Ayres' Sensory Integration WISE

28/02/2026

A new paper published in the Journal of Eating Disorders this month explores the associations between sensory processing, eating disorder symptoms, neurodivergence and gender congruence through a lived experience lens. It adds growing weight to something many of us have recognised in practice for years: sensory integration and processing matter deeply in eating disorders.

The study highlights links between interoception, sensory sensitivity and disordered eating patterns, particularly within neurodivergent and gender diverse populations. It reminds us that eating is not only cognitive or behavioural. It is sensory. It is embodied. It is relational.

At ASI Wise, this is not new territory for us. We explicitly teach sensory integration and processing in the context of eating disorders across our workshops and postgraduate modules. We explore:

• how vestibular, proprioceptive and tactile differences shape body trust and safety
• how interoceptive awareness develops and what happens when it is unreliable
• how sensory modulation impacts food textures, environments and mealtime participation
• how identity, autonomy and felt safety influence engagement

Importantly, we do not leave therapists to work this out alone.

Alongside our formal teaching, we host peer groups specifically to support therapists working in eating disorder services. These spaces allow practitioners to bring real cases, reflect ethically, and integrate sensory-informed reasoning alongside psychological and medical models. It is about strengthening clinical confidence while remaining collaborative and person led.

This emerging research reinforces the need for whole system thinking. Sensory integration and processing should not sit at the margins of eating disorder work. It is foundational to participation, embodiment and recovery.

If you are working in eating disorders and want to deepen your sensory lens, our modules and peer groups are designed to walk alongside you.

No one works in isolation. And the science is catching up with what thoughtful therapists have long understood.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40337-026-01551-8

27/02/2026

What an incredible few days at ASI2 in ASI Wise | Leyland!

To our brilliant cohort, you have been outstanding. From the depth of your pre-course learning, to your clinical reasoning, to the thoughtful questions and integrity you’ve brought to administration practice, you have truly embodied advanced professional curiosity and reflective practice.

ASI2 demands a shift from knowledge acquisition to precision in observation, fidelity in assessment, and disciplined interpretation. You stepped into that space with rigour and humility.

That matters.
We are so looking forward to:
• Seeing you in your tutor groups
• Continuing the dialogue in Community of Practice peer groups
• Watching your assessment case study presentations unfold. Where your synthesis, reasoning and professional voice will really shine

A heartfelt thank you from the whole ASI Wise team, those who were with you in the room and everyone working diligently behind the scenes in the ASI Wise House.

It takes a community to hold this level of training, and you are now part of that professional community.

Onward to consolidation, application, and confident practice.

27/02/2026

Day 4 of ASI2 in person and the ASI Wise Shop was BUSY this morning!

Our resources were flying out, thank you to everyone who stopped by.

Not here with us? You can still shop the full range online:
https://sensoryproject.org/product-category/resource-clinical-practice-sensory-goodies/

26/02/2026

If we step back into Ayres’ voice and thinking, her work did not begin with a clinic. It began with occupation. It began with participation in daily life.

Ayres was an occupational therapist first. Her questions were never simply, “How do I deliver a treatment?” They were, “Why is this child struggling to play, to learn, to move, to belong? What is happening in the organisation of sensation that is making life harder than it needs to be?”

Fidelity to Ayres Sensory Integration® in a clinic matters deeply for those with the most significant unmet sensory integration needs. When sensory integration is substantially disrupted, when praxis is fragile, when adaptive responses are not emerging, we must use the full intervention model with integrity. The just-right challenge. The therapeutic alliance. The rich, multisensory environment. The careful scaffolding of adaptive responses. That is specialist work, and it deserves fidelity.

But Ayres never suggested that sensory science was only for clinics.

She wrote about everyday skills being worth having at any point in life. She educated parents. She coached teachers. She supported her own nephew. She understood that sensory integration and processing is foundational to doing, to learning, to relating, across the lifespan. She spoke about older adults needing movement and sensory nourishment. She described how everyday experiences can either support or hinder development.

To “waste the science” by restricting it only to therapy rooms would be to misunderstand her vision.

The nervous system does not live in a clinic. It lives in kitchens, classrooms, playgrounds, offices, buses, gardens, and relationships.

So we hold both truths:

For those with the most complex unmet needs because of sensory integration challenges, we need high fidelity, research-aligned Ayres Sensory Integration® delivered by trained therapists.
We need parents who understand why movement matters before school.
We need teachers who understand why posture affects attention.
We need managers who understand how sound, light and relational tone shape participation.
We need individuals who understand their own sensory patterns and can advocate for what helps.

Ayres was never only building a therapy technique. She was building understanding of how the brain organises sensation to support participation in life.

That science belongs in specialist clinics.
But, and most importantly, it also belongs in everyday conversations. The task for us now is not to dilute it. It is to steward it well.

To protect fidelity where it is needed most.
To translate wisely where universal understanding can prevent difficulty.
To ensure the science serves participation at every level of life

Learn how to create personalized portable self-soothe kits to support sensory regulation and emotional well-being. Discover essential items and strategies for effective sensory self-soothing

26/02/2026

26/02/2026

❗Tutor Group Reminder❗

We are excited to see you all at the tutor group today, starting at 19:30 pm and finishing at 21:30 pm UK Time.

⭐ We will be exploring Ayres Sensory Integration assessment and intervention across the lifespan through two real case studies, linking findings directly to occupational therapy practice! Join us in developing and deepening our knowledge and skills for the practice of Ayres Sensory Integration.

25/02/2026

25/02/2026

This is what teaching and learning is all about.

Playful learning.
Integration of neuroscience into assessment reasoning.
Live, in-person exploration.

This is what teaching and learning are all about. neuroaffirming, and across the lifespan.

Theory becoming embodied understanding.
Assessment becoming lived clinical reasoning.
Learning that is active, relational, and reflective.

This is ASI Wise in action.

This is what teaching and learning is all about.

25/02/2026

There is something powerful about being together in person, sharing ideas, creativity, solutions, and space for gentle exploration. Colleagues joined us from across the UK, Ireland, and further afield.

Such a thoughtful gesture, and a lovely reminder of the community and generosity that sits at the heart of our ASI Wise & Sensory Project Community.

While gifts are never expected, the surprise sharing of delicious Greek baklava was such a thoughtful touch 🇬🇷

Thank you for learning, reflecting, and growing together.

25/02/2026