How one SEN mum, pushed to her limits by the sensory toy market, decided to build what her daughter truly needed.

My name is Emma — mum of two, SEN parent, and founder of Sensory Play Palace. This business wasn’t born out of ambition or opportunity. It was born out of frustration, fear, love, and the relentless determination that comes when your child’s needs simply aren’t being met.

The Reality Behind the Spark

My daughter Alice is Autistic, has Sensory Processing Differences, Pica, and is non-verbal (She is not non-speaking, however her speech is limited and not yet conversational). Her sensory profile is mixed: hypersensitive to some things like textures, but mostly hyposensitive (under responsive). She’s a sensory seeker and a little daredevil with little awareness of danger.

Like so many parents, I turned to the sensory toy market hoping for solutions. What I found instead was a world of expensive products that either broke, gathered dust, or worse put her at risk. I spent hundreds on toys that promised the world and delivered very little. One £200 toy nearly resulted in a serious accident. Another item I was desperate to buy sold out the day after I ordered it. I cried, I mean I properly sobbed because it felt like everything I tried, I was failing her.

The Early Days of Sensory Play

Our journey started with a large wooden rocker when she was one. She barely used it as intended. Then came play trays. Messy, edible, exploratory. A tuff tray for her second birthday became our best investment. Wet oats, angel delight, natural resources from our walks… she loved it. But even with all of that, her extreme sensory seeking continued. And the danger continued with it.

I kept thinking: Why is this so hard? Why is it so expensive? Why is no one making what our children actually need?

The Turning Point

At the time, I was working as Head of Vendor Management in IT for a large corporation, after 19 years in and around Local Government. I’d already tried to resign once to care for Alice and manage the mountain of SEND admin. I was taking every course I could find: autism, sensory processing, speech and language, inclusion, partly because support was scarce, but mostly because this world had become my special interest.

When that last sensory toy fell through, something in me snapped into place. If the market wasn’t going to meet my daughter’s needs, I would.

And so, Sensory Play Palace was born.

Building Something That Matters

I juggled part-time work, parenting, and a brand-new business. It was chaotic, exhausting, and honestly a bit mad. But it gave me my spark back. I wasn’t just helping Alice, I was helping other families who were just as overwhelmed and under-supported.

Twelve months later, voluntary redundancies were announced. I took the leap. I left my stable career, my routine, my colleagues, and the financial safety net I’d worked nearly two decades to build.

Was it terrifying? Absolutely. Was it worth it? Completely.

What I Gained

I gained freedom. I gained purpose. I lost the constant guilt of choosing between work and family. I gained the ability to pour myself into something that genuinely brings joy to others, including my daughter.

Sensory Play Palace isn’t just a business. It’s a community. It’s a response to a system that leaves too many families to figure things out alone. And it’s my way of making sure no parent feels as helpless or unsupported as I once did.

It’s a business based on honesty, first hand experience and a lot of love. Its my way of giving back to the community to be that parent that’s done all the safety checks first. Knowing that even if a toy is made to do x, my child is going to try x, y and z, and Ive given you that heads up.

My hope for the future is simple: To keep connecting with the SEND community, to keep learning, and to make sensory resources available that are safe, meaningful, and truly meet our children where they are.

Sensory toy fans, you’ll definitely want to explore Sensory Play Palace. And for the Sign Possible community, there’s a little treat…

use signpossible10 for 10% off non‑sale items. Thank you Emma! x

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