Sensory

What are sensory differences?

Every human has their own unique profile of how they recognise and react to sensory information.

Our senses include:

  • Sight: how things look.
  • Sound: how things sound.
  • Touch: how things feel.
  • Taste: how things taste.
  • Smell: how things smell.

But also:

  • Balance: knowing if you're moving or still.
  • Body awareness: knowing where your body is.
  • Inside feelings: like feeling hungry or