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NOTICE: We cannot currently offer Educational Psychology services. We can provide - Cognitive Assessments, SpLD Assessments, and Dyslexia Assessments.

Sensory processing difficulties

Sensory processing difficulties may also be known as sensory processing disorder, sensory differences or sensory integration difficulties. Sensory processing difficulties may also be part of other developmental conditions for example autistic spectrum condition (ASC), attachment or trauma. Our specialist psychologists provide needs assessments and interventions related to sensory processing difficulties.

What are sensory processing difficulties?

Sensory processing difficulties refers to the way information is sent to the brain through the senses. Information from our bodies and the environment is processed and organised to support an individual in feeling secure and comfortable in their surroundings, and allow behaviour to adapt accordingly. Usually brains filter out irrelevant information in order to focus on the most important at the time, individuals with sensory processing difficulties may not have this filter and receive an overload of information or not enough at any one time. Sensory processing difficulties can be related to developmental issues and ASC which is why psychological input is beneficial.

A child or young person can be over-sensitive or under-sensitive in the following areas:

Sensory processing difficulties may affect a child or young person in the following ways:

Sensory processing difficulties may vary from day to day, making it difficult to work out what may be causing distress. Our psychologists carry out comprehensive assessments to identify areas of need so they can be addressed.

Our process

At HSR Psychology we ensure that we meet the needs of children and young people. To achieve this we ensure that any specific assessments, intervention, or direct work, is only carried out following an initial discussion.

An initial discussion allows us to understand the background and your expectations of our involvement. Having an initial discussion ensures any services we provide appropriately identify or address needs.

Our process for any specific assessments, intervention, or direct work is as follows:

Step 1: Contact us

We will usually be contacted by the child or young person, parent or carer, or another professional (eg education or health).

You can contact us or complete a referral



Step 2: Arrange an initial discussion

An initial discussion allows us to understand the background and your expectations of our involvement. Arrange an initial discussion



Step 3: Review our recommendations

Following an initial discussion we will send you an email that includes:

  • Next steps recommendations - to provide a bespoke package of support. For example:
    • Assessments
    • Reports
    • Information gathering
    • Meeting
    • Interventions
    • Consultancy
    • Reviews
  • Costing - we will provide costings for any services recommended.


Step 4: Let's get started

On receipt of the next steps recommendations and costing you can decide how to proceed. Once you have decided contact us to arrange the chosen services.



How are sensory processing difficulties assessed?

Assessing sensory processing difficulties varies according to the age and language abilities of the child or young person. Questionnaires and checklists are commonly used alongside observations and a developmental history.

Observations

Observations are used when assessing sensory processing difficulties as they provide information in relation to how sensory processing difficulties occur during daily life in a natural environment.

Developmental history

A developmental history is taken as it may provide information in relation to the type of sensory processing difficulty.

Specific assessments

A specific assessment may be required to further explore individual areas of processing.

In some cases it may be possible that following an assessment we may refer to a sensory specialist occupational therapist for further assessments, or interventions.

Which assessments do we use for sensory processing difficulties?

Specific profiling assessments will be chosen based on the child or young person. The assessments we often use are:

  • Sensory profile 2 - Is used to measure information about each of the senses; auditory, visual, touch, movement, body position, oral senses in addition to behaviour and sensory pattern scores
  • Adolescent / Adult sensory profiling - This includes information to help identify patterns of sensory behaviour which helps individuals through increasing an understanding of needs

The assessments used will be discussed during the initial discussion.

What happens after an assessment?

After an assessment you may wish to book a consultation with one of our psychologists to discuss in further detail strategies to support sensory processing difficulties. Psychology based interventions may be helpful to support the needs identified. A report of our involvement will be provided following our input.

What interventions do we provide?

We provide a range of psychology-based interventions to support sensory processing difficulties. Some of the interventions we provide include:

Within each type of intervention there will be varieties according to the sensory processing difficulty identified. To find out more please contact us.

Sensory processing difficulties impact children and young people in different ways and can vary in intensity from day to day. Sensory processing difficulties affect how the brain interprets and processes information received from the senses. Our psychologists can assess information processing alongside sensory processing. Difficulties with sensory processing can lead to sensory overloads and emotional outbursts. To book an initial discussion or talk to a member of our team then please contact us now.


Arrange an Initial Discussion

Arrange an Initial Discussion to find out how we can help. The initial discussion lasts 1-1.5 hours, comes with a written recommendation summary and is a starting point to identify needs. The cost is £300.

  • No waiting lists
  • Experienced psychologists
  • Includes recommendation summary

Find out more

only

£300



What makes us different

Access to a named psychologist

Focus on mental health and wellbeing

Joined-up approach

Bespoke services to meet needs

Multidisciplinary team

Holistic approach

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Flexible, consistent, and competitively priced

We provide bespoke solutions to suit all budgets and requirements for children and young people aged 0-25 in homes, education settings and the community. Our clinical, educational and child psychology services are cost effective.

See our prices

Make a referral

To make a referral and arrange an initial discussion please complete our referral form.

Make a referral

Contact us

Ready to get started? The next step is to speak to our team to find out more about the services we provide and how we can help. Call us on 0161 820 9229 or email office@hsrpsychology.co.uk

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