Summary

Thank you for looking at this blog I have really enjoyed the research into this project it is an area that fascinates me and one that I would love to specialise in being an occupational therapist.
I have tried to compile a blog that strikes an interest and gives resources if people are looking to use gardens in a sensory way.
I have enjoyed looking into work that I have done in the past and using an occupational and sensory integration lense to this.By using the skills we have learnt as occupational therapists and using sensory integration we will be able to assess the appropriate garden either highly personalised for someones home or with a more generalised feel for a group i.e school,dementia unit.
There seems a host of opportunities using skills from sensory integration and horticultural therapy but honing that therapy into our more specific domain of occupation.
Naturally while learning new knowledge and approaching it from an evidenced based perspective it makes me think of past experiences.My last job was working in a busy small unit for learning difficulties in a high school .Naturally every child had a different sensory make up some being loud some being sensitive .Although we had a garden we could have easily installed a number of item to make it into a healing place to get away to relax,compose yourself .
By individualizing gardens for clients using the basic you can create a relaxing area and or one that it is a stimulating place that inspires engagement in occupation ,which naturally we all do. I remember my gardens before being married completely focused on herbs and vegetable.The gardens started  taking on a more sensory  role when I shared gardens with my partner ,and then  the gardens changed with children leaving the wilder places so they could play the natural integration of the sandpit and trampoline and tree swings.The gardens that were designed as a relaxing place to work and with tasting have now been based for the group norm.

garden or assault course ,depends on your age

                                    you can,t beat bringing out the swings this garden in motueka had a great water slide for the kids
Dsc03383-86 retrieved from David Armstrong personal pictures




Although it does seem I have always understood the basic with different principles i.e. areas for different things and paths leading to them .Working in a busy school program even the garden we had was some where .
      retrieved on 20/07/2012 from bostonpublicschools.org  






heres  acouple of realy useful  links to my last resources  - Centre for Child and FamilyResearch
www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ccfr/.../growingtogethergrainmembers.htmgreat free doanloadable  articles  network of ots and hort therapists  
  //Majordomo@lists.lboro.ac.uk  A great list of different professionals and interested people in different area of gardening therapy .Once joined you can find people with similar areas of interest.
www.waioratrust.co.nz  This is an interesting canterbury project.
www.autism4parents.org/Community_Sensory_Garden.html  - Cached Autism blog looking into sensory gardens 
www.thrive.org.uk  Great english site


I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog if any one has any suggestions how i can improve it please feel free to comment
 Happy gardening.
retrieved on 20/07/2012 from 1347220‑2472‑Royalty‑Free‑Ha