Sensory

Things to talk through with your family/ carers/ support team:

• Talk to others when there is too much going on round about you – too much light, too much noise.
• Talk to others about the ‘balance’ of activity in your day – we should have some active activities in our day balanced with some quieter relaxing activities.
• Talk about your favourite smells, tastes, noises, movement activities.
• Talk about your least favourite smells, tastes, noises, movement activities.

Make a list of sensory activities you enjoy – this will be information that we see, hear, touch, taste, smell and how we move. Make a list of sensory activities that you really don’t like - this will be information that we see, hear, touch, taste, smell and how we move.

“An individual recently was running away when going to activities in the community. These were activities which the individual enjoyed. Staff could not understand why the person kept running away when in the community. The Occupational Therapist completed a sensory checklist and realised that the individual can become overwhelmed with noise and flashing lights. The places that the individual visited in the community were extremely noisy and had flashing bright lights. Once the Occupational Therapist worked out why this individual was running away, staff were able to work out quieter times for these activities and change the environment to allow the individual to keep going to activities they enjoyed.”

Learning Disability Occupational Therapist