Home practice

A clear programme helps you know what to prepare, what comes next and what to notice. This guide explains how to organise an assigned Senspace sequence at home.

The free programme builder is being prepared. This page does not select exercises for your child. Use exercise instructions only when their suitability and practical details have been clarified for your child.

Start with a complete programme

Read the sequence from beginning to end before the first session. For every exercise, you should be able to answer four questions: what do we need, what do we do, how long or how many sets are assigned, and when should we stop?

If the duration, number of sets, technique or permitted adaptation is missing, ask the person responsible for the programme to clarify it. You should not need to guess how to carry out a step.

Prepare your space

• Put the materials listed in your programme within reach and in the order you will use them.
• Choose a space where you and your child can carry out the prescribed movements comfortably.
• Keep the instructions available, on screen or on paper, so you can follow one step at a time.
• Know how your child communicates “yes”, “no”, “more” and “stop”. This may be through words, gestures, pictures or movement.

One sequence, three daily sessions

In the Senspace schedule described here, the same complete sequence is repeated in the morning, during the day and in the evening. Each session follows the assigned order from the first exercise to the last.

Use any morning, daytime or evening variation only where it is written in the programme. A change of materials within one step does not mean changing the order of the sequence.

Follow the measure written for each exercise: time or number of sets. Where sets are used, the programme should explain what counts as one set and how many to complete. Three daily sessions mean three repetitions of the whole sequence, not three sets of every exercise. Do not add time or sets to make up for a missed session; note what happened for the programme review.

Use clear, familiar words

The adult’s spoken commentary is part of the method. Describe the action, the relevant body part and the material you are using, including a simple property such as “soft” or “warm”. Keep the wording short and connected to what is happening.

For example, when preparing materials, you can say “Here is the soft towel”. Follow the wording and communication adaptations in your child’s programme. Speaking, repeating your words or looking into your eyes should not be a condition for being heard when your child communicates discomfort or wants to stop.

Notice your child’s response

Stay attentive to how your child responds. If an activity is painful or distressing, stop it and clarify the next step before trying again. An incomplete session is useful information; record it without treating it as a failure.

For unfamiliar hands-on techniques or specialist equipment, obtain an individual demonstration and clear instructions before home use. A short written label is not enough to teach a technique.

For general advice about choice and a child’s response to touch, see NHS guidance on touch sensitivity. This is general sensory guidance, not an evaluation of Senspace.

Keep a small, useful record

After each session, note whether it was completed, partly completed or not done. Add a few words about what felt comfortable, where help was needed and any refusal or unusual reaction.

Choose one everyday situation that matters to your family, such as joining a familiar game or getting ready for a routine. Describe what you actually observed. These notes support a conversation about the programme; they are not a diagnostic test or a validated measure of programme effectiveness.

Know what should be reviewed

Bring unclear instructions, repeated discomfort, difficulty carrying out a step or a change in your child’s needs to the person responsible for the programme. Adjustments should explain what changes and why, including any change to duration, sets or materials.

The first website version is being built around free guidance, clear exercise cards, a printable programme and simple session notes. The free programme builder will become available once the exercise instructions and selection rules have been reviewed.