News & Blog | Sensational Kids

Essential Therapy Supports During Covid-19

October 5, 2020October 9, 2020 by Karen Leigh

Essential Services As a provider of essential supports to children with additional needs Sensational Kids has put in place the following covid-19 safety protocols that facilitate continuity of services, both in person at our child development centres, as well as telehealth supports via secure online video calls. Continuity of therapy supports are vital for children with additional needs in order to maintain progression and avoid regression, as well as to help maintain routine and self regulation, thereby avoiding sensory seeking behaviours that can arise as a result. Self regulation allows kids to manage their emotions, behaviour and body movement when they’re faced with a situation that’s tough to handle. Appointments We have amended our appointment schedules to allow for extra time between each therapy session to allow for cleaning and sanitisation. If your child is unable to avail of in-person sessions with your therapist, just let us know. We can […]

2019 Annual Report

September 17, 2020September 24, 2020 by Karen Leigh

To read our 2019 annual report just click the cover image below

New Signage at Sensational Kids, Clones, Co Monaghan

August 28, 2020August 28, 2020 by Karen Leigh

We are delighted to see the new signage going up at our child development centre in Clones, Co Monaghan, Our Clones Centre provides occupational therapy for children & adolescents of all ages and all abilities. .

Working on Our Dream

August 21, 2020August 21, 2020 by Karen Leigh

For the past 12+ years Sensational Kids has operated from a rented 4,500 square feet rented facility in and industrial park on the edges of Kildare Town. We have already changed the lives of 6,800 children, saving their families €1.5 million in therapy fees. With 45,000 children on waiting lists for speech & language and occupational therapy, it’s now time to join us on our journey to make our dreams come true as we build Sensational Kids a Forever Home on a greenfield site just off the M7 motorway at Kildare Town. Together we can change the lives of 28,000 children over the next 10 years by building on the provision of comprehensive, family-centered, therapeutic care for which Sensational Kids is known FIND OUT MORE

Handwriting Without Tears Product Information

August 13, 2020August 13, 2020 by Karen Leigh

We are big fans of Handwriting Without Tears here at Sensational Kids.We host training workshops each year, our occupational therapists are trained in Handwriting Without Tears and use it regularly during occupational therapy at Sensational Kids and our online shop stocks the full range of Handwriting Without Tears Products. If you are wondering which products or workbooks are suitable for your child or wondering which resources or workbooks you should use in your classroom, we have put together the list of workbooks and resources by class or age development stage. You can also use this form to order from our shop by post – just post the form and payment to Sensational Kids, Unit F2 Kildare Business Park,Kildare Town, Ireland. CLICK HERE to view the Handwriting Product Range by class / developmental age SHOP ONLINE for Handwriting Without Tears

Founder & CEO of Sensational Kids joins SERI as Founding Member

July 10, 2020July 10, 2020 by Karen Leigh

“SERI aims high for Irish Social Enterprises” Social Enterprise Republic of Ireland (SERI) Launched to Support the Social Enterprise Sector A group of passionate social enterprise practitioners, key sector stakeholders and supporters, including Sensational Kids Founder & CEO Karen Leigh, have joined together to launch SERI, a representative body for the dynamic, evolving and broad social enterprise sector in Ireland. SERI was born from the energy, knowledge and experience that exist within the sector, and a widely recognised need for a united voice. Formed by some of Ireland’s leading social enterprise practitioners and supporters, its mission is to champion for the sector and its members, both nationally and internationally. SERI will work collaboratively with all those critical to the success of the sector, providing a unified voice for its members, who exist on a wide spectrum, from local community-based enterprises to larger, and in some cases international enterprises. Social enterprises […]

