What is a sensory processing assessment and how do I get one?

The route, in one line

Ask your GP or your child’s school to refer them to NHS children’s occupational therapy, which assesses sensory processing differences. In the UK (2026), ‘sensory processing disorder’ isn’t a standalone diagnosis. A sensory processing assessment is carried out by a children’s (paediatric) occupational therapist (OT), who looks at how your child copes with everyday sounds, textures, clothing, food, movement and light, and then writes up practical strategies to help.

How to get one, step by step

1. Get a referral. Depending on your area, your GP, your child’s school or SENCO (the teacher who coordinates special educational needs support) can refer to the local NHS children’s OT service. In some areas you can refer your own child directly. Check your local NHS trust’s website, because who can refer and how long you wait both vary by postcode.
2. Try the universal strategies first. Many NHS services ask families to use their free sensory advice and resources before a specialist assessment, and some want evidence that you have done so. Doing this early can speed up the referral.
3. The assessment itself. An OT gathers your child’s developmental and health history, asks you and often the school to fill in sensory questionnaires or checklists, may use standardised tools, and observes your child at home or school.
4. What you get back. A written report describing your child’s sensory processing differences and tailored strategies to try. It is a functional picture and a plan, not a diagnosis.

Why it isn’t an ‘SPD diagnosis’

This is the part most pages get wrong. A sensory processing assessment will not diagnose sensory processing disorder. SPD does not appear in either of the two diagnostic manuals used in the UK (ICD-11 and DSM-5), and the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (2021) advises against using it as a diagnostic label. NHS teams therefore assess and describe sensory processing differences and recommend support, rather than handing out an SPD label. The Sheffield Children’s NHS service states plainly that it does not diagnose SPD.

Sensory differences and the autism or ADHD question

Sensory differences are part of the autism diagnostic criteria, and they often sit alongside ADHD too. So if your child’s sensory needs are significant, an OT may suggest a parallel neurodevelopmental assessment route. You do not need an autism or ADHD diagnosis first to be referred to OT, and you do not have to choose one path over the other. See whether a GP can refer your child for an autism assessment and what happens at a child’s autism assessment if that is also on your mind.

If you want to go private

An OT trained in sensory integration can assess privately for a fee. That can be quicker than the NHS wait, but the report still won’t be an SPD diagnosis, and the evidence for sensory integration therapy as a treatment is weak rather than proven, which is why a good assessment focuses on everyday functional strategies, not a cure.

This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.