Sensory Processing

Improving Sensory Processing in children who have experienced neglect and abuse

Children who have been abused and neglected have often missed out on all sorts of movement experiences, for example, small children may have spent long hours strapped in a buggy or left without food and stimulation. While this might seem unimportant relative to other things they have experienced, missing out on these early movement experiences can leave children without a foundation to develop social and emotional skills. Children who have experienced abuse and neglect are often more ‘dysregulated’ than their peers. As well as finding it difficult to manage feelings they are often quite ‘out of sync with themselves’; being too loud or going too fast all the time; bumping into things or unable to do things like hold a pencil properly or use cutlery. These children often struggle to settle into their new families and seem to keep reacting to things as if they were still in abusive situations.

Course Objectives

This 2 day training course will combine sensory integration theory (which describes how the brain processes and stores movement experiences) with a neurodevelopmental understanding of the impact of trauma on the developing brain. We’ll think about how the lack of early movement experiences has left the child without an adequate foundation to build social and emotional skills. Using teaching and case examples, this training will offer a framework to understand how a child’s early experiences can affect their later regulation and development and give delegates ideas and tools they can use to help children address some of those gaps. By doing this, children can become better able to selfregulate and may allow them to make use of psychological therapies and education as well as being more able to benefit from the love and care that is available in their new home.

Day 1

will look at sensory integration theory and the helpfulness of bringing this together with a neurosequential way of understanding the impact of trauma on the developing child. As well as building some understanding of the foundation / underlying systems, we’ll look at how to begin to rebuild under activated systems.

Day 2

will follow on from this, and give delegates the chance to think about children and families using this frame of reference. It would be helpful if delegates are able to bring recordings of children they’re working with to look at applying the ideas discussed in those specific situations. Suitable For The practical and informative training is suitable for foster and adoptive parents, teachers, social work / fostering and adoption staff and therapists.

Booking Form