EmphaSIze March 2024: Mental Health and Sensory Needs
By Sensory Integration Education, 3 March 2024
Welcome to the March issue of EmphaSIze where this month we're focusing on Mental Health and Sensory Needs!
Everyday activities can often be challenging and/or unpleasant for individuals with sensory processing differences and this can impact their mental health. Many studies show clear links between mental health and sensory processing sensitivities.
In this month’s newsletter, we've put together useful information, research, articles, books, and product ideas that look at supporting your clients’ mental health and sensory needs.
We also have some exciting news to kick off SIE's 30th birthday celebrations this year! Read our news article below to find out about the big change we're making to our Sensory Help Now service for parents and carers.
News & Features
SIE Marks 30th Birthday with Free Sensory Support Service for Parents and Carers
To celebrate our 30th birthday this year, we’re excited to announce that our Sensory Help Now service for parents and carers is now completely free to access!
This means any parent or carer can now log questions and concerns on the Sensory Help Now Forum and receive a response from an SI Practitioner within three working days. They can also access bite-sized videos to learn more about what sensory processing differences look like and how to put into practice sensory strategies at home to help with sensory issues such as managing emotions, eating, dressing, hygiene and sleep.
It's important to note that the Sensory Help Now Service does not replace SI Therapy but is an initial step towards learning more about managing the impact of sensory integration and processing differences on daily life. Where needed, visitors to the Sensory Help Now website will be signposted to seek individual consultation with an SI-qualified therapist. So if you are an SI Practitioner or Advanced Practitioner and would like to add or update details of your service on our Find a Local Therapist database, please email us at: [email protected].
Also please share the Sensory Help Now website with your clients and community so that as many families as possible can benefit from a greater understanding of how to support their children's sensory needs.
Find out more about the Sensory Help Now service here.
Creating Sensory-Friendly Environments in Adult Mental Health Settings
Adult mental health services are provided across a range of settings including home environments, clinics, community settings, acute mental health settings, nursing homes and residential centres. This can create challenges for SI Practitioners when working with clients in a way that meets their sensory processing needs.
In her latest blog post, Leanne Duggan, OT and Advanced SI Practitioner working in adult mental health, looks at ways you can create a sensory-friendly environment for clients even while working within varying levels of restriction in order to help promote a sensory-friendly approach.
Join the SP3D Data Collection Initiative: Contribute to the Future of Sensory Processing Assessment!
Are you an experienced SI Practitioner, interested in participating in the development of an assessment? If so, we invite you to contribute to an innovative project: the standardisation and validation of the Sensory Processing 3 Dimensions (SP3D) assessment.
The SP3D is a sensory processing test that has been designed by occupational therapists for therapists and aims to provide a scientifically robust and clinically relevant assessment for sensory processing in individuals aged 3 years through adulthood.
We’re looking for qualified SI Practitioners who are interested in becoming SP3D Data Collectors. As a Data Collector, you’ll gain firsthand knowledge of SP3D under the guidance of the authors, Dr Sarah Schoen or Dr Shelley Mulligan, with a minimum of 10 hours of training and will be responsible for administering the SP3D assessment to selected participants (you will be generously compensated for each case).
If you’re interested in the opportunity to be at the forefront of sensory processing research and practice, you can find out more here about applying to be a SP3D Data Collector.
Thoughts from a Sleep Deprived Therapist
In this month’s Thoughts from a Therapist article, Anna Willis, Occupational Therapist and Advanced Practitioner in Sensory Integration, looks at the sensory aspects of sleep and the emotional and cognitive impact on everyone involved.
How SI Training Has Influenced My Practice in a Mental Health Setting
This is a throwback article from 2 years ago when Tina Judson, a Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist and Sensory Integration Practitioner, shared her reflections about her key learning points, the skills she has acquired since completing SI training and how her practice in mental health has been influenced by her postgraduate training in SI with Sensory Integration Education.
In the article, Tina talks about the impact SI training has had on her career and how it’s motivated her in many ways, enabling her to be more evidence-based in her practice and more confident in setting goals.
