Practitioners use physical and creative sensory activities to engage the senses and help bring calm, regulate emotions and develop physical awareness and co-ordination.

Children and young people with autism, ADHD, experience of trauma or difficulties with sensory processing may need support to develop an interior awareness of their own bodies known as interoception. This involves learning when to notice cues of hunger, thirst, cold and pain in their bodies and to respond accordingly.

Practitioners work closely with children during sessions, through empathetic and playful communication, to help them notice when, for example, they need to rest, have a drink or to put on warm clothes. This gently enables the child to notice, reflect on and take care of their physical needs.

A heightened sensitivity to sound, taste, smell, light or touch may cause a child to feel overwhelmed in daily life. Sensory activities such as kneading bread, playing with water or sand, blowing bubbles or listening to gentle music, enable children to feel calm and connected to their bodies, which leads to improved sensory tolerance and emotional regulation.

In addition, energetic games that involve running and jumping can release the effects of the fight or flight response that arises from feeling overwhelmed by too much sensory input.

Where sensory processing difficulties affect movement, children benefit from activities that help to develop a sense of propriopception, which is the relationship of the body to its environment. Games that strengthen co-ordination, balance and fine motor control help to develop physical confidence, and movement play —that involves lifting, pulling or pushing — enables the child to discern an appropriate use of strength for different activities.

The use of sensory play as a therapeutic tool builds physical and emotional resilience and supports recovery from trauma, empowering children to feel more at ease in their daily lives and relationships.

To read more about therapeutic sensory activities please see our resources page.