Essex County Council's Principal Occupational Therapist is embedding sensory integration awareness into adult social care assessments to improve participation and independence, with the long-term goal of using this approach to inform preventative work with children and families.
The challenge
Sensory differences are quite common within the population; it is estimated that between 5% and 16.5% of the general population have symptoms associated with sensory integration difficulties and these estimates are much higher for autistic people or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Often unrecognised, these differences can present barriers to participation in life and throughout life.
With previous experience of working with children who had been excluded from school and for whom sensory differences were a factor, Essex County Council's Principal Occupational Therapist (POT) is seeking to develop the adult social care workforce so that consideration to sensory differences is integrated into assessments of need and solutions enabling independence. Initially, occupational therapists have been funded to participate in sensory integration training, but the intention is for other professionals working in different teams to benefit from new knowledge and practice.
The approach
An occupational therapist (OT) located in the mental health supported accommodation team, working with people who have been discharged from acute mental health wards and whose need for supported living relates to their mental health, has completed sensory integration therapy training and is applying this in practice, for example developing a sensory self-awareness care plan. It has become evident that there is a large crossover with adults relapsing into mental health services who have extreme sensory integration difficulties, and often a strong likelihood of autism. Raising the adult’s awareness of their sensory difficulties has enabled them to problem solve and develop coping strategies which have been extremely helpful in avoiding relapse; there is an ambition to research this in more depth.
Ultimately the ambition in Essex is for learning from integrating sensory differences in work with adults to inform practice in working with children and families, where there is felt greater opportunity to prevent the consequences of unmet need, such as mental ill-health.
The outcome
Anna's story:
A young woman, Anna* has had long admissions in acute mental health hospital wards due to suicide attempts. The OT in the supported living team completed sensory assessments with Anna that evidenced severe sensory difficulties, dyspraxia and a need for an autism diagnostic assessment referral and developed a care plan. This plan not only helped Anna understand how she responds to sensory stimuli, but it also helped Anna’s mother realise the significant impact that her daughter’s sensory difficulties has had on her ability to regulate her emotions, her self-esteem and therefore her mental health. This was significant in that Anna’s relationship with her mother, and her lack of understanding, was a factor in Anna’s previous suicide attempts.
The approach taken to working with Anna has resulted in sustainable change; Anna and her family are better equipped to achieve and sustain long term goals. Anna has since moved from mental health supported accommodation to student halls to study for a degree.
*name has been changed to protect the individual's identity.
Contact
Fran Bailey: [email protected]