Sensory and motor systems Books

Book SynopsisSensory needs are being recognised as a vital part of learning, development and engagement within the classroom and are being used more often to make education both accessible and fun. To harness the full potential of sensory supports, using these strategies correctly is key!This is the essential guide to using sensory strategies successfully with school children, from occupational therapist, Kim Griffin, who has 20 years of experience supporting sensory needs.As you make your way through the book, you will be joined by Isla and Noah, two children whose stories will help illustrate how information in the book can be used practically. In addition, the book includes personal anecdotes from Kim, links to further reading, reflective questions and teacher perspectives to show how a teacher might use the information in the classroom. These features will help you easily identify sensory needs and use sensory tools effectively.Trade ReviewThis sensational book for school staff provides a deeply grounded introduction to sensory processing and self-regulation. Readers are guided through the process of positive change and given many practical activities and strategies to support students with differences in the classroom. -- Susan Allen, Senior Lecturer in Occupational Therapy, Oxford Brookes UniversityKim presents a super simple, step by step introduction to sensory support strategies for anyone to pick up and use. Sign posting provided will allow curious readers to find out more about topics they encounter. Kim shows an awareness and respect for contemporary understandings of neurodiversity and guides readers around common misunderstandings. On every page theoretical knowledge is linked with real world situations that bring the information to life. -- Joanna Grace, Sensory Engagement and Inclusion Specialist, Doctoral Researcher and Founder of The Sensory Projects.What a gem of a book! Kim (a SEND Station presenter) has put together a resource that is relatable to everyone, so comprehensive and accessible in its format. Fantastic for practitioners and parents to understand and then dip into, to best support their children. We love the visuals too! -- Sarah Singleton – Specialist Teacher/SEND Consultant (SEND Station Ltd)Classroom teachers will find this text extremely supportive of their work in two primary ways (1) providing a variety of helpful strategies to address students' sensory-related behaviors AND (2) providing clear explanations for those sensory-related behaviors and strategies. This book provides the background and training teachers need to implement sensory strategies in the classroom with care and understanding. -- Heather Kuhaneck, Professor and Program Director of Ocupational Therapy, Southern Connecticut State University

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Book SynopsisA New Scientist best book of 2021 Shortlisted for the 'Sports Performance Book of the Year' Award for 2022 Did you know that walking can improve your cognitive skills? That strengthening your muscular core reduces anxiety? That light stretching can combat a whole host of mental and bodily ailments, from stress to inflammation? We all know that exercise changes the way you think and feel. But scientists are just starting to discover exactly how it works. Hailed as a 'delight' by The New York Times and 'fascinating' by Women's Health, Caroline Williams explores the emerging science of how movement opens up a hotline to our minds. Interviewing researchers and practitioners around the world, Move! reveals how you can work your body to improve your mind. As we emerge from over a year's worth of lockdowns, there is no better time to take control of how you think and feel.Trade ReviewIn this rigorously reported and entertaining account, Williams offers a genuinely new perspective on the links between how we move and how we think and feel -- Alex Hutchinson, author * Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance *Move! is science writing at its absolute best: lucid, informative, authoritative, fascinating - and very very important -- Guy Claxton, author * Intelligence In The Flesh *A letter to an "I think, therefore I am" culture that knows our bodies need exercise, but imagines our minds as somehow separate ... Even if you already "get" that exercise makes you feel better, Move! enhances the picture so you can see how the researched details fit together -- Katy Bowman, author * Move Your DNA *

