ORG04 ASK – Start With the Person
Good sensory practice starts with the person’s own experience. Asking useful questions prevents staff from building support around assumptions.
Five things to consider
Ask what has changed
Start with what the person has noticed rather than immediately interpreting the problem for them.
Ask what is difficult
Focus on real activities, environments and communication situations.
Ask what already works
Existing strategies can reveal strengths and prevent unnecessary changes.
Ask what matters most
The person’s priorities should help determine which barriers are addressed first.
Ask how they want information
Communication preferences and accessible formats should be established with the person.
Turning this into practical action
✓ Use open questions rather than relying only on yes/no questions.
✓ Give the person enough time to describe their experience.
✓ Separate what the person says from staff assumptions.
✓ Record priorities and successful strategies in usable language.
What this can look like in practice
A worker notices that a person has stopped joining an evening activity. Asking what has changed reveals that glare in the room makes it difficult to recognise people, rather than the person losing interest in the activity.
Question for your organisation
Do your staff ask functional questions, or do records mainly contain diagnoses and yes/no answers?
Important boundary
People may communicate in different ways and may need support to express preferences. Person-centred questioning should be adapted accordingly.
Want to take this further?
Asking well is the first part of understanding what meaningful sensory support should look like. If this resource has highlighted gaps in your organisation’s sensory practice, Sensory Visionaries can help, from reviewing what you currently have in place to providing a structured approach through the Sensory Compliance System.