Child Size Hand Sanitising Stations Assembly Instructions

July 10, 2020July 10, 2020 by Karen Leigh

COVID-19 Update: Re-Opening Plan

June 14, 2020June 15, 2020 by Karen Leigh

Like you, we have been watching the progress of COVID-19 and the government’s response very closely. The processes and procedures we need to adopt are reasonably significant to plan and implement before opening. Over the past number of weeks our team have been working closely with a Health & Safety Consultant as well as our Clinical Governance Team to ensure that both our employees and families can safely avail of our vital frontline therapeutic supports in person again. We plan to gradually reopen our services from Wednesday 17th June 2020 whilst moving to a blended model of care which will incorporate both telehealth and in-person services. At least 2 employees from each of our four child development centres have been trained as “Covid-19 Officers” by our Health & Safety Consultants, to ensure compliance and implementation of our Covid-19 policies in the workplace. A return to in-person supports may look and […]

Sensational Kids Clinical Governance Committee

June 14, 2020June 14, 2020 by Karen Leigh

Our voluntary Clinical Governance Committee is an advisory Subcommittee reporting to the Board of Directors but may consider issues on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or clinical and operational staff. The purpose of the Subcommittee is to provide advice to the Board, Chief Executive Officer and or clinical and operational staff on issues relating to clinical risk management, clinical effectiveness, child and family centred services, continuous improvement of service and scope of practice for Sensational Kids. This group is chaired by board member Dr Katie Cremin, an award winning Assistant Professor in Occupational Therapy at Trinity College Dublin, together with members Sinead Callinan, Clinical Consultant and Helen Gannon, Senior Speech & Language Therapist. Clinical Governance is a tool to support clinical staff in Sensational Kids to deliver quality services and ensure children and families receive quality services. Sensation Kids aims to differentiate the service from other private providers […]

Online Therapy Supports Re-Open at Sensational Kids, Monaghan

April 20, 2020April 21, 2020 by Karen Leigh

Generous Donation for Online Therapy Supports for Children in Need in Monaghan Area There’s good news for parents of children with additional needs in the Cavan/Monaghan and surrounding areas. Sensational Kids Child Development Centre in Monaghan, which was forced to close its online occupational therapy supports for children with additional needs during the pandemic due to a lack of funding, has today re-opened its online occupational therapy supports for children and families in need, with thanks to a very generous donation by a donor advised fund from The Community Foundation of Ireland. Sensational Kids’ online tele-health services that are available for children from Sensational Kids in Monaghan include Occupational Therapy and Speech & Language Therapy for children and adolescents of all ages and all abilities, as well as parent advice and parent coaching for parents who have children with additional needs. As a Social Enterprise, our affordable and accessible […]

Telehealth at Sensational Kids

April 17, 2020April 17, 2020 by Karen Leigh

On March 18th, at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis in Ireland, we temporarily ceased clinic-based services. It was impossible for our therapists to continue offering therapy services in person while complying with social distancing guidelines. This called for innovation, adaptation, and flexibility. We knew that our families would continue to need our services, particularly with the current crisis; school closures, change in daily routines and increased anxiety levels. Sensational Kids is proud to have set up a telehealth service to ensure continuity of service and to support families. This blog post aims to provide information on telehealth and to highlight the benefits of telehealth from the perspective of a therapist. What is telehealth? “Telehealth is the use of digital information and communication technologies, such as computers and mobile devices, to access health care services remotely. These may be technologies you use from home”. Telehealth is growing rapidly and has […]

Covid-19 Crisis Forces Closure of Sensational Kids Monaghan

April 4, 2020April 5, 2020 by Karen Leigh

Charity Forced to Close Monaghan Child Development Centre for Children with Additional Needs This week, Sensational Kids, an award-winning social enterprise and charitable organisation was forced to temporarily close the doors of its child development centre in Clones, County Monaghan, leaving many vulnerable children without essential services and three staff unemployed. “It is with deep regret and a very heavy heart that we were forced to temporarily close our child development centre in Clones this week” says Sensational Kids CEO & Founder Karen Leigh. “Like many other non-profit organisations, we have been severely impacted operationally and financially by the unprecedented impact of the Covid-19 crisis. Whilst we are currently unable to provide face to face therapy supports for children and families at our child development centres, Sensational Kids has been very innovative and responded quickly to the crisis. Our amazing team immediately recognised that many families and children still […]