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Book SynopsisA New Scientist best book of 2021 Shortlisted for the 'Sports Performance Book of the Year' Award for 2022 Did you know that walking can improve your cognitive skills? That strengthening your muscular core reduces anxiety? That light stretching can combat a whole host of mental and bodily ailments, from stress to inflammation? We all know that exercise changes the way you think and feel. But scientists are just starting to discover exactly how it works. In Move!, Caroline Williams explores the emerging science of how movement opens up a hotline to our minds. Interviewing researchers and practitioners around the world, she reveals how you can work your body to improve your mind. As lockdown throws us back on our own mental and physical resources, there is no better time to take control of how you think and feel.Trade ReviewFascinating * Women's Health *From healthy bodies to healthy minds ... Caroline Williams, another New Scientist regular, explores how moving our bodies can act as "a hotline to the brain", affecting the way we think and feel for the better -- Best Books of 2021 * New Scientist *In this rigorously reported and entertaining account, Williams offers a genuinely new perspective on the links between how we move and how we think and feel, forcing us to rethink our assumptions about the distinction between body and mind -- Alex Hutchinson, author * Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance *Our bodies are designed to be in motion, and our minds suffer when they aren't. Move! is science writing at its absolute best: lucid, informative, authoritative, fascinating - and very very important -- Guy Claxton, author * Intelligence In The Flesh *A letter to an "I think, therefore I am" culture that knows our bodies need exercise, but imagines our minds as somehow separate. Williams reveals ways folks can reconnect their mind to body, and their body to movement. Even if you already "get" that exercise makes you feel better, Move! enhances the picture so you can see how the researched details fit together -- Katy Bowman, author * Move Your DNA *Caroline Williams has created a true movement manifesto that made me want to get out of my chair. In fact, I read this amazing book while riding a stationary bike! Move! is a brilliantly crafted guidebook to better health for everyone, backed by science and common sense. Williams uses painstaking research, along with emotional hooks to bring the reader to the most logical conclusion: we all need to prioritize movement in our lives -- Charlie Engle, ultramarathoner and author * Running Man *I found so many jewels of information and advice in the pages of this wonderful book. I wish I could give it to my younger self as I was starting out on my career and young adulthood. I see Move! as a cross between Yuval Harari's Sapiens and Matthew Walker's Why We Sleep, juxtaposing the history and science behind how simple strategies of moving and breathing, things most of us take for granted, can quell inflammation and improve our wellness. I love the immersive role Caroline Williams takes in this book, and her inquisitive but incredulous nature allows her to shepherd the reader on this enjoyable journey, exploring how we can all lead a more fulfilling and healthier life. Definitely pick up this book. It will help change the way you spend your days, and change your outlook on life -- Joshua D. Mezrich, author * How Death Becomes Life: Notes from a Transplant Surgeon *If you've ever wondered why exercise makes you feel so good, this book provides the answers. A fascinating exploration of the body-mind connection and a compelling manifesto for movement -- Linda Geddes, author * Chasing the Sun *I have always found that working in my garden gives me a great feeling are of well-being and now, thanks to Caroline Williams, I am understanding why. The explanations in Move of the science behind connections between the brain and movement are well researched, understandable, and fascinating. So now when I'm weeding in the garden, I'll also be dancing, stretching, and breathing. My plants might not appreciate this, but my body will -- Penny Le Couteur, author * Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History *Praise for OVERRIDE: 'Williams reveals a more nuanced understanding of how our brains really work that is both empowering and insightful. * Irish Times *Williams writes in a familiar, dinner-party style, delighting guests with tales of her exploits * New York Times *It can be difficult to find quality [self-help] works within the sea of quantity ... Williams strikes a home run in this brilliantly written and expertly researched book. * Booklist *

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Book SynopsisDo you ever feel like your classroom is just too loud? Maybe it has too many noisy kids in it?! Or maybe you wish there were more colours on the walls?There is a reason you feel this way and it's all because of your eight (yes eight!) senses.In this workbook you will get to know all about your senses and a number of friendly animals along the way. Fun activities will help you pin down what sorts of smells, sounds, textures, tastes and movements you like, which you don't like and how much of these is too much. By completing the worksheets you'll learn all about sensory processing and what effect it can have on how you feel. Because by finding out for example, that you hate scratchy jumpers, but that the sounds of birds chirping really calms you down, you can find the right kind of sensory input to make you feel better when you need it most! And adult helpers - there is an instruction manual available for you to know exactly how to coach the child you are supporting, so you can both work together on making sense of your senses!Trade ReviewIn Monique's new book, Making Sense of Your Senses, she provides a simple and hands-on approach for the reader to access and understand sensory integration and connected supports utilizing sweet illustrations and conversational language, as well as multiple opportunities to jot down their own feelings and ideas relating to the topic. -- Lauren Brukner, Pediatric Occupational Therapist, Author of Awesome and in Control Book Series

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