Ros Urwin

Ros Urwin MSc (Rehabilitation Science) Dip COT:

Clinician, Lecturer, Mentor, Research Active (EASI Lead England) and mother, gardener, dog walker and sailor…

Ros is a Director of MindSenseAbility | MSA, a private practice in the New Forest, England. An integrated education and therapy practice, working with young people (aged 25 years and under) who have Asperger Syndrome/High Functioning Autism and associated diagnoses, including Sensory Integration (SI); Ros also works with adults.

Ros completed her MSc (Rehabilitation Science) at Southampton University in 2003. Published in the British Journal of Occupational Therapy in 2005, she explored the effectiveness of Sensory Integrative Therapy on five adults with learning disabilities and sensory modulation disorders.

Ros worked for over 30 years in the NHS in Dorset and Hampshire, latterly as Professional OT Lead and the clinical for Intellectual Disabilities across the lifespan. She was previously a recognised teacher, mentor and e-mentor with Ulster University, while the Education Director at SI Network.

Ros’ Sensory Integration (SI) journey began when working with adults with profound intellectual disabilities and mental health problems in the 1990s.

Ros and Kath met when they both presented at the SI Network Annual Conference in Edinburgh in 2005. At this conference SI Network focused on diverse populations including adults and SI for the first time.

With a shared CV in adult assessment and intervention, Ros and Kath Smith developed the first ASI with adults SI1 for the SI Network’s Master’s programme in 2007. Since then they have taught the application of ASI across the lifespan on a range of modules and workshops, including SI2/3, which focussed on assessment and clinical reasoning for therapists working with children, teens, adults and older adults. Ros and Kath have been mentored by and taught alongside Susanne Smith Roley,  Zoe Mailloux, Roseann Schaaf, Gretchen Dahl Reeves, Sue Young, Sue Trautman and Shelly Lane.

Ros held various roles on the Board of Directors at SI Network including Postgraduate Education Director, with responsibility for the development of the Masters’ pathway in Sensory Integration with Ulster University. She continues to present at national and international conferences to occupational therapists and wider audiences.

Ros provides invaluable supervision and mentorship to colleagues, staff and students. In recent years, Ros has volunteered with a local charity, taking students and OT students to work with Romanian volunteers and OT students on summer projects with disadvantaged young people with disabilities in Romania.

ASI Wise was established in 2017 to deliver Ayres’ Sensory Integration education to occupational therapists in the UK and Ireland. This organisation delivers the CLASI CASI programme and has membership of ICEASI.

Ros is the EASI Lead for England and has mentored and rated Fidelity for the Cardiff University NIHR SENITA Study, exploring the application of Ayres’ Sensory Integration for children with Autism in the UK.