While Ayres Sensory Integration® (ASI) is most often associated with children, many therapists have quietly and consistently applied its principles with adults for decades. At ASI Wise & Sensory Project, our Director’s own journeys began in the early 1990s—initially in adult neurology from 1995, extending into learning disabilities and mental health from 1996, and into Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) around the same time.
Across these settings, we’ve seen how sensory integration challenges can impact emotional regulation, participation, and well-being—not only in childhood, but most importantly throughout the lifespan.
A recent 2025 article in Brain Sciences reflects what practice has shown us for years: the adult nervous system retains remarkable potential for change. The paper outlines how experience-dependent neuroplasticity—including synaptic change and glial activity—can support recovery and reorganisation through targeted, meaningful sensory experiences. These mechanisms resonate closely with ASI principles.
Our Directors were the key creators and lecturers behind the launch in the UK and Ireland the first MSc University accredited teaching programme about the practice of “Ayres Sensory Integration beyond Childhood” in 2006. We have continued this legacy to support others in developing approaches that are deeply person-led, flexible, and grounded in real-life contexts across the lifespan. Tools like Sensory Ladders and Sensory Spiders exemplify this co-production approach. While we may not always use the language of “precision medicine,” these tools developed as far back at 1999 represent precision in practice: co-produced, individualised, and responsive to the person’s unique sensory needs and goals.
We continue to work alongside others to explore how sensory integration can be used respectfully and creatively across services for people of all ages. This includes CPD and postgraduate education, collaborative service development, and a commitment to equity and accessibility in how knowledge is shared and applied across the globe.
This work continues to evolve, shaped by the people we work with and by emerging neuroscience that validates the importance of sensory experience in shaping who we are, how we cope, and how we connect.
Read more with links here about the application of ASI beyond childhood: https://sensoryproject.org/…/sensory-integration…/
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