I’m Emily Napoli, founder of Sensory + Sol. I’ve been a pediatric occupational therapist (OT) since 2013. I’ve worked with children of all ages in both school-based and private practice. I loved working with families in these settings, but it always felt like something was missing in the way I was taught to approach sensory processing needs.

When my oldest child first showed signs of sensory processing differences, the tools and strategies I thought would help him regulate weren’t working. Everything was a struggle for years - sleep, meals, playgrounds, car rides - and I couldn’t figure out why his sensory system seemed so stuck.

It wasn’t until I studied to become an Integrative Infant Sleep Practitioner and dove into the science behind why children need their caregivers to regulate distress that I finally figured out what was missing in my child’s sensory support: my own regulated nervous system.

As I learned to expand my own nervous system capacity, his sensory processing skills didn’t ultimately change overnight. But the context he was co-regulating within did. And once that shifted, the sensory tools and strategies suddenly became way more impactful.

With this, I set out to create a different framework for families of children with sensory needs. Something more comprehensive. Something rooted in the larger context of a child’s life. Something that keeps the child’s relationships with their caregivers at the heart of their sensory support.