Children's Sensory Therapy Ltd

26/02/2026

Hopefully will see some of you at the

25/02/2026

We are really looking forward to attending the First Look SEN event on the 20th March.
Hope to see some of you there?

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/send-matters-2026-tickets-1980476974945?aff=oddtdtcreator

24/02/2026

Is anyone else sad?

I’m a little sad.

Not surprised. Not shocked.
Just… sad.

I’m still reading the SEND White Paper, and there are parts that sound hopeful on the surface. Words like thriving, early support, consistency. But beneath that, there’s a lot that feels vague, and vagueness is rarely kind to children or families.

I’m sad about the repeated use of language that isn’t clearly defined.
I’m sad about how much is left to interpretation.
I’m sad because families who have already fought so hard may now be told, again, that support should be ‘ordinarily available,’ (haven’t we been told this before?) without clarity on what that really means.

I’m sad because funding always looks generous until you do the maths.
Because training, buildings, staffing, and time are already stretched beyond what is reasonable.
Because accountability still feels like an afterthought rather than the foundation.

Mostly, I’m sad for SEND children.
For parents who are exhausted.
For professionals who care deeply and are already carrying too much.

This doesn’t feel like a moment for outrage. It feels like a moment for honesty.

So yes.

I’m a little sad.

And I suspect I’m not the only one.

Emma
The Autistic SENCo
♾️

24/02/2026

Change the danger, not the child
(Crittenden)

Children’s behaviour is communication. It is adaptation. It is survival.

If a child feels unsafe — socially, emotionally, or sensorily — their nervous system will prioritise protection over participation.

We cannot expect learning from a brain in survival mode.

As we consider the direction of the new education reforms, the real question is this:

Are we asking children to adapt to environments that feel unsafe…
or are we changing the environments so children can feel safe enough to thrive?

Regulation is not an add-on.
Safety is not a luxury.
Inclusion is not a room.

Thriving begins with feeling safe.

What would it take for every school to prioritise safety and regulation first?

23/02/2026

Government increases ASGSF budget for 2026-27 by 10% but fails to unwind reductions in funding limits for therapy

23/02/2026

Today the Government published the education and SEND white paper “Every Child Achieving and Thriving.”

The paper sets out a long-term plan for reforming education and support for children and young people in England.

Key themes include:

• A stronger focus on early intervention and support before needs escalate
• Greater emphasis on inclusion within mainstream schools
• New Individual Support Plans to help meet many needs without statutory processes
• EHCPs continuing primarily for children with the most complex needs
• More consistent national approaches to SEND support
• Closer working between education, health and family services
• Continued specialist provision, but with clearer purpose and pathways
• A wider focus on attendance, engagement, wellbeing and life outcomes alongside attainment

The overall aim is to create a system where children’s needs are identified earlier, support is more consistent, and fewer families need to navigate complex processes to access help.

Implementation is expected to take place over several years, with further detail and phased rollout to follow.

We are taking time to read and reflect on what this means in practice for children, families, schools and professionals.

It would be really helpful to hear your thoughts.
What stands out to you? What opportunities, concerns or questions does this raise?

Reforms to the schools and SEND systems in England to ensure that every child can achieve and thrive.

22/02/2026

Looking forward to starting this new book by the wonderful Dr Ben Grey ahead of his course tomorrow- Using the Meaning of the Child to Understand Families and Plan Intervention.

The book explores the Meaning of the Child Interview — a semi-structured approach that helps us understand how parents make sense of their child, their relationship, and their own experiences of caregiving. It offers a thoughtful framework for understanding family relationships in context and using this understanding to guide meaningful, relational intervention.

What I really value about this work is its focus on making sense of parenting and family life within the realities families face; seeing struggle as something to understand, not something to judge.

Really looking forward to deepening my understanding of this approach and how it can inform compassionate, relationship-centred work with families.

22/02/2026

Chung-Jansen Syndrome — a rare condition more families and professionals are beginning to recognise

At present, there are thought to be around 700 known cases worldwide — but this number is growing quickly as awareness increases and more children are able to access genetic testing and diagnosis.

Chung-Jansen syndrome (also called PHIP-related disorder) is a rare genetic neurodevelopmental condition. Every child presents differently, but there are some common patterns that families and professionals may notice.

Children may experience:

• Developmental delay (including speech and motor skills)
• Learning differences
• Attention, emotional regulation, or behavioural differences (sometimes ADHD or autistic-like traits)
• Low muscle tone and coordination challenges
• Feeding difficulties early in life
• Sensory processing differences
• A tendency towards weight gain as they grow
• Possible medical differences (such as digestive or kidney concerns)

Importantly — no two children look exactly the same.
Strengths, challenges, and support needs can vary widely.

To learn more, you can visit:
https://chungjansensyndrome.eu/en

Chung-Jansen Syndrome What is it? Chung-Jansen syndrome is a rare disorder- also called PHIP-related disorder. The syndrome is caused by a heterozygous mutation along the PHIP gene (6q14.1). Individuals with this disorder typically have developmental delay, behavioral problems, and are at risk for o...

21/02/2026

When Children Are in Burnout, They Become Lost to Learning- That’s Why We Created Something Different 💕

We developed our alternative provision because we are seeing far too many children in burnout; overwhelmed, exhausted, and ultimately lost to learning; not because they lack ability, but because the systems around them have not been able to meet their needs.

