Our sensory assessments are completed by one of our Occupational Therapists who have undergone sensory integration training at a minimum of Sensory Integration level 2. Our Specialist Occupational Therapists’, have undergone extensive post graduate training and are neuroaffirming in their approaches during the assessment process. They will explore sensory differences as well strengths within the sensory profile.
Sensory Assessment
What to expect
What to Expect
Our Sensory assessments are completed over two appointments. One is typically online, and is around information gathering, for example medical conditions, schooling and employment. This allows the team to ensure the sensory assessment is holistic and reflective of the individual. The second appointment is much more interactive and is typically in person, so the Occupational Therapist can better understand the sensory differences and strengths.
As part of your journey with us, we will also ask you to complete questionnaires and additional forms to support the assessment. (*If you have difficulties completing forms do let us know and one of the team will be more than happy to help).
Following the assessment, the Occupational Therapist will write up their findings and will provide recommendations to take forward.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
Our team are able to provide reports to support your child or young person’s EHCP (Education Health Care Plan) or for Tribunal purposes, at an additional cost. This is due to the additional work required to produce reports for Tribunals and we will also need to allocate you to an experienced team member in supporting these assessments.
The benefit of a sensory assessment at any age can be significant. If you are diagnosed autistic or ADHD in later life, a sensory assessment can support with understanding your self identity and ways to support your overall wellbeing.
Assessments can also support with employment needs, and identifying sensory triggers in the workplace but also strategies that can be implemented to support you to thrive in the workplace. Our specialist Occupational Therapists can use the outcome of the assessment to support advocating with your employer to make reasonable adjustments inline with the Equality Act and even provide evidence to support an Access to Work grant claim.
Outside of work, our sensory system supports us in many aspects of our life, including intimate relationships, parenting, daily living and how we regulate and understand our emotional responses. A sensory assessment can be incredibly empowering for individuals when they have the opportunity to fully understand their sensory system and start to be able to use this to their advantage, rather than working against them.
This is a good question- some people think this refers to eating, due to the word diet. While they are not completely wrong the sensory diet looks at strategies to support all parts of the sensory system, and not just food or oral sensory needs. The sensory diet is often made up of activities, and strategies that can be used for calming or alerting and can be used at different times in the day and across different settings.
All Occupational Therapists completing sensory assessments are working at a neurodevelopmental specialist level, and have acquired a minimum of Sensory integration level 2. We are a teaching organisation and we are keen to support the development of our workforce, therefore sometimes your assessment will be completed by one of our Occupational Therapists working at neurodevelopmental practitioner level, under the supervision of one of our more specialist Occupational Therapists. All team members have access to regular supervision and are encouraged to completed continued professional development tasks, to ensure their practice is up to date and reflective of the current evidence base.
Our team also have the privilege of gaining insights from our peer support team to ensure our assessments our neuro affirming and support of the neurodivergent community- blending lived experience with clinical expertise’s.
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