Also see:
How ADHD affects mental health, as Ben Fogle opens up about diagnosis
Sensory garden at Riding for the Disabled centre is hailed a success
Sensory Seeking: Know It's Signs In A Newborn
New £18m expansion to Somerset SEND school now complete
Connecting autistic students to nature, culture and the world of work through engaging activities
National Autistic Society Annual Professionals’ Conference takes place on March 14th
Resources
We've curated guides, tutorials, books and products to help individuals with their sensory needs and the impact these can have on their mental health:
- Meeting the Needs of Autistic Adults in Mental Health Services
- Mental Health Workbook for Kids
- The Autistic Experience: Silenced Voices Finally Heard
- Express Your Feelings Sensory Bottles
- Furry Planet Worry Yummy
See our latest resources ideas here.
SI Research Digest
Easy-to-read summaries of all the latest SI research papers, as well as key papers on our theme of mental health and sensory needs. Click here to view the summaries of the research and access the direct links to the published papers, including:
- Atypical sensory processing in adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A comparative study
- Sensory processing in children with Paediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome
- White matter microstructure of children with sensory over-responsivity is associated with affective behaviour
Upcoming Courses and Webinars
We have a number of live webinars that take throughout the year covering a broad range of SI-related topics. Below is a snapshot of the live webinars happening in March and April or click here to view a summary of all the upcoming live events.
All these live webinars are available to you by signing up to our Lifelong Learning Programme or can be purchased as individual courses:
- Sensory Spotlight Talk: ADHD Specialty Topic: Current Research and Intervention Approaches - 12 March 2024
- Sensory Informed Engagement in Mental Health – 22 March 2024
- Moving on From Maslow - 27 March 2024
- Using the Adult/Adolescent Sensory History (ASH) in Clinical Practice - 8 April 2024
- Sensory Approaches to Supporting Student Wellbeing and Engagement - 12 April 2024
- FREE Webinar: An Introduction to Using the Sensory Processing Measure 2 (SPM-2) and Quick Tips in Clinical Practice - 15 April 2024
- Introduction to Sensory Integration and Yoga - 22 April 2024
Latest Job Listings
Are you thinking of making a career move this year? Check out the latest job listings including:
- Specialist Occupational Therapist, Meath School, Ottershaw, Surrey, UK
- Occupational Therapist, NC Therapy Services, London, UK
- Sensory Developmental Occupational Therapist, Sensory Worx Ltd, County Durham, UK
- Paediatric Occupational Therapist, Childrens Therapy Solutions Ltd, Melton Mowbray, UK
- Occupational Therapist or Speech and Language Therapist who would like to train in Ayres® Sensory Integration, MindSenseAbility, Lymington, UK
- Paediatric Occupational Therapist, Side by Side Special School, Hackney, London, UK
Discounts & Special Offers
- We've negotiated these exciting discounts for our SIE family!
- Please quote DISCOUNT CODE SIE20 for 10% discount on Southpaw orders up to £100. Orders must be placed by phone on +44 (0) 115 718 0020.
- Please quote DISCOUNT CODE SIE15 for 15% discount on sensooli.com (Excludes membership and advent boxes).
- FREE delivery and set-up (worth up to £250, England and Wales only) on purchases of the omiVista+ and a FREE interactive ball games package worth up to £500. To access this special offer, mention you are an SIE Member when placing your order with OMI.
- 5% DISCOUNT on purchases of 3 items or more. Orders must be placed by phone and mention you are an SIE member to access this special offer when you are placing your order.
- Please quote DISCOUNT CODE SIE2210 for 10% discount when ordering from the online Sensory Smart Store.
- Would you like to receive EmphaSIze: The Sensory Integration Newsletter in your inbox? JOIN SIE FREE TODAY
- Best wishes,
- Sensory Integration Education
- NB: Sensory Integration Education is not responsible for the content on external websites. Sharing a resource does not imply endorsement by Sensory Integration Education.
