Access SEN Consultancy

Sensory Overload at Social Events

There are many reasons why a person can be overloaded. by the sensory stimuli around them. This weekend we had a birthday party where my sister became overwhelmed very quickly. We knew this could happen and had planned accordingly without too much compromise.

Social events are a part of most families such as meals at a restaurant in celebration of an achievement, birthday parties, or, weddings. However, for an autistic or SEN indivudual, these can be extremely challenging and overwhelming. A lot of families I have worked with previously purposely avoid these in case of their child goes into crisis. Here are a few tips to try and help support the sensory needs without missing out:
-Take ear defenders if they are noise sensitive. Even if you feel it will be quiet, in a new environment new sounds can be amplified especially if anxiety is high.
-Pack a lunch if they are a picky eater, or eat before/afterward if eating in a large social setting can be a challenge.
-If your child/ young person has a personal assistant (PA) or carer, see if they are available to support during the party as part of their working hours. It means families can enjoy it together
- Be prepared. Showing images of the location/ venue, how will you get there, how long it will go on for (if you don't know, don't set a time), photos of who will be there and also things they can do if they feel overwhelmed there (go for a walk in the car park, use a tablet, play with favourite toy etc.)
-Have a plan B. If your child/ young person does go into crisis or just doesn't want to be there (we've all been there) have a plan. This could be a space where you can go to help them calm down and be safe. If you don't want to leave the event early, have a trusted family member/ friend/ support staff come and support them back home (if that is what is needed/ they want to).

If there are any other strategies that have worked for you or your family, comment below to share with others

Consistency

When teaching skills, even though the outcomes can be the sam each person has a certain way of doing a skill, such as making a cup of tea. There isn't one universal way to make it, however when learning how to make it an approach should be consistent.

When children and young people are being given a target such as making a cup of tea that is then being transferred into the home setting, the main reason for success is consistency. Everyone involved that is supporting to embed the skill needs to know in what order to do it. Whether you put the teabag in the cup first, fill the kettle, or, add the milk, as long as there is a consistent approach across everyone supporting, it will help develop the skill.

Routines.

They are a part of everyday life, however, they don't always go to plan. Whether you forgot to pick up milk for your morning coffee, there are roadworks on your usual route to work or, your method of transport isn't available.

We typically use our problem-solving skills in these moments to still follow the structure of the day and help the day continue to flow despite the little obstruction. However, if you don't have those problem-solving skills this can feel catastrophic when something in the routine isn't how it's supposed to be. This is why teaching problem-solving in a controlled environment is so important. It helps reduce behaviours of concern in these moments, increases independence, and also can reduce anxiety.

Dates for the online introductory session to self-restrictive diets.

Tickets on sale here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1031591084424008

Visuals.

They get a lot of stigma about being unnecessary. I've heard the phrase "they don't need them" so many times I can't count. However, visuals are a part of everyday life and help everyone know when to get up for work, special events coming up, how to cook a new dish, and things that need to be done.

With visuals, one size doesn't fit all and it's all about figuring out what works best for the individual. These could be symbols of events throughout the day, two step first and then in real photographs or a whiteboard with one key words written.

If you want some help implementing visuals, get in touch. I offer a free 30 minute consultation and a range of packages to meet all needs.

Meaningful Engagement

This is something I am super passionate about. A lot of children and young people with special education needs have wonderful and elaborate timetables at school and great activities planned for weekends at home too. Yet, a lot of behaviours of concern can occur during these activities and one of the reasons behind this is because they are not fully engaged. Here are a few ideas on how to help engage your child or young person in activities:
- Give processing time
- Breakdown the activity into smaller, manageable steps
- Allow them to make mistakes (it's about the process, not the outcome)
- Model the activity, don't do it for them
- Check to see if it's motivating- do they want to do it?
- Have fun with them, being over the top and cartoonish can engage and make them laugh

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗨𝗞 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿...

📍𝗚𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻
Saturday 24th September 2022
10.30am - 5pm

The A World UK has 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲 of the entire theme park for one day only!! 🎢

On the day of the event Gulliver's World will be CLOSED to the general public, the capacity of people in the park will be mucher lower than it would be on a normal operating day.

The day will be open only to those who have purchased a ticket directly through The A World UK.

𝗘𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆:

• Open To All Ages!!!

• Must either have an autism diagnosis or be on the pathway.

• You can live anywhere within the UK.

• Siblings are 💯 welcome.

🚨 𝗧𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗕𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗨𝗞 - 𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗧𝗦 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗡𝗢𝗡-𝗥𝗘𝗙𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘 🚨

📱 To book your tickets email 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼@𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱𝘂𝗸.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Gulliver's Ride Access Pass will 𝗡𝗢𝗧 be available for this event as we have reduced the capacity of people attending the day, to help reduce queuing times for all guests attending.

𝗨𝗽𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 - https://fb.me/e/2XRAzdm1S

𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 - message our page or email [email protected]

www.theaworlduk.com