Co-produced
Made with the person
Their language, priorities and ways of communicating shape the ladder.
Explore the Sensory Ladders® Project
Free learning, project pages and practical resources in one welcoming place
Begin the free Sensory Ladders® learning
Build a personal Sensory Ladder together
Explore Sensory Ladders® resources
Bring the learning into practice
Colour, reflect and create with Sensory Ladders®
These resources combine practical materials with guided learning, helping you use them thoughtfully rather than simply downloading another worksheet.
44 page manual + online webinar
Colouring Through the Senses™
A licensed printable colouring manual with accompanying learning about materials, sensory experience and creative participation across the lifespan.
Explore the manual and webinar
Journal + online learning webinar
My Sensory Journal in Practice
My Sensory Life Journal with accompanying online learning to support noticing, reflection, agency and participation in everyday life.
Explore the journal and learning
Printables, examples and extras
Sensory Ladder Goodies
Browse themed ladders and practical printables. Every purchase helps us keep the core Sensory Ladders learning and translations freely available worldwide.
Browse the goodiesThe colouring manual and Sensory Journal are not simply downloadable files. Each includes accompanying online learning in My Learning, helping you use the resource thoughtfully, collaboratively and within its intended scope.
The Sensory Ladders® Project
A shared language for state, support and participation.
A co-produced, person-led way to notice changes in body state, understand sensory patterns and explore what may make everyday participation more reachable.
States, not labels. Support, not control. Participation, not performance.
One familiar starting point
Freeze
Overalert
Calm and alert
Underalert
Sleep
The words, images, number of rungs and supports are shaped with the person.
SensoryEmbodiedBottom upParticipation focused
One framework, many personal forms
Made with people and shaped around real life.
Sensory Ladders® can use words, pictures, objects, AAC or another form that feels recognisable and usable to the person.
Across the lifespan
Relevant throughout life
The form may change, while dignity, shared understanding and participation remain central.
Personal expression
No fixed template
Colour, metaphor and format belong to the person, not to a standard chart.
More than a coloured ladder
A simple visual tool held within thoughtful, person-led practice.
Sensory Ladders® grew from occupational therapy practice, lived experience and co-production. They help make changing body states more visible, so people can understand each other sooner and explore support together.
It is not a behaviour chart, a fixed colour code or a demand to remain calm. Every state makes sense in context. The purpose is greater choice, shared understanding and participation in real life.
From state to participation
Regulation, perception, praxis and participation.
A ladder becomes meaningful when it helps connect body state and sensory experience with what a person wants or needs to do.
Regulation
Notice body state, alertness, rest, communication and availability for everyday life.
Perception
Explore how sensory information and the environment are experienced by this person.
Praxis
Consider how ideas, planning, movement and action come together within meaningful activity.
Participation
Connect understanding and support with what the person wants and needs to do.
A project with many pathways
Explore the part that matters to you.
The pages work together, whether you are beginning for yourself, supporting someone, leading a service or helping the project travel into another language and culture.
Understand
How Sensory Ladders work
States, sensory patterns, collaborative regulation and the connected tools.
CreateBuild one ladder together
A practical, accessible process that protects choice and personal meaning.
CollaborateGlobal Translation Project
How language, culture, local knowledge and community review shape each edition.
DiscoverHistory, reach and impact
More than 25 years of practice development, free sharing and international learning.
ContinueResources and current learning
Free learning, established Sensory Project resources and courses available now.
ReadPublished project articles
History, practice examples, research updates and professional position statements.
Sensory wellbeing and further learning
Continue the conversation through mental wellbeing and participation.
Explore how sensory experience may contribute to mental wellbeing, then continue into supported learning that connects sensory integration with participation across everyday life.
World Mental Health Day 2026
Sensory wellbeing is part of mental wellbeing
A whole-person reminder to consider the body, sensory experience, environment, relationships and participation when supporting mental health and wellbeing.
Open the World Mental Health Day graphic →
Supported sensory learning
Seeing Differently: Sensory Integration, Participation & Wellbeing
Build on sensory awareness through flexible online learning, live tutor conversation and practical Sensory Project tools that support curiosity, shared understanding and participation.
Explore Seeing Differently →Clear boundaries matter
Universal sensory understanding, with specialist assessment when it is needed.
Sensory Ladders® can support shared awareness, communication and everyday planning. They do not diagnose sensory differences or replace occupational therapy assessment, comprehensive sensory integration assessment or specialist intervention. Greater sensory awareness should make routes to the right expertise clearer, not blur them.
Anyone, anywhere, anytime
Begin with the free learning and build one ladder together.
Our sensory ladders free training is designed as a starting point. Keep the language personal, the support collaborative and the purpose connected to real life.