Sensory Modulation Resource Manual

30/10/2026

Sensory Modulation and ADHD

Interesting application of Sensory Modulation and ADHD by OT Alice Ayliffe

Very proud to have my first contribution to OT conference with a poster show casing my work on OTs very important role in adult ADHD !

Hopefully more trainings and conferences to come to help get this very important work out to the OT community.

30/10/2026

29/10/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1FZZxLiQqf/

The problematic noise levels in hospital environments (including emergency departments, ICUs and inpatient wards) is frequently reported by patients and is well documented and researched.

This fantastic initiative aims to significantly turn down unwanted and problematic noise levels to facilitate a better hospital experience for patients in an ICU environment. Sensory Modulation Brisbane is excited to see other health services adopt these and other approaches, to actively address these issues thus creating an improved hospital experience for their patients, staff and loved ones.

For strategies on how to use sensory modulation as an intervention to change the environment, visit our website and click on the learning hub for training and resources.

20/10/2026

New Scientist article

Nausea and vomiting are common after surgery, but wearing noise-cancelling headphones during the procedure helps prevent these unpleasant side effects. This simple intervention also supports the idea that our brain processes sounds even when we’re not consciously aware of our surroundings.

“That data is really encouraging and is actually in line with decades of research showing that anaesthesia is not simply an off switch,” says Vigi Katlowitz at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

The team recruited 192 patients who had keyhole gynaecological surgery under general anaesthesic. Half were randomly assigned noise-blocking ear defenders, which they wore from the start of anaesthesia until the end of surgery. All the patients received standard anaesthesia and anti-nausea medication

Within 48 hours of the surgery, 35 per cent of those wearing ear defenders experienced nausea or vomiting, compared with 52 per cent of those without them. The researchers also found that symptoms were less severe among those whose hearing had been protected, defined as the patients vomiting less and it having less of an impact on their daily life.

19/10/2026

How do you implement sensory modulation on an inpatient mental health unit without a sensory room?

You don’t need a dedicated sensory room to create a more sensory-friendly ward!

This blog explores practical alternatives for inpatient mental health units, showing how you can make the most of your existing spaces and resources to create a sensational ward!

https://sensory-modulation-brisbane.com/blog/sensory-modulation-without-a-sensory-room

13/10/2026

12/10/2026

Background noise

It can be hard to hear in background noise.
Pick a quiet place to make it easier to listen!

Finding a match between sensory needs
& the environment can improve Sensory Health

.

12/10/2026

Sensory Modulation items and Latex allergy

Some sensory modulation items are made from latex.
This may include fidgets and balloons.

We are sharing information on latex allergy so that practitioners are aware of the need to avoid and manage this risk.

05/10/2026

Explaining flashbacks using the arm wrestle metaphor

The analogy of an arm wrestle can help explain the process that occurs during dissociative flashbacks.

When experiencing a flashback it is as if an arm wrestle between the past and the present is occurring in the brain.

Memories from the past are trying to push their attention back to the past,
so what they need to do is help their brain ‘win’ the arm wrestle by pushing back the other way, making the present ‘stronger’ than the past.

This can be done by enhancing sensory stimuli in the present, such as focusing on an intense taste, to remind them:

-where they are,
-that they are in the present, and
-that they are safe in this moment.

The arm wrestle metaphor is included in the :

Grounding strategies for dissociation, panic, disconnection and flashbacks,
On Demand Course @ Sensory Modulation Brisbane

02/10/2026

Kelly Mahlers new blog has a really clear description of how to support the body to learn something new. This is a great example of how predictive processing works.

(Although Kelly's blog does not refer to this concept).

NEW FREE BLOG! Trauma-informed “good practices” give us an important foundation. But how do we get curious about what the individual body in front of us actually needs? In our newest blog, we explore how interoception can help us think more deeply about what the body has learned and how that learning may shape what feels supportive now.

Read more here: https://www.kelly-mahler.com/resources/blog/interoception-trauma-the-latest-science-on-healing-2/

Image Description: a man hiding his face in his hands against a black background