Understand autonomic state as a clinical read
Use Polyvagal Theory as a practical tool to think about safety, activation, shutdown and the full daily arc around the child.
On-Demand Masterclass ReplayWatch Kerry's 60-min Masterclass at a time that works for you.
Case-based reasoningFollow Noah throughout the session *name and personal info altered for the child's protection
Workbook includedSupport notes and slides to follow along, plus practical OT and Parent/Educator resources where included with this Masterclass.
Certificate included for PD/EU pointsWatch the replay, complete the feedback form and your certificate is sent straight to your inbox.
Why this masterclass matters
The children on your caseload are not difficult. The clinical picture is often more layered than it first appears.
This session is designed for OTs who are working with autistic children whose presentations are complex, whose support teams are confused, and whose everyday function is not shifting in the way everyone had hoped.
The school-home gap is wide and everyone is interpreting it differently.
The child appears fine in one environment and falls apart in another. You need a framework that helps you ask better questions before committing to an interpretation.
Strategies are being used, but carryover is inconsistent.
Sometimes the strategy is not the problem. The missing piece is the larger picture around nervous system state, sensory load, masking and participation cost.
Families need explanations that reduce blame and build clarity.
When parents, educators and teams understand what the child is communicating, the intervention conversation changes.
You want a framework that still feels clinically grounded.
This masterclass brings together neuroscience, sensory processing, Polyvagal Theory, neuroaffirming practice and occupation in one usable clinical lens.
What you will learn
Clearer clinical reasoning you can use immediately
The focus is not on giving you more disconnected tips. It is on helping you interpret autistic presentations more fully and more confidently.
Map sensory contributions with more depth
Think across the eight sensory systems, including interoception, and consider how different systems contribute to overload, seeking and participation restriction.
Move from interpretation to intervention
Strengthen the clinical reasoning that helps you understand why a strategy may work for one child, fail for another, or only work in one setting.
Apply a neuroaffirming occupational lens
Communicate recommendations for autistic children in ways that support autonomy, trust, strengths and participation rather than compliance-based thinking.
On-Demand learning, built for practice
Watch, pause, reflect and come back to the clinical detail when you need it.
Your replay is supported by structured learning materials designed to help you follow the clinical reasoning during the Masterclass and revisit key concepts when you return to your caseload.
Learn at your own pace
Pause the replay, work through the workbook alongside Kerry's teaching, and return to the sections that are most relevant to the children on your caseload.
Note: WORKBOOK INCLUDED.
Keep the learning close to practice
Supporting clinical and family-facing resources help you carry the learning beyond the recording and into assessment interpretation, recommendations and conversations with families and teams.
Note: Additional Resources Available at Checkout.
- Resource 1: The Sensory Systems Mapped to Autism .pdf
- Resource 2: SenseUp Parent Handout Sensory Wellbeing .pdf
Evidence base
What is the evidence base for The SenseUp Approach™?
The SenseUp Approach draws on three bodies of peer-reviewed research as its evidence base.
Ayres Sensory Integration®
First, and primary, is the Ayres Sensory Integration® literature, which is a substantial evidence base including randomised controlled trials, systematic reviews, and longitudinal studies spanning from Ayres' original work in the 1970s through to recent systematic reviews (Acuña et al., 2025; Schaaf et al., 2018).
Polyvagal theory, trauma and sensory processing
Second, The SenseUp Approach draws on Polyvagal Theory as a clinical lens, alongside research examining the relationship between trauma and sensory processing (Porges, 2022; Machingura et al., 2024).
Occupational science and occupation-centred practice
Third is occupational science and the WFOT's definition of occupational therapy, which grounds all four levels of the SenseUp Model 360™ in the evidence for occupation-centred practice.
The SenseUp Model™
In keeping with the three-pillar model of evidence-based practice, The SenseUp Approach also recognises practitioner expertise and client and family values as equally important pillars alongside research evidence.
The SenseUp Model™ integrates current research across neuroscience, sensory processing (all seven systems), trauma-informed care, and occupational participation into one systematic approach for challenges. This isn't about choosing between therapy approaches or sensory strategies - it's about seeing how nervous system safety can create a foundation for engagement, regulation and participation.
When you understand how these pieces connect, clinical reasoning becomes clearer and intervention planning honours what the child's body actually needs.