Sensory Starter Kit Funding Rationale
Sensory Kits help people live their life or makes life better
The use of the Sensory Starter Kit improves the lives of people with (but not limited to): Autism, ADHD, Anxiety, Sensory Processing Disorder, behavioural difficulties, mental health challenges. As sensory needs vary over the course of the day, the Sensory Starter Kit includes a broad range of equipment.
(a) Using a Sensory Kit keeps individuals emotionally regulated to carry out their daily activities, calm in high stress, and helps with de-escalation of behaviour. This enables greater independence and confidence in the home and community.
(b) Enables the user to self-soothe in times of anxiety or stress, increasing independence.
(c) Enables users to feel more focused, grounded or ‘present’ to carry out daily tasks.
(d) Includes items to help improve fine motor skills and gives opportunities to develop strength in the fingers and hands. This enables better dexterity to carry out other daily functional tasks, enablinggreater independence across multiple settings.
(e) Through frequent use and training, the use of the Sensory Starter Kit will help users become familiar with equipment that helps to calm or focus in applicable situations and environments. This helps to prevent negative behaviour, stress and anxiety for the user.
(f) The Sensory Starter Kit provides a range of equipment for individuals where multiple solutions and tools are needed over the day (and night).
Sensory Kits are an additional disability support
(a) Sensory Kit support behaviour management and behaviour de-escalation in a positive way. It provides calming and preventative resources and choice for the user.
(b) Used across setting, sensory kits provide consistency for users. This is important when individuals find change of environment or context difficult to manage.
Sensory Kits are reasonable and cost effective
(a) Sensory Kits can be used across multiple settings to provide consistency for the user and enable independence in the community.
(b) Used as a calming tool, sensory kits reduce the need for support to manage behaviour, anxiety, and stress. It allows the user to engage in self- soothing/calming. The range of equipment available in the Sensory Kit allows for choice of calming modality to meet varying needs across the day and night.
(c) Sensory kits provide additional support for individuals in a way that maintains the user’s dignity, utilising items that are suitable for use in community settings.