We are sharing our ISIC poster alongside this reflection, because it captures something central to Sensory Ladders®: co production is not a slogan. It is how the work was built, and how it continues to grow. Bridging the Gap | From Sensory Motor Processing to Human Occupation with Sensory Ladders® This is one of the posters presented at ISIC: What we mean by co production There are three living layers to this. 1. The concept itself was co produced. Sensory Ladders®️ did not arrive fully formed. They grew organically in collaboration with people using services, families, and clinicians. In learning disability and mental health services, we needed a way to make sensory experience visible in a way that protected dignity and supported participation. People described what overwhelmed felt like. What underpowered felt like. What helped. What made things worse. We trialled versions together. We changed language when it felt reducing. We refined structure when it felt confusing. The framework evolved through feedback, reflection, and active participation. Lived experience shaped the structure as much as theory did. 2. Every individual ladder is co produced. No two Sensory Ladders®️ are the same. Each ladder is created with a person, not for them. The steps are named together. The wording reflects the person’s own language. The levels link directly to real occupations, roles, and environments. The making of the ladder builds shared understanding. It supports agency, reduces misinterpretation, and strengthens relational response. It is not about placing someone into a type. It is about recognising unique patterns and building a shared map that supports meaningful doing. 3. Translation is also co produced. As Sensory Ladders®️ are translated internationally, this is done in collaboration with therapists within each cultural and linguistic context. Translation is not simply about swapping words. It involves: • ensuring metaphors make sense locally

So Sensory Levels became Sensory Ladders in 2001 - in co-production and collaboration with people with sensory differences. Here is one of the earliest versions - complete with a crocodile and monkey!

Welcome to this space. It is a space to tell stories about the beginnings of Sensory Ladders, share the many ways they work in practice and at home, with space for examples and ideas from across the globe.

Sensory Ladders® are a simple, visual way of helping a person make sense of how they feel in their body and what they need to feel safe, organised, and ready to take part in everyday life. Many children, young people, and adults move through different sensory states during the day. At times they may feel calm, connected, and ready. At other times they may feel overwhelmed, shut down, restless, wobbly, or as though everything is too much. Sensory Ladders® help families notice these changes with compassion and curiosity, rather than seeing them as simply behaviour to manage. A Sensory Ladder® is created together. It helps describe what different states look and feel like for that person, what others might notice, and what kinds of support are most helpful at each stage. This might include movement, quiet, touch, time, space, reassurance, familiar routines, or changes to the environment. The aim is not to force a person to climb up or down the ladder on demand, but to better understand their experience and respond in ways that support comfort, participation, and connection. For families, Sensory Ladders® can offer a shared language. They can make it easier to spot early signs of stress, talk about needs without blame, and work out what helps at home, at school, and in the community. They also remind us that every person is different. What feels regulating and supportive for one person may not feel the same for another. At their heart, Sensory Ladders® are about co-production, understanding, and relationship. They help us listen to the person, value their sensory experience, and build support around who they are, not just around what is difficult in the moment.

Today in the USA Mel Homan ran a launch of Sensory Ladders in her home state. Mel has been involved with Sensory Ladders, since co-lecturing about them here in the UK with Kath Smith, before she moved to the USA. Coming soon, some pictures of today's event. Thank you Mel for hosting this event.