Virtual Care at Sensational Kids

March 21, 2020April 14, 2020 by Karen Leigh

A Brand New Way to Receive Sensational Kids Services Our innovative Virtual Care services leverage video conference technology to allow you to connect remotely with one of our healthcare professionals, regardless of where you’re located. Access to therapy supports for a child or adolescent can make all the difference in the world, which is why Sensational Kids is innovating to improve access to services and to look after our vulnerable children and adolescents, when clinic based services are unavailable. You can now connect with us remotely for Virtual Care. From Monday 23rd March, all of our occupational therapy, speech & language therapy and play therapy sessions will be moving to online video calls using a secure virtual healthcare video conferencing system. You can also request for a therapist to call you over the phone. Our Virtual Care services are easy to use, private, and most of all convenient. Removes accessibility […]

Important Notice About Therapy Appointments

March 18, 2020March 18, 2020 by Karen Leigh

Going Online Due to the Corona Virus guidelines to maintain social distancing, we are adapting and moving our regular therapy appointments online. We understand that regular therapy is important to be effective and that some children need us now more than ever. It is so important for our children to maintain relationships and support at this time. Parent consultations, speech & language therapy, play therapy and occupational therapy appointments will continue as normal online . What you will need for online therapyFor your online therapy to work will need – Internet access. – a tablet/laptop or desktop with a camera. Assessments and some other services have to be postponed. Please contact our local therapy centres for confirmation about your booked appointments. KILDARE: Phone 045 520900 Email info@sensationalkids.ie MAYO: Phone 094 9357005 Email Claremorris@sensationalkids.ie MONAGHAN: Phone 047 52671 Email Clones@sensationalkids.ie WEST CORK: Phone 023 887 8208 Email Clonakilty@sensationalkids.ie Psychotherapy Support We […]

Important Notice

March 17, 2020March 17, 2020 by Karen Leigh

All face to face appointments are now cancelled due to the Corona Virus. We are however, trying to find innovative ways to support our community through this difficult time as we are aware that some children need us now more than ever. We are in the process of setting up online therapy appointments with online booking so please bear with us whilst we set this up. In the meantime, we can offer appointments or advice over the phone or by skype instead. Please do not hesitate to give us a call if you need therapy support or therapy advice. For all queries contact us at: KILDARE:Phone 045 520900Email info@sensationalkids.ie MAYO:Phone 094 9357005Email Claremorris@sensationalkids.ie MONAGHAN:Phone 047 52671Email Clones@sensationalkids.ie WEST CORK:Phone 023 887 8208Email Clonakilty@sensationalkids.ie We look forward to playing with you all again soon.

Notice from Sensational Kids to all visitors during Covid

March 12, 2020March 16, 2020 by Karen Leigh

Therapy Supports Sensational Kids is a special place providing a place of safety, security, health and growth to children and families who us visit each week and for our amazing staff who work so hard every day. During the current Covid-19 situation, we want to share our plan and added precautions we have taken. We ask our community to follow these guidelines, as well as the guidelines issued by the HSE. We are mindful that Sensational Kids is often a vital lifeline for many vulnerable children who need regular therapy input to maintain their regulation and meet their sensory needs, as well as providing specialist therapeutic supports to children and adolescents who may be self-harming, suicidal, are dealing with trauma or who suffer from anxiety. Our plan attempts to walk the fine line between carrying on, and being prudent. Therapy appointments and Assessment appointments at Sensational Kids will be facilitated […]

Sensational Kids is coming to Monaghan

February 19, 2020February 19, 2020 by Karen Leigh

Eavan Rooney, Director of Thrive Occupational Therapy announces that Sensational Kids will become the new owners from March 1st. Thrive Occupational Therapy is a highly specialised therapy practice which has been providing specialist Occupational Therapy services to children and adolescents of Monaghan and many other counties since 2014. Located in the centre of Clones, Co Monaghan, this fantastic custom-built clinic offers access to individual assessment or therapeutic intervention as well as education and training services from a highly specialised paediatric occupational therapy team. The current owner Eavan Rooney has very generously donated the clinic to Sensational Kids, a non-profit charitable organisation, who will take ownership from 1st March 2020. “It is with mixed emotions that I announce that I have made the decision to step away from Thrive; both as Clinical Director and Manager, and as Specialist Paediatric Occupational Therapist. It is with a heavy heart that I leave these […]

