Mariana Colmenares

Specialty Doctor

Cheyne Development Centre

Biography: Mariana is a passionate doctor with a specialization in pediatrics and breastfeeding medicine. Trained overseas, with more than 14 years of experience in community child health. Mariana has expertise in Neurodevelopment with special interest in autism and behavioral paediatrics. Mariana has been working with Neurosensory difficulties that may impact behaviors in children and she has been working together with this families since 2022 in the UK.

Horizon Fellowship project summary: The terms “sensory integration” and “sensory processing” both refer to the processes in the brain that allow us to take the signals from our senses, make sense of those signals and respond appropriately. Our central nervous system integrates sensory input into action. Children with Autism share differences in their abilities to interact through their senses with the world, integrate, regulate an act, known as Sensory Integration Disorders. Many of the behavioural challenges this families encounter every day are related to this sensory disintegration or dysregulation. Understanding sensory difficulties and differences, learning about the individual triggers that may affect children’s behaviours and be able to act upon them would work as a practical tool for parents and family to support their children. The better regulated a child is the more possibility they will have to learn and be happy. Understanding these behaviours would help also how to support their sleep or feeding choices. The aim of the project is to develop an app that serves as an environmental observatory, based on Sensory profile evaluation as a daily tool that could help understand triggers, preferences and behaviours (Sensory diary) would help families to understand better and help modify the environment to suit their needs.

Estimated number of patients / staff impacted by the project: 100

Goal(s) for time on the Horizon Fellowship programme: I would aim to develop the sensory diary app that could be share with the families we attend, and potentially to be an app that could be used in other places and serve as an observatory for families.