Our research seeks to better understand why some children behave differently in response to everyday visual, tactile, and auditory sensory stimuli. For example, why do some children hate the feeling of a clothing label on the back of our jumper, whilst some don’t notice when their teacher has coloured their hair a different shade of red.

The aim of our research is to advance knowledge of early sensory development to inform how best to support for children with sensory-related difficulties. We will assess your child at age 3, 4 and 5 years to help us understand how sensory processing differences change over time, and how they impact on key aspects of child development.

The SENSOR project takes a multi-modal approach to measure sensory processing, including eye-tracking, cognitive assessments and electroencephalography (EEG). This project also uses brand-new virtual reality (VR) technology combined with child-friendly neuroimaging to understand how children's brains process different sensory information in naturalistic settings

For participating in the SENSOR study, you will receive a £10 Amazon voucher for each in-person visit. Your travel expenses will be reimbursed (up to £40 each visit). Your toddler will also receive our very own CBCD gifts and certificate each visit!

In addition to all the London buses, Russell Square, Goodge Street, Euston, Euston Square, Warren Street and King's Cross & St Pancras stations are all within walking distance. If you prefer to use a taxi service, you can arrange that yourself or ask us to do so for you. Travel costs of up to a total of £40.00 will be reimbursed. If you decide to drive to the ToddlerLab, we can offer free parking right in front of our building for visiting parents.

Yes! You are more than welcome to bring other children or siblings. We have a comfortable waiting room with toys and space to play and can arrange for one of our DBS checked staff to sit with them whilst you and your child are taking part in the studies. However, we do ask that you let us know in advance if you are bringing anyone else so we can make the necessary arrangement. You are also welcome to bring your own carer, such as another family member or friend on your visit. All of their travel costs are also reimbursed.

Your participation will be helpful for understanding the reasons why some children are more or less response to everyday sensory experiences. This will hopefully help us understand how to better support children with sensory-related difficulties.

No. The assessments we use in our research studies cannot diagnose psychiatric or neurodevelopmental conditions. However, if you have any concerns about your child, or want to access your data, we can send you data from the questionnaires and assessments we conduct if that would be helpful.