ORG22 Ongoing Sensory Assessment
Sensory assessment should not be treated as a one-off event. Everyday observations and changes can provide important information about whether needs have altered.
Five things to consider
Know what is usual
A baseline helps staff recognise meaningful change.
Use everyday observations
Routine activities can reveal new barriers or successful strategies.
Recognise review triggers
Changes in health, behaviour, environment or ability may justify reassessment.
Revisit strategies
An adjustment that once worked may become less useful over time.
Update the wider team
New information should reach the people responsible for current support.
Turning this into practical action
✓ Build sensory questions into appropriate reviews.
✓ Encourage staff to report meaningful functional changes.
✓ Reassess when repeated difficulties emerge.
✓ Update support and records when new information changes the picture.
What this can look like in practice
A person who has used the same reading strategy for months begins avoiding correspondence. Rather than assuming disinterest, staff revisit functional vision and discover that the previous approach is no longer effective.
Question for your organisation
Does your organisation treat sensory assessment as a living process or a form completed once and filed?
Important boundary
This resource does not prescribe clinical reassessment intervals. Appropriate specialist or health input should be sought when indicated.
Want to take this further?
Ongoing assessment keeps sensory support connected to the person’s current life. 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.