How to Use SensePlanner
Follow this step-by-step guide to get started with managing sensory activities for your clients.
Start by adding the clients or family members you support. Each client gets a unique 8-character code that support workers can use to access their schedule.
🔒 For confidentiality, only enter:
- Client's first name
- Last initial only (e.g. "Sam T.")
This is just enough for you to identify your client — avoid entering full names or other identifying details in profile notes.
🤝 Consider Inviting a Collaborator
When adding a client, think about whether they can meaningfully participate in choosing their own activities. If so, consider inviting them as a collaborator — collaborators can be a parent, another professional involved in their care, or even the client themself.
For each client or family member, create a personalized menu of activities that suit their specific sensory profile and needs.
How it works:
- Open a client's schedule
- Click "Manage Activity Menu"
- Add activities from the library to their menu
- Only menu activities will appear when scheduling
💡 Tip: Start with 10-15 activities that match the client's sensory preferences and gradually expand.
For each client, you can choose whether support workers see a weekly schedule or an activity list. This depends on what works best for your client's needs.
📅 Option 1: Weekly Schedule
Best for clients who benefit from a fixed, predictable routine. Activities are scheduled for specific days and times.
- Click any time slot in the weekly grid
- Select an activity from the client's menu
- Add notes for specific instructions
- Balance different sensory modalities throughout the week
🎯 Option 2: Activity List
Better for clients who benefit from flexible activities based on their current emotional state.
- Activities are organized into three zones:
- 🟢 Green Zone: When client is calm and regulated
- 🟠 Orange Zone: When client showing signs of escalating
- 🔴 Red Zone: When client is escalated/dysregulated
- Support workers choose the best activity based on the client's current state in the moment
- Allows flexibility to meet the client's needs when they need it
🎯 More about Zone Mode:
Zone Mode replaces fixed day/time scheduling with a simple traffic-light system that support workers use in the moment, based on how the client is presenting.
- Selection always flows in order: Green → Orange → Red
- Support workers pick the zone that matches the client's current state, then choose from the activities you've assigned to that zone
- Green zone activities should help maintain calm; Orange zone activities help de-escalate early signs of distress; Red zone activities support the client through a highly dysregulated moment
- Assign several activities to each zone so support workers have options to suit the situation
- Great for clients whose needs change quickly or unpredictably throughout the day
💡 Tip: You can change between these views anytime in the client's schedule settings. Start with whichever approach feels most natural for your client, and you can adjust later based on what works best.
📆 Important — Set Schedule Dates: Always set a start and end date when creating a schedule. Without dates, support workers may not know which week's schedule is current, and old schedules can be confused with active ones. Setting an end date also prompts you to review and refresh the schedule regularly as the client's needs change.
Support workers can access client schedules using the unique client code without needing full system access.
Two ways to grant access:
- Option 1: Click "Manage Support Workers" in the client's schedule and invite by email
- Option 2: Share the 8-character client code directly with support workers
Support workers can access schedules at: Support Worker Access Page
Track how clients or family members respond to activities through support worker feedback. This helps you understand what's working and refine schedules over time.
How Support Workers Provide Feedback:
- After each activity, support workers can click "Rate Response" in their schedule view
- They answer 4 key questions about the client's response:
- Did the client enjoy the activity?
- How actively did they participate?
- Did they need support to stay regulated?
- What was their state at the end compared to the start?
- Support workers can add optional notes for additional observations
- Once submitted, the activity is marked with "Response Given" to avoid duplicate entries
How to View Client Response Data:
- From the Clients page, click the "View Feedback" button on any client card
- View feedback data in two ways:
- Charts View: Visual pie charts showing overall patterns across all responses
- Details View: Complete list of all feedback entries with dates, activities, and responses
- Filter feedback by specific activities to see patterns for individual activities
- Use this data to identify which activities are most effective and adjust schedules accordingly
💡 Tip: Review feedback regularly to identify patterns. Activities with positive responses can be scheduled more frequently, while those with poor responses may need modification or replacement.
- •Start Small: Begin with a few key activities and expand as you learn what works.
- •Use Profile Notes: Document what works and what doesn't to inform future scheduling.
- •Balance Modalities: Mix different sensory types throughout the week for variety.
- •Review Regularly: Update schedules based on client responses and changing needs.
- •Add Custom Activities: If an activity isn't in the library, add it yourself!