My son used to refuse to walk through the supermarket. Not because he was having a tantrum. Not because he was tired. It was the lights — those buzzing fluorescent lights — combined with the noise of trolleys and strangers and the smell of the bakery aisle. It was too much, all at once, and his body just couldn't cope. I'd heard the term "sensory processing disorder" online, but when I brought it up with our GP, I got a polite but blank look and a leaflet about sleep hygiene.
If that sounds familiar, you're not alone — and you haven't hit a dead end. You just need to know where to look next.
This guide is for Kent parents who suspect their child is struggling with sensory processing difficulties. I'll explain what the NHS will and won't do, how to access real support in Kent, and what an occupational therapist can actually offer — whether you go NHS or private.
Here's the honest answer: no — not as a standalone diagnosis.
"Sensory Processing Disorder" (SPD) is a term that's widely used online, particularly on American websites and parent forums. But under the diagnostic systems used in the UK — the DSM-5 and ICD-11 — SPD is not listed as its own condition. That's why your GP looks confused when you mention it. They're not dismissing you; it genuinely doesn't appear in the medical handbook they're working from.
That said — and this is important — sensory difficulties are very much real, recognised, and supported within the NHS. They just tend to be understood as part of other conditions:
So if your child has one of these diagnoses, their sensory needs are already recognised within that framework. And if they don't have a diagnosis yet, the NHS can still assess and support sensory difficulties through occupational therapy — no diagnosis required.
Sensory difficulties aren't always obvious, and they don't always look the way you'd expect. Here's what they can look like in everyday life:
Proprioception is your body's sense of where it is in space — the reason you can touch your nose with your eyes closed. Children who struggle with this often look clumsy or rough. They don't know how hard they're pressing, how loud their voice is, or how close they're standing. It's not behavioural; their nervous system genuinely isn't giving them accurate feedback.
These aren't tantrums. They're a genuine overload response — the nervous system has taken in more than it can process and essentially hits a circuit breaker. If your child consistently struggles in particular environments (assemblies, birthday parties, shopping centres), that pattern is worth noting.
Moving from one activity to another can be surprisingly hard for sensory children — particularly if the new environment has different sensory demands.
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT) runs a dedicated Sensory Processing Pathway for children. The good news: it has two stages, and Stage 1 is free and doesn't require a referral.
Stage 1 — Self-help resources (no referral needed):
KCHFT has developed a library of self-help guides and strategies specifically for parents of children with sensory processing difficulties. You can access these directly, without needing to go through your GP. These cover strategies for home, school, and specific situations like mealtimes, dressing, and transitions. Start here — they're genuinely useful, not just filler.
Stage 2 — Professional assessment:
If you've worked through the Stage 1 resources for around three months and your child is still significantly struggling, a professional (your GP, health visitor, or SENCO) can refer your child for a telephone OT assessment through KCHFT. From there, depending on the outcome, your child may be offered further support.
If you're in a position to go private — or if the NHS wait is affecting your child's wellbeing or school life — a private occupational therapist assessment in Kent typically costs between £150 and £350, depending on the therapist and the depth of the assessment. A full written report is usually at the higher end of that range, but it's that written report that carries weight — for schools, for EHCP applications, and for any other services.
Private OT doesn't mean the NHS won't also help you. Many families do both: use private assessment to get answers and strategies quickly, then remain on the NHS pathway for ongoing support.
When I finally got my son in front of an OT, I wasn't sure what to expect. I'd imagined clipboards and tests. What I got was someone who watched him play, asked me a lot of very specific questions about his daily life, and then, for the first time, made sense of things I'd been watching for years.
An occupational therapist assessing sensory needs will typically:
They're not just interested in one behaviour in isolation. They want to understand how your child functions at home, at school, in different environments. What does mornings look like? How do they manage in the dining hall? Do they resist PE or seek it out?
This maps out which senses are over or under-responsive, and in which contexts. It's not a diagnosis — it's a description of your child's particular nervous system, and it's surprisingly illuminating.
This sounds odd but it's one of the most practical tools available. A sensory diet is a personalised schedule of activities designed to give your child's nervous system what it needs throughout the day — so they're not constantly seeking input in unhelpful ways or tipping into overload. It might include things like using a wobble cushion in class, a scheduled period of heavy work before homework, or a calm-down routine before busy transitions.
The OT report should include practical recommendations — not vague advice, but specific strategies. If the school implements them, they need to be in writing; the OT report provides that.
If your child's sensory difficulties are affecting their education — and for many children, they significantly do — an occupational therapist's assessment can be one of the most powerful pieces of evidence in an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) application.
Here's what I'd tell any parent going into an OT assessment with an EHCP in mind:
If you're at the start of the EHCP journey in Kent, our Kent EHCP application guide walks through the process step by step. And if your child is also autistic, you may find our DLA guide for autistic children useful alongside this.
The sensory difficulties are absolutely real. The term "sensory processing disorder" is widely used, but it isn't a standalone diagnosis in the UK — it doesn't appear in the diagnostic systems (DSM-5 or ICD-11) used here. Sensory difficulties are, however, recognised as part of autism, ADHD, and dyspraxia. An occupational therapist can assess and support sensory needs without any of these diagnoses being in place.
Some children do find sensory sensitivities reduce as they get older. Others don't — but they learn strategies and their world expands around their nervous system's needs. The goal of OT support isn't to make the sensory difficulties disappear; it's to help your child function well despite them, and to reduce the daily overwhelm that gets in the way of everything else.
Possibly, yes — if the difficulties significantly affect your child's care needs or mobility compared to a child of the same age without those difficulties. Sensory-related difficulties (including meltdowns, sleep disruption, need for additional supervision) can and do form the basis of successful DLA claims. A formal OT report strengthens a DLA application considerably. See our DLA guide for autistic children for more detail.
Honestly, waits can be long — often many months from referral to first appointment. This is one reason many families in Kent choose to have a private assessment while remaining on the NHS list. Start the NHS referral as early as possible, even if you're pursuing private assessment simultaneously.
No. An occupational therapist can assess sensory processing needs without any prior diagnosis. You don't need an autism, ADHD, or dyspraxia diagnosis to access OT support for sensory difficulties — either through KCHFT's pathway or privately.
OT assessments for sensory difficulties can happen at quite young ages — even pre-school in some cases, if concerns are significant enough. There's no minimum age. If you have concerns, raise them — don't wait for your child to be older. Early support tends to have a bigger impact.
Navigating sensory difficulties is hard enough without also trying to find the right professionals. Find Kent-based occupational therapists and SEND-specialist services on SENDPath. Search now →
This article was written by a Kent parent with lived experience of the SEND system. It is for information purposes only and does not constitute medical or legal advice. For clinical concerns, speak to your GP or health visitor.
Step-by-step walkthrough of applying for an Education, Health and Care Plan in Kent.
Read guide →Copy-paste example answers for DLA forms, including how to describe sensory-related care needs.
Read guide →What the school must do once your child is on SEN Support — the APDR cycle, provision maps, and how to track evidence.
Read guide →The latest research on peripheral sensory neurons in autism — what it means and what families can do now.
Read guide →