Reflections From the SIS Network: Slow Down to Move Forward
By Beth Smithson, 09/02/26
In our latest Sensory Inclusive Schools drop-in session, we discussed something that keeps coming up: sensory inclusive change does not fail because staff do not care. It fails because teams are at capacity.
As occupational therapists, we can write a brilliant list of strategies and reports, pages long, but when a class team is already stretched, a long list can feel like “more to do”. Even great recommendations can end up on a shelf, not because people are not committed, but because there is not enough bandwidth to embed new habits.
So here is the approach we are championing in the SIS Network: slow down to move forward. Therapists and school staff need to ask: What do we genuinely have the capacity to do consistently in this classroom with this team right now? Then choose one or two achievable actions, agree on them together, and make them non-negotiable for a few weeks.
Why? Because when you try to change ten things at once, it is harder to do anything consistently. It is harder to notice the impact. It is harder to know what actually worked. When you change one or two things and hold everything else steady, you can answer the real question: What works for this nervous system, in this environment, with these adults? And that matters, because small wins do two things. They build staff confidence and momentum, and they give you evidence about what is actually helping.
A message for therapists writing recommendations: clinical reasoning matters. The environment matters. And staff capacity matters. A long list might be clinically sound, but if it is not implementable, it will not be impactful. Our job is not only to identify what would help, but to work with the class team to pace implementation so change can actually happen. One or two changes. Embedded. Reviewed. Then built upon.
If you are a school team reading this, you do not need to fix everything this term. Choose one achievable step, embed it, notice what shifts, and then build. The wins will be motivating, small wins will add up very quickly to big wins, and you will also know what works.
If you would like to be part of our weekly drop-in sessions, then we would love you to come along - explore the Sensory Inclusive Schools Network here.
All the best
Beth
