Sensory Regulation &
Occupational Therapy
At Bettws Lifehouse we support all of our pupils to develop strategies for sensory regulation.
All staff who work with our pupils have skills, knowledge and understanding of sensory regulation issues that affect our pupils.
The staff team receives regular update training from specialist children’s Occupational Therapists, Up-to-date training ensures staff continually increase their understanding of sensory regulation issues, such as hyper- and hypo-sensitivity & of our children’s challenges and needs with regard to interception and proprioception.
It equips them with new ideas for sensory regulation tools and strategies.
Supported by a specialist independent children’s Occupational Therapist, our pupils’ sensory needs are identified. All pupils are encouraged to explore a range of sensory tools and to develop strategies which work to support their regulation. They create their own personal sensory toolbox and use the school environment and resources to meet their own unique sensory diet needs. In lower school we create and adapt the environment to the child. We build toolboxes as well as routines into the pupil’s days to meet their individual needs and to give them the optimum chance of remaining regulated throughout their school day.
As they grow older and move through the school, pupils learn to adapt their use of strategies to fit within the routines and social expectations of different environments. Wellbeing staff work with the pupils and the management team to make reasonable adjustments to their school day as required, to create toolboxes and routines which work for them and for the school.
Pupils are taught to become self-aware and aware of the expectations and sensory challenges of different settings, to problem solve and adjust to the world around them when it may not always be willing or able to adjust to them. They are encouraged to gain independence in adjusting, applying and using learned strategies which work for them as an individual and which are appropriate to use at home, school and in the wider community.