I am starting this petition as a parent who is currently fighting to get support for my son — and being told that the support he needs simply doesn’t exist where we live.

My son has significant sensory processing difficulties. These affect every part of his life — school, daily routines, emotional regulation, and even his safety

We have been told that Community Occupational Therapy in our area (Oxfordshire) do not assess or support children for sensory needs.

We have effectively been left without any NHS pathway for assessment, therapy, or professional recommendations around one of his biggest areas of difficulty.

This has huge consequences:

Schools are left without specialist guidance.

EHCP evidence is harder to obtain.

Children’s distress escalates without intervention.

Families are pushed to crisis point.

Parents are forced to pay privately — if they can even afford to.

What makes this even harder to accept is that other NHS areas do provide sensory occupational therapy. Children elsewhere are being assessed and supported, while families in areas like ours are simply told the service does not cover sensory processing.

This is a postcode lottery.

Sensory processing difficulties are real, recognised, and disabling for many children — particularly neurodivergent children. Early occupational therapy support can make the difference between a child coping in school or falling into crisis.

Right now, so many children like my son are being left without help, not because their needs aren’t significant — but because of where they live.

That is not acceptable.

I am asking NHS England and local Integrated Care Boards to:

Commission Community Occupational Therapy services to assess children with sensory processing needs.

Ensure equitable access to sensory OT support regardless of postcode.

Recognise the impact sensory difficulties have on education, mental health, and family wellbeing.

Families should not have to fight this hard just to access the right support for their children.

Please sign this petition to help ensure that children with sensory processing difficulties are no longer left without the occupational therapy that they need.