Learning Live: Ayres’ Theory supporting sensory integration and processing beyond childhood

Join our workshop in Autumn 2021 or Spring 2022 and explore the application of sensory integration to support participation in daily life.

Contact us here for more dates if you are an NHS/Social Care Linked service to take advantage of our discounted NHS day rate of £80/day for 3 days (£240).

Our online workshop series will explore the application across the lifespan, with an emphasis on the use and practice of Ayres’ Sensory Integration in childhood and beyond; with children, adolescents, adults and older adults – mental health and wellbeing for all.

Across the series, video and real case studies will be used to introduce and enhance understanding and demonstrate the application of Ayres’ Sensory Integration within mental health, learning disability and other services.

Early development, the effect of trauma and early deprivation will also be considered, with evidence from current neuroscience.

Participants will explore and consider;

the links between sensory integration, development and wellbeing;
how sensory integration underpins and is essential to occupation, function and participation in daily life, within this client population;
different reasons for referral and implications for practice?
How sensory difficulties may present in various clinical contexts and across different diagnoses – with reference to current research and evidence.
The importance of psycho-education and how sensory integration approaches can be used in combination with traditional psychological approaches, including CBT/DBT etc.
ways to educate and influence others in the multidisciplinary team to drive service delivery and re-design; with reference to national and international healthcare delivery directives
different care pathways and models of service delivery, as part of service development and clinical commissioning

Thank you so much for imparting all your skills and experience. Your passion definitely comes across!!

I really enjoyed this course. I found it interesting and enlightening, and it has made me re-examine my clinical reasoning. Thank you.

Loved it. It’s changed my practice, and will make me a more holistic practitioner
I found the case study videos extremely interesting as they demonstrated clearly how people had been affected by their sensory challenges and how they can be supported to manage these effectively.

Inspirational dedication which would be ground breaking on a world wide level if the information can be spread at that level. The videos of case studies were amazing and touching and may make people realise that there is a reason behind certain actions and behaviour that may not be seen as the “norm”.

Our Lead Lecturers are Kath Smith and Ros Urwin, who have been instrumental in the development of the clinical practice and application of Ayres’ Sensory Integration beyond childhood in the UK and Ireland. Lecturers will also include invited guests from across the UK and Ireland, and further afield, who practice Ayres’ Sensory Integration across the lifespan. Details of these lecturers can be found on our website. (page to be developed)

Session 1 Core: Core: Sensory Integration CHildhood and beyond

This workshop will review early, and later literature supporting the application of Ayres’ Sensory Integration childhood and beyond, including related and derivative approaches. Recent neuroscience will support group work and discussion. Practical learning with case study will help participants to consider how difficulties integrating and processing sensory information can present and interfere in the active participation across the lifespan for children, teens and adults in their everyday life.

Session 2 Core: The Brain, Development, Deprivation and Trauma

This workshop will explore the impact of sensory integration differences, deprivation and trauma on early development. Group work and discussion will focus on research from development in utero, through primary school and teen years into adulthood and later life. The workshop will explore how trauma disrupts participation in everyday life, considering the consequences of trauma experienced at different life stages.

Session 3 Core: Autism, ADHD and Dyspraxia beyond Childhood

Sensory processing and sensory integration challenges can interfere with the active participation of children, teens and adults with neurological diversity in everyday life. Throughout the workshop, case studies will explore sensory integration challenges and how these may impact on personal and intimate relationships, parenting and employment. Casestudy and the data-driven decision-making process (Schaaf and Mailloux 2015) will support participants to consider the application of sensory integration theory beyond childhood in ;

supporting late diagnosis, as part of a comprehensive assessment;
informing clinical reasoning and intervention planning for adult clients;
structuring of intervention in ways that are age-appropriate and use community settings;
considering and understanding a range of sensory integration informed approaches with regard to fidelity and outcome measurement; from traditional Ayres’ Sensory Integration to consultation models.

Session 4 Core: Mental Health and Wellbeing through the Senses

This workshop will consider the application of sensory integration approaches within clinical services for clients with a range of mental health difficulties; exploring reformulation using the theory of Ayres’ Sensory Integration. Bundy and Lane’s Model (2020) based on Ayres’ original theory will be used to make sense of sensory modulation and praxis difficulties commonly co-occurring with a range of mental health clinical presentations; depression, anxiety, eating disorders, deliberate self-harm and other difficulties with emotion regulation [including for those who have received a diagnosis of EUPD or Borderline PD]. This workshop will also introduce the use of Sensory Ladders in the reformulation of these clinical presentations.

