Sensory and Physical

Provision and Intervention

It is essential that sensory issues are considered in the context of the child/young person’s engagement and performance within relevant environments.

The website gives advice and strategies at a universal and targeted level of support.

Cambridgeshire Childrens Occupational Therapy Service

There is a Mainstream School Resource Pack with additional videos to explain sensory differences.

Parents and Schools can access the Children’s Occupational Therapy services Advice Line to ask for advice and support without a Referral.

A Children’s Occupational Therapist is a professional invited to give advice and strategies to parents/carers accessing the CYGNET (school age) and SCILS (preschool age) parent course. These courses are mostly delivered via TEAMS and cover a wide area of topics including sensory, sleep and behaviour.

Schools should modify and adjust the environment and task to better meet the child/young person’s sensory differences.

Training for schools

Sensory Differences. A Video available on our website which supports understanding sensory differences in the context of everyday activities and strategies to help. Sensory differences (cambspborochildrenshealth.nhs.uk)

 How to deliver Ready to Learn Circuits. A package which gives schools the understanding behind Ready to Learn Circuits as well as how to set one up in school. Delivering ready to learn circuits (cambspborochildrenshealth.nhs.uk)

Helping Children to be Ready to Learn. A package which will equip schools with a whole school approach to have the optimum learning environment which will help children/young people to have greater focus, to maintain regulation and be ready to learn. Helping children to be ready to learn (cambspborochildrenshealth.nhs.uk)        

Universal and targeted strategies are available via the Cambridgeshire Community Services Occupational therapy website. Occupational Therapy Online learning and training (cambspborochildrenshealth.nhs.uk)

Schools can modify and adjust the environment and task to better meet the child/young person’s sensory differences.

• Reduce the number of instructions given to 1-2 maximum.
• Encourage whole classroom ‘movement breaks’ to help maintain focus/reduce fidgeting
• Allow the child/young person to wear/non wear uniform (including different shoes) – maintaining appropriateness.
• Switch off hand dryers and provide paper towels instead
• Allow child/young person to leave the lesson slightly early to avoid crowds in the corridors (secondary schools) – ensuring they have the homework task recorded
• Allow the use of ear defenders
• Allow the use of fiddle toys
• Pupil Permission Card (to enable ‘time out’)
• Set up quiet lunchtime area
• Allow early access to lunch hall to get food.

How to… (Examples of good practice), Sensory:

School can construct a profile for the child/young person related to their sensory differences. This will enable adjustment and modification of the task and environment to better meet need. To keep the profile meaningful, this could be structured as a ‘day in the life of Child X’. It is important to consider other factors which may be contributing to how your child is presenting at any given time.

Resource Sensory:

Autism Education Trust – a document to support communication between parents/carers and schools – to ensure the child/young person’s needs are understood. If needs are not understood, this may increase sensory sensitivities. The `Working together with your child's school' document can be downloaded from the following page of the Autism Education Trust's website:

Autism Education Trust:  Parent Guide for Working with your child's school

Further website with strategies – see Sensory Questionnaires across the age range:

NHSGGC:  Life skills - Joining in with sensory differences

Environment: whole school and classroom Sensory:

• Declutter classrooms.
• Minimise displays around teaching areas/whiteboard.
• Create quieter areas within the school/classroom, where possible
• Make available a screened-off work-station to help with focus
• Consider seating plan/where the child/young person

The strongest evidence currently available is for adjustment and modification to be in place to support the child/young person within the same environment as their peers (e.g., within the classroom). Therefore this suggests that a whole school approach to awareness of sensory differences and how to make reasonable adjustments is essential. See Cambridgeshire County Council and Cambridgeshire Community Services Position Papers below.

For some children, universal and targeted strategies may not be sufficient to fully support their needs. A Referral to our service will be required to receive input from a children’s occupational therapist.

A specialist level of support is available when it is deemed that universal and targeted support is not sufficient to meet needs. The provision within the episode of care may include;

1. Observation in the educational setting followed by analysis, feedback to relevant school personnel with recommendations for further adjustment and modification of task and environment. Parent(s)/Carer(s) to be invited to feedback.
2. Review of Recommendations with school personnel and parent(s)/Carer.

 Provision

For children and young people with a physical disability, the physiotherapy and occupational therapy services are part of a multi-disciplinary team supporting the child or young person and family.

We have targeted support for children and young people with challenges with their motor coordination, which is impacting everyday living.

Cambridgeshire Community Services do not offer a diagnostic service, but for some an individual appointment is required when universal and targeted support is not sufficient to meet need. A referral to our service will be required to access support from children’s occupational therapy and children’s physiotherapy.

Intervention

For children and young people with a physical disability, the physiotherapist and occupational therapist will provide an assessment of needs and provide intervention according to identified need. The child or young person will receive treatment as required.

Strategies

• Strategies for children with motor coordination difficulties.

• Further support can be found on the Dyspraxia Foundation.