Page 21 - Community Living Magazine 30-3

SenSorY exPerIenCe

eople who experience the How to HelP
P world in a primarily
sensory way are often, PeoPle mAke reAl
but not exclusively, people
with profound and multiple ConneCtIonS wItH
learning disabilities (PMLD),
people with later stage tHeIr CommunItY
dementia who no longer
communicate with verbal People without verbal language can be
language or individuals on
the autistic spectrum who helped to engage with the world through
engage with the world their senses. Jo grace describes how
primarily in a sensory way. this can be put into practice.

By creating ‘sensory tours’ we aim to
help people encounter the sensory These can be very simple and factual; something red standing out? Don’t use
experiences on offer. Tours we have for example, saying: “Feel the plants”. your brain to decide what is interesting.
created for some of London’s best You would need to decide in For example, a map is only interesting
known heritage settings have proved advance how to phrase verbal cues visually if you understand that it is a
particularly rewarding – the King’s state so they follow the same pattern. map that shows you a place. If you look
apartments at Kensington Palace were My Kensington tour was told a at it with your sight and not your brain,
the most memorable as they gave me a historical narrative as we moved it’s probably just a dull sheet of paper.
perfumist to work with who created the around the King’s state apartments.
smell of Georgian sweat for use on Move along the route you have planned
the tour! and think with each of your senses.
Try to cover them all in the course of
It is not always easy for people to your tour so when you bring the person
connect with the environment the frst to experience the tour they have all of
time they experience it. Its unfamiliarity their sensory systems stimulated.
can make them feel anxious and less We have 33 sets of neurons that
able to process information. They may control our sensory systems but an
not know how to control their body in ideal tour will have less than ten
response to it; it takes practice to stopping points in it.
know how to bend your fngers
around a branch or turn your eyes Offering people the opportunity to Once your sensory tour is developed,
in a particular direction. have predictable repeated experiences enjoy it with the person you support and
gives them the chance to learn more try to visit regularly, if possible at the
If we can offer people the opportunity about the world. same time of day so that the different
to have predictable repeated experiences of the tour are as similar
experiences they will have the chance Once you have the route and some as possible. Over time you’ll notice the
to learn more about the world. As we verbal cues, what is then needed is the person you’re supporting responding
repeat experiences they get more from most important part: the sensory to and engaging more with the
them each time. Research in various experiences. Choosing sensory environment around them. You will have
felds of sensory engagement work, experiences relevant to the early helped them make a real connection
for example, in sensory stories and phases of sensory development means with a part of their community.
multi sensory rooms – shows a common you can include more people.
trend. At frst you are unlikely to get What sorts of experiences are most Jo Grace is a sensory engagement
much response from someone having likely to resonate with them? The way specialist, founder of The Sensory
a new experience but if you repeat the experiences are facilitated will also Projects. She provides training and
these experiences in a predictable way alter their quality and the ability of consultancy nationally and
responses will gradually increase until people to connect with them. They can internationally on all things sensory.
eventually they peak and then begin also be used to support memory, In her work she seeks to contribute
to drop off. communication, cognitive development, to a future where people are
mental well being, learning, understood in spite of their
Think about a place you visit – could concentration, and engagement differences. Her book Sensory
you create a predictable pathway with the world. stories for children and teens was
around it for someone? We often do published in 2013 and a second
the same things when we visit a place. Before creating your sensory tour I book Sensory-being for People is
Could you organise your visit to create would advise visiting the place and due to be published in the spring.
a little ritual around all or part of it? really sensing it yourself. Try to think Twitter @Jo3grace or connect with
Building verbal cues into this with just your eyes, registering what me on Facebook Joanna Grace
predictable path will help the person they are drawn to. Is there a bright Website links for training events –
ready their senses to take in the point of light against a dark http://jo.element42.org/training
experience you are offering them. background, something fickering,

www.cl-initiatives.co.uk Community Living Vol 30 No 3 | Spring 2017 19