Sensory Integration Education

It’s hard not to feel a little excited when sensory language becomes part of everyday conversation. After all, when Anna Stock-Willis began her Postgraduate Sensory Integration journey back in 2009, weighted blankets were niche, sensory circuits were just emerging and bubble tubes seemed to be everywhere. 

Fast forward to 2026 and sensory awareness has come a long way. But alongside that progress comes a new question: as more people discover the world of sensory, how do we make sure the information they’re receiving is accurate, meaningful and grounded in genuine expertise? 

In her latest Thoughts from a Therapist blog, Anna reflects on just how far we’ve come—and why she believes we need to keep learning, questioning and championing good sensory practice.

When I first started my Sensory Integration postgraduate journey in 2009, weighted blankets were a niche product. Sensory circuits had just been invented and the book published (thank you Jane Horwood!), and bubble tubes were the default sensory room assumption. 

Fast forward to 2026. You can buy a weighted blanket on Amazon, the majority of schools have at least heard of sensory circuits even if they don’t run them, and now, when I ask about sensory rooms in schools, I’ll sometimes be shown a room with a gym ball and trampette in rather than a bubble tube. Progress in awareness is happening! 

With this wider public awareness comes acceptance, validation of sensory needs, understanding and, from myself at least, a certain level of joy and excitement when the person I’m speaking to has heard of proprioception or vestibular input! However, it can also generate frustration for me. 

A little bit of knowledge can be dangerous. I find myself getting defensive. Irritated. Sometimes horrified. Seeing offerings of ‘sensory training’ or ‘therapy within a sensory room’, I scroll to find the person’s qualifications. I breathe a sigh of relief if I see an allied health professional with postgraduate SI training but often I find no mention of any qualification that I recognise.

The value of sensory education is now understood but this of course comes with the unwanted flip side of it being monetised by people who don’t understand the complex nature of sensory integration. I spoke with a colleague recently who had sent their team on sensory training with a new company. Apparently, this training was beyond basic and downright wrong in places. The trainers were not allied health professionals and my colleague’s team left feeling confused and unclear about the role of sensory integration. 

So whilst I celebrate the strides forwards we’ve made in the last two decades in sensory awareness, I also want to highlight we need to be clear about what sensory integration is, what sets our expertise apart and how our professional status gives us the grounding to be able to understand, integrate and use our postgraduate training to make significant meaningful change for people. Not all ‘sensory training’ is equal, and shouting about finding a legitimate provider of training such as Sensory Integration Education is so important. 

Let’s keep learning, questioning and championing good sensory practice.

Anna

Anna 

Thoughts From a Therapist is a regular series written by Advanced SI Practitioner Anna Stock-Willis about something that piqued her professional interest or inspired her in some way over the last month. Anna is a specialist Occupational Therapist and owner of Active Play Therapies.