Session 5 Core: Intellectual Disability, Global Developmental Delay and Ayres’ Sensory Integration

This workshop, which builds on earlier learning, will explore the links between behaviours that challenge carers and care teams and sensory integration challenges, for children, teens and adults with learning disabilities. Tools and resources presented will include ways to promote participation in activities of daily life, communication and social interaction. The role of the therapist in the multidisciplinary team; individual therapy and consultation model, will be discussed, including with reference to the development of care pathways.

Session 6 Core: ASI and Person, Environment, Occupation and Performance

This workshop will support therapists to consider how addressing sensory challenges in the environment, and adaptation of activity can help clients with sensory integration difficulties participate more easily in everyday life. The use of checklists, narrative, chain analysis and more will be used to link Ayres’ Sensory Integration to other models that inform occupational therapy practice including MOHO, SII and VdT MoCA.

Session 7 Specialism: CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services)

This workshop, which builds on earlier learning, will explore the application of Ayres’ Sensory Integration in CAMHS and related roles. We will consider the roles and ways of working of OT’s within community, acute and secure settings. We will consider and explore the challenges of practice with the developing brain, extending our learning about trauma and early deprivation, considering intervention approaches and how this differs across a range of settings; home school and in more restrictive residential and acute/secure medical facilities.

Session 8 Specialism: Sensory Integration in Acute and Secure Mental Health/Psychiatric Services

This workshop, which builds on earlier learning, will explore the application of Ayres’ Sensory Integration based approaches in secure residential, forensic, acute and intensive care services (PICU). This workshop will consider the role of the multidisciplinary team in creating sensory environments to support wellbeing.

The presentation will include a discussion about the management of risk and the equipment and activities that are suitable within secure settings. Therapists will explore how to create adult appropriate therapeutic spaces, care environments and the use of community resources as part of step-down; considering sensory affordances of different settings and opportunities to promote engagement with age-appropriate activities of daily life.

The development of personal, individualised sensory plans, sensory safe spaces and sensory strategies to reduce the use of restraint and sedation medication, as part of comprehensive proactive and collaborative de-escalation planning, will be explored.

Session 9 Specialism: Sensory integration and processing within Neuro-rehab

This workshop, which builds on earlier learning, will consider the application of sensory integration theory to address and support those with neurological changes; cognitive and physical changes impacting on function, behaviour and mood.

This workshop includes consideration of ways of working with clients post-stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI) and those with MS and other progressive neurological conditions that typically occur in childhood, youth, early adulthood and to the middle-aged. Learn about sensory and movement-rich activities [including in-bed and in-chair] that can help maintain, improve or support a range of presentations

We will consider the importance of sensory integration and processing within end-of-life palliative care.

Session 10 Specialism: Sensory Integration in palliative care, for Older Adults, Aging and Dementia Care Services

This workshop includes consideration of ways of working with clients who are in palliative care, are ageing, have significant sensory losses, for those with dementia, and other progressive neurological conditions typically related to, including for those in residential care.

Learn about sensory and movement-rich activities [including in-bed and in-chair] that can help maintain, improve or support a range of presentations, including consideration of the importance of sensory integration and processing within end-of-life palliative care.

Our workshops are suitable for clinicians working across the lifespan; across all clinical setting in the field of mental health.

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We use case-study and research to consider how sensory integration can help us as therapists to engage with, motivate and maintain therapeutic engagement with our clients.

Participants will discuss how to use the environment, activity and the therapeutic use of self to impact positively on their client group, with access to expert therapists practising across a range of clinical settings; home, community and clinic settings, and for those living in residential, acute, secure, intensive care and forensic settings.

What are the key messages you took away from this workshop?

To start using Sensory Ladders (Smith et al 2002, 2007) and Sensory Flowers (Smith and G, 2006).

To incorporate SI strategies…

To start my SI learning and practice.

SI is processing input into meaningful function.

The case studies – EUPD and ASD different clients are likely to have patterns. Sensory intervention needs to be an individualised approach

How sensory techniques can be applied to everyone (not just children or low functioning/physically impaired adults).

It has really made me think about behaviours demonstrated by patients and consider alternative reasons for these.

Sensory Integration is an opportunity to treat dementia patients.

Sensory Integration can be used with an adult population

Sensory Integration is individualised and it is helpful to understand someones sensory preferences to inform intervention strategies. To consider sensory factors when treating patients who are presenting as agitated. One swallow does not make a summer.

Sensory integration is complex. It can be used for adults.

Calming and alerting technique

Our 3 day in house introduction at Berrywood included action plans now made real, with plans for further training in ASI and new developments. Read more here: THE DIFFERENCE WE’RE MAKING: SENSORY ROOMS