I was honoured to be invited to speak at a super conference in Birmingham on 2nd November hosted by the UK’s National Autistic Society and the Sensory Integration Network. We know that many people who have autism and an intellectual disability also have sensory integration difficulties. The conference was an in-depth look at all aspects including; the latest scientific research, the biology and brain imaging now available, and practical ideas and approaches to help with learning and everyday life.

Sensory integration disorder or sensory processing disorder is where the senses (touch, feel, taste, smell, hearing, movement and balance) of your body do not work together as they should. Here is a simple video to explain it.

As well as communication, sensory integration disorder is thing that affects our son Stephen’s life and our family’s life the most. Over the years (Stephen is now 13) I have found it essential to try to understand Stephen and where he is coming from. And I am learning everyday.

The organisers of this conference are top class. The National Autistic Society is the leading UK charity for people with autism and their families. They provide information, support and services and campaign for a better world for people with autism. I especially like their logo of Accept difference. Not indifference.

Sensory Integration Network UK and Ireland is a voluntary organisation of professionals working together to promote education, good practice and research into the theory and practice of sensory integration, specifically the work of A. Jean Ayres who was the first occupational therapist to research and come up with specific therapies.

All the speakers were excellent and some of the conference is available at this link.

Two of my favourites are the presentations by Steve McGuinness , NAS Trustee, Councillor and Autism Consultant and Julia Dyer Physiotherapist and Lecturer.

Steve has autism and gave a fascinating insight into how senses are different than ours. I was interested in his suggestion around the words 'challenging behaviour'. Our son Stephen has this label attached to him. Steve suggested we change the order of the words to ‘behaviour that challenges’. In other words, there is a reason for the behaviour and 'we' (society) are challenged to understand it. We need to listen, learn and understand. He used this video to explain sensory integration difficulties.

Julia talked about movement difficulties and the affect it can have on social skills, self esteem and friendship building. She brought three members of the audience to the front and asked them to button a man’s shirt. Two of them had gloves on to demonstrate what it is like when you have fine motor difficulties. (This is the case for many people with autism and intellectual disability) and one had no gloves on. The two with gloves on (ski gloves and woolly gloves) struggled to complete task. Julia was trying to illustrate that you need all your senses to carry out everyday coordination tasks. Later she spoke about how the audience member felt after failing. It was very powerful to put ourselves in the shoes of someone with a disability and to appreciate the impact it has on your self esteem.

Videos of Steve and Julia’s presentations are available here.

The other presenter I have to mention is Ian Jordan. He showed how sight/visual processing is vital for the other parts of our sensory systems. I heard about synaesthesia and metamorphopsia for the first time. Ian connected with me because at home, we would often say that our Stephen definitely sees things differently than we do. Ian showed videos and explained how timing and mapping of vision helps the overall functioning of all senses. We saw how when vision is corrected, things like co-ordination and speech improve – I found it really interesting. For more information see www.jordanseyes.com

Well done to all those involved in organising this event. It would be brilliant if we could have a similar event in Ireland to raise awareness about sensory integration disorder and that it is good to be different!

Best wishes always,
Avril