Sensory Stories to Support Additional Needs: Making Narratives Accessible Through the Senses

Sensory Stories are short stories of a few lines which are brought to life through a selection of meaningful sensory experiences. They are particularly beneficial for people with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD) and Autistic children or adults. Sensory stories are perfect for introducing new sensory environments in a safe, interactive way to help reduce associated anxieties and open up new avenues for communication and play.

This updated edition is packed with original ready-to-use sensory stories, including 5 additional guest sensory stories by authors from around the world and your very own story template to create a sensory experience personalised for each person. With exclusive 'how to' video content and digital lesson plans, this book is the essential tool for introducing the transformative multi-sensory storytelling method into your home, classroom or group setting.

Using everyday items and step-by-step instructions to make incorporating sensory stories accessible and simple, it has never been easier to create inclusive and fun sensory experiences to enhance the lives of those with additional needs.

Table of Contents

Front Matter

• Foreword by Flo Longhorn 9
• Foreword by Martyn Sibley 11
• Introduction 13
• About This Book 15

Part I Background 17

1. The Importance of Sensory Stimulation 19
2. The Significance of Narrative 28

Part II Sharing Sensory Stories 37

3. How to Share a Sensory Story 39

4. Sensory Stories for All 47

5. Sensory Processing Differences 51

6. Using Sensory Stories 59

Part III Using Sensory Stories as a Basis for Engaging and Interactive Sessions 67

7. Supporting Learning and Development 69

8. Structuring Sessions to Challenge and Include a Range of People 71

9. A Nifty Assessment Tool 76

Part IV The Sensory Stories and Associated Activities 79

10. About the Sensory Stories and Associated Activities 81

Part V Guest Stories 153

References 194

Further Reading 197

Index 199

"Joanna's passion for inclusivity and deep understanding and experience of the needs of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) shines through every single page of this book. I finished the book feeling inspired and excited about the impact of these brilliant sensory stories on children with SEND. This book needs to be in the hands of all teachers and parents of children with SEND"
- Georgina Durrant, author of ‘100 Ways Your Child Can Learn Through Play (Fun Activities for Young Children with SEN)’ and founder of The SEN Resources Blog

"Jo Grace is an inspirational thinker, writer, teacher and presenter. At Chailey Heritage School, pre-pandemic, she kept 200 of our staff enthralled for a whole day - no mean feat! This book explaining the what, how, and most importantly WHY of sensory stories for sensory beginners makes for extremely valuable reading."
- Simon Yates, Headteacher, Chailey Heritage School