SP26-46 The Masked Child: What Teachers Often Miss Understanding Internalised Behaviour, Quiet Distress, and Subtle Dysregulation

Dates:     Monday 16th February 2026
Time:       7.00 - 8.15 pm
Venue:    Online via Zoom

Target Audience: Primary School Teachers & SNAs

Explains why some students seem “fine” at school but fall apart later. Using staff questions (“Why does she cope all day and melt down at home?”), we explore internalised distress, subtle sensory overload signs, perfectionism, and quiet shutdowns—and how to create safety so children don’t need to mask.

Bio of Presenter: Sorcha Rice

Sorcha Rice is a Senior Occupational Therapist with a Masters in Occupational Therapy from the University of Limerick. She has extensive experience supporting neurodivergent children and young people in clinical, educational, and community settings. Sorcha is also autistic with a PDA profile, and draws on both professional expertise and lived experience to deliver training that is deeply informed, practical, and compassionate.

She specialises in child-led, trauma-informed and neurodiversity-affirming practice, helping families, educators, and professionals to reframe behaviour through sensory, relational and environmental lenses.