Sensational Kids announced as a Charity Partner by Ireland West Airport

February 7, 2020February 7, 2020 by Karen Leigh

Ireland West Airport announces charity partners for 2020 Annual Portwest Runway Fun Run to take place on Saturday 28th March (Friday February 7th 2020) Ireland West Airport is delighted to announce that the Childhood Cancer Foundation, The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust and Sensational Kids Charity have been selected by airport staff as its charity partners for 2020. A number of events will take place during the course of 2020 which will engage passengers and staff with the aim of raising as much money as possible for the three charities. The headline event for 2020 will again be the annual 5k runway fun run sponsored by Portwest, which will take place on the runway at Ireland West Airport on Saturday March 28h at 5pm. Runners and walkers will take-off down the runway at 5pm and complete a 5km course with a difference. All are welcome to attend what promises to be […]

Sleep Skills Parent Workshop

January 29, 2020January 29, 2020 by Karen Leigh

Does your child have difficulty with… Going to bed at night? Falling asleep at night? Sleeping in their own bed? Night time waking? This workshop is designed for parents of children who have difficulties with sleep which do not require medical investigation or medication. It focuses on the use of behavioural, sensory and communication strategies to help resolve sleep problems. This workshop will include Five sessions over a 2 month period on a Saturday afternoon to cover: o Sleep basics and sleep hygiene o Sleep disturbances o Sleep diaries o Individual sleep goals o Sleep strategies o Individual sleep plans o Parent support review sessions o Forward planning COST €200 per person Spaces limited to six parents per group Initial deposit of €50 to be paid to secure your place. Full payment before or at first session. WHEN We plan to start this parent workshop in April. WHERE This sleep […]

Free Speech & Language Therapy Advice Clinics

January 29, 2020January 29, 2020 by Karen Leigh

This is a free speech and language advice clinic for parents or anyone who may have concerns regarding a child’s speech or language development to call in and get some advice from a speech & language therapist. Book your free 15 minute consultation by calling Sensational Kids on the numbers above By appointment only

Hippotherapy Training in Greece

September 26, 2019September 26, 2019 by Karen Leigh

HUGE Congratulations to Emma, one of our Occupational Therapists in Kildare who is just back from Greece having completed her Level 2 Hippotherapy Training, making her one of just a few Occupational Therapists trained to this level in Ireland! Emma is really looking forward to putting the learning into practice in our Hippotherapy occupational therapy sessions with children. For make an appointment with Emma for occupational therapy utilising Hippotherapy phone our appointments team on 045 520900 #BetterOutcomes #Hippotherapy #MakingADifference

Coming this month… speech & language drop-in advice clinic in our Cork centre!

September 6, 2019September 6, 2019 by Beth O'Regan

A great opportunity to speak with our senior speech and language therapist about any concerns you may have in relation to speech and communication difficulties with your child. To ensure that we have time to spend with each parent/ guardian, these clinics are strictly by appointment only. Please call us in Clonakilty to book in your FREE 15 minute slot today on 02388 78208.

Hippotherapy

August 14, 2019January 14, 2020 by Karen Leigh

Our little girl is thriving, soaring to new levels and I do not know how to thank you “Just had to drop you a line………still in a state of shock – Hippotherapy went 3D! Today Natalia had a sensory integration trail, hippotherapy and motor function all incorporated in 1 session….. I was left speechless at the level of engagement, participation and cognitive flow from one task to another, coupled with having the helpers join in the sophisticated maneuver of social skills and surge in emotional behaviour. It was orchestrated magnificently that was flowing, fluid, subtle and an utter joy to behold. Our little girl is thriving, soaring to new levels and I do not know how to thank you…… I have never met a more dedicated, proficient and execution of core objectives so seamlessly in her occupational therapy sessions. Natalia (occupational therapist) is breathtaking……. Our little girl will be going […]