Too many children are expected to keep coping long after their nervous systems have moved into survival mode. And when support finally comes, the education packages offered often don’t reflect where the child actually is; emotionally, physically, or neurologically. They are expected to fit into provision that doesn’t fit them.

But neuroscience is very clear.

Children need to feel regulated and safe to access the learning parts of the brain. When a child is overwhelmed, anxious, or chronically stressed, their brain is focused on survival - not curiosity, not thinking, not learning. No amount of pressure, persuasion, or consequence can override this.

That is why we created something different.

Our alternative provision is truly bespoke; developed around the individual child’s needs, readiness, and capacity. We prioritise regulation and relationships first, because learning can only happen when a child feels safe enough for their brain to engage.

Support is delivered by Occupational Therapists alongside qualified teachers in their specialist subjects, within a therapeutic environment designed to help children gradually and safely reconnect with learning.

This provision exists because children should not have to reach burnout or become lost to learning before support truly fits them.

Education should adapt to the child — not the other way around.
fans@top fansativeProvision

21/02/2026

When Children Are in Burnout, They Become Lost to Learning- That’s Why We Created Something Different

We developed our alternative provision because we are seeing far too many children in burnout; overwhelmed, exhausted, and ultimately lost to learning — not because they lack ability, but because the systems around them have not been able to meet their needs.

Too many children are expected to keep coping long after their nervous systems have moved into survival mode. And when support finally comes, the education packages offered often don’t reflect where the child actually is; emotionally, physically, or neurologically. They are expected to fit into provision that doesn’t fit them.

But neuroscience is very clear.

Children need to feel regulated and safe to access the learning parts of the brain. When a child is overwhelmed, anxious, or chronically stressed, their brain is focused on survival - not curiosity, not thinking, not learning. No amount of pressure, persuasion, or consequence can override this.

That is why we created something different.

Our alternative provision is truly bespoke; developed around the individual child’s needs, readiness, and capacity. We prioritise regulation and relationships first, because learning can only happen when a child feels safe enough for their brain to engage.

Support is delivered by Occupational Therapists alongside qualified teachers in their specialist subjects, within a therapeutic environment designed to help children gradually and safely reconnect with learning.

This provision exists because children should not have to reach burnout or become lost to learning before support truly fits them.

Education should adapt to the child — not the other way around.

21/02/2026

Well said by the The Autistic SENCO

Inclusion is not a separate room away from peers.

Whilst SEN hubs may be helpful for some children, they are not the answer for everyone, especially if they do not address the underlying reasons a child is struggling to access school in the first place.

If a hub becomes a place where children are removed so the rest of the system can continue unchanged, that is not inclusion. True inclusion is about understanding individual needs, removing barriers, and creating environments where children can belong, participate and thrive alongside their peers.

Inclusion matters — and it must run through the whole school, not sit at the edges of it.

The government has announced plans for all secondary schools to have inclusion hubs.

On the surface, that sounds positive. Inclusion is a word many of us have been asking decision-makers to take seriously for a long time.

But inclusion is not a room.

It is not a hub.

And it is certainly not something you can bolt onto a system that is otherwise unchanged.

I want this to work. Genuinely.
But there are some uncomfortable questions we need to ask early, not years down the line when families are already dealing with the fallout.

If an inclusion hub becomes a place where children are sent away from their peers so the rest of the school can function as normal, that is not inclusion. That is separation with better branding.

If hubs are used to manage behaviour, compliance, attendance or distress without addressing the sensory, relational, curriculum and environmental pressures causing that distress, we are just relocating the problem.

If staff working in these hubs are not properly trained, supported, resourced and listened to, then this will become another well-intentioned idea that quietly fails the very children it claims to help.

True inclusion does not sit on the edge of school life.
It runs through everything.

It is flexible curricula.
It is reasonable adjustments that are actually reasonable.
It is teachers who have time to build relationships.
It is classrooms designed with sensory needs in mind.
It is trust in professional judgement rather than rigid targets and punitive systems.

Through my consultancy work, I work with families children every day who are not ‘too complex’ for mainstream education.

They are overwhelmed, misunderstood, exhausted, or navigating systems that were never built with them in mind.

If inclusion hubs are going to exist, they must be:

• Optional and child-led, not imposed

• Focused on regulation, connection and safety

• Properly funded and staffed (and open when needed!)

• Used as bridges back into meaningful inclusion, not holding pens

And crucially, they must not become a way for the wider system to avoid changing.

Because inclusion is not about where a child sits.

It is about whether they belong.

Emma
The Autistic SENCo
♾️

Photo: Nope. Even a very expensive pair of shoes do not last when your shoes never dry. I have tried cheap shoes, mid price shoes and even thought, he’s older so we’ll try some ‘nice’ shoes that he can keep, have repaired and they will last him years. Due to never fully drying these shoes cannot be repaired as the middle part of the shoe is broken. I know this because I took them in to have them refurbished as was mentioned that could be done when I bought them. I bought them in the beginning of September and they were done by Christmas. Can my children wear better shoes made for current weather we are having? Waterproof boots maybe?