Sensory Inclusive Schools

In today’s Sensory Inclusive Schools drop-in session, we reflected on an important question about transitioning away from sensory joys.

A staff member shared that one student absolutely loves water play and often shows resistance when it is time for this to stop. The challenge was that water play was not always appropriate within the wider context of the classroom. The question was simple but important: Is it okay to say no?

As a group, we explored this more deeply.

We first considered whether water play was this student’s only source of sensory joy and regulation, or whether there were other activities in the classroom that also helped him feel good, organised, and regulated. It became clear that there were several other activities he would willingly engage in, and that these also supported his regulation.

This then led us into a discussion about communication and predictability.

I asked whether the student understood that when water play was a “no for now”, it was not a “no forever”. Did he know it would come back later? Did he know when? Or did stopping it feel as though something highly enjoyable and regulating was being taken away indefinitely?

This brought us back again to the importance of clear communication.

If we can clearly communicate that an activity is going away for now, but will return later, and if this happens consistently enough for the student to trust it, this can make it much easier to transition to another regulating activity.

We also discussed the reality of trying to maintain this consistency across a large staff team. Because of this, it felt that embedding predictability into an established routine, such as always having water play at the end of the day, might be a manageable starting point. This would allow the student to begin building trust that the activity would return at a familiar and reliable time.

Normally, I would advocate for students accessing their sensory joys when they need them. However, in practice, this is not always possible. What mattered in this discussion was that the setting was already doing a brilliant job of embedding sensory joys throughout the day to support regulation, and the student did have other joys they could access at all times.

The key was making sure this was supported by clear communication, trust, and as much predictability as the setting could realistically offer.

Sometimes the answer is not simply yes or no. Sometimes it is about how we communicate the boundary, what alternatives are available, and whether the student can trust that something joyful has not disappeared, but is simply paused.

We would love you to join our drop-in sessions!

Best wishes

Beth