Over 7k People Watch Free Sensory Conference
By Sensory Integration Education, 22 November 2022
Over 7,400 people virtually attended the Sensory Integration Education Annual Conference this month to learn about the relationship between our senses and our ability to participate in work, play and other everyday activities.
Visitors were drawn from all over the globe and represented both therapists and professionals looking to deepen their knowledge, and families and individuals looking for understanding, support and inspiration. The conference theme was From Sensation to Participation.
A not-for-profit training organisation, Sensory Integration Education made the online conference free for a whole week (7-13 Nov) as part of its mission to raise awareness and understanding of sensory differences and increase the pool of fully trained and qualified professionals able to support people with sensory differences.
International sensory integration experts Prof Shelly Lane and Dr Sarah Schoen gave keynote presentations, as well as Carol Stock Kranowitz - author of the influential book “The Out-of-Sync Child”. Vlogger and content creator Purple Ella shared a fascinating account of their late diagnosis and their advocacy work. Joy Jackson, of The Sensory Seeker blog, discussed her experience of parenting and advocating for a child with sensory processing differences.
Staff from EcoSensory Therapy gave a tour of the fascinating practice of EcoSensory therapy, an integrative treatment approach to support both the physical and mental health of participants by working with nature to regulate through the senses.
Dr Keren MacLennan of the Sensory Street and Becky Lyddon of Sensory Spectacle updated on the Oxford University project looking at the sensory experiences of autistic adults in public spaces. This included a look at their amazing immersive event that took place this summer: the Sensory Supermarket.
A licensed occupational therapist, Kim Clairy has unique expertise in understanding the intersection of eating disorders, sensory processing differences, and autism. Diagnosed with all three, she struggled under a healthcare system uneducated on autism. Now in recovery, she shared her expertise with her honest, insightful and hopeful video: Making Connections Between Autism, Eating Disorders, Sensory Processing, Trauma, and Mental Health. An Inside Look.
For the first time this year, the conference included a virtual poster presentation section, showcasing new research, clinical outcomes or service development projects.
The Conference rounded off with the Sensory Integration Education Sheffield Hallam University Student Awards celebrating high achieving students training to be SI practitioners and the announcement of this year's Advanced Practitioners.
Access the Conference Materials with ASIP
If you weren’t one of the thousands who participated in this year’s conference, you can access the conference materials and view them at your leisure by subscribing to SIE’s community of practice: ASIP. ASIP (Association of Sensory Integration Practice) is a unique community for professionals who use an SI perspective in some or all aspects of their work. For less than the price of a cup of coffee per week, you can be part of a community of friendly, engaged, vibrant professionals plus meet your CPD requirements to continue to learn and develop throughout your career.
Rosalind Rogers, SIE Chair said:
"It’s been our privilege and our pleasure to host the presentations from our amazing speakers and to welcome so many visitors from around the world. The volume of interest in these sensory topics proves what a huge appetite there is for increased understanding of sensory differences - both from professionals and families.
“Last year, we commissioned a national poll which found that over a third of the UK population had never heard of sensory integration difficulties. Which is contrasted to estimates that between 5 and 16.5 percent of the general population have symptoms associated with sensory integration difficulties - and these estimates are much higher for autistic people or people with ADHD. It’s our hope that putting on highly accessible educational events such as our annual conference, in addition to our university-accredited training, will help to address this knowledge gap. We hope that all our visitors have come away with new insight, knowledge and confidence."
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