relationship between sensory integration difficulties and heightened anxiety and also depression13,14. Our schools, businesses, shops and leisure areas have not historically been set up to be accessible or welcoming to people with sensory integration difficulties. We hope that more organisations and authorities make the effort to consider how their environments and routines impact people with sensory integration difficulties and make changes accordingly.
Free Course for Parents and Carers
As a not-for-profit organisation, providing accessible courses and information to raise awareness and understanding of SI difficulties - and the support available to those with sensory difficulties - is core to our values. In addition to our popular CPD courses and MSc pathway for professionals, we continue to expand our series of accessibly-priced online courses aimed at anyone who would benefit from an initial understanding of what SI is, what sensory issues can look like in terms of behaviour and engagement and ideas for supporting sensory needs. It was in this vein that we decided to make our popular short course Understanding Sensory Processing and Integration in Children: For Parents and Carers free. And free forever: no codes required, no offer expiry, immediately accessible. We encourage you to share the course with anyone whom you think it may help.
SIE HE Partner Sheffield Hallam University Achieves 5 Star Rating in Global Rankings
Our partner Sheffield Hallam University - which accredits our unique MSc in Sensory Integration pathway - goes from strength to strength. Having won University of the Year for Teaching Quality in The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020 edition, Hallam has been named University of the Year at the 2021 UK Social Mobility Awards. Hallam has also achieved an impressive maximum five-star rating in the distinguished QS World University Rankings. Looking at the breakdown of that rating, Hallam has been awarded the maximum five stars in seven of the eight categories. This is rightful recognition of their international standing as a teaching and research institution.
We now have a full complement of students undertaking Postgraduate Certificates, Postgraduate Diplomas and MSc in SI modules with Hallam. These students have access to the University’s library and student support services from day 1 of their enrolment and are fully supported by our experienced team right the way through to their successful completion of their Master’s dissertation. SIE’s practitioner training pathway remains the world’s first and only UK-university accredited MSc in Sensory Integration, setting the gold standard for SI education. Make sure you don’t miss the deadlines for booking onto upcoming modules and qualifications by checking here.
Look out for upcoming announcements regarding an exciting development for our MSc training pathway with Sheffield Hallam University.
Association of Sensory Integration Practice (ASIP) Launches
Since the last edition of SensorNet, the Association of Sensory Integration Practice (ASIP) has launched. ASIP is a friendly community of practice for those interested in sensory integration to access exclusive events, courses and resources that will advance your professional development and network. All that (including a 10% discount on all short courses, excluding SI Modules) for less than the price of a cup of coffee per week. ASIP Membership also includes access to ASIP Journal Club, of which we are particularly proud.
ASIP Journal Club is for people who want to consolidate their sensory integration knowledge and work out how to get the principles into everyday practice. It’s the online journal club for people who want to know where the research is pointing, but don’t feel completely confident in interpreting it themselves. We have access to Advanced Practitioners, published researchers, experienced clinicians and authors, all ready to answer questions and offer insight.
Bringing You SI News Since 1996
SensorNet has been bringing you news of SI developments and research for 26 years! You’ll notice that this digital edition looks a little different. We hope this format improves your reader-experience and makes SensorNet articles more accessible.
I know we’ve been through very trying times, with many challenges ongoing, but I have a lot of optimism about this coming year and faith in the SI community’s ability to find new solutions and renewed energy to support each other.
Rosalind Rogers
Chair of Board of Directors
References
(1) Sensory Integration Omnibus by Ipsos MORI, November 2021, Base: 1050 adults aged 16-75 in the UK; Question: ‘How much, if anything, have you heard about the terms “sensory integration” or “sensory processing difficulties”? If you don’t know much or have never heard of them, please say so.’
(12) National Autistic Society School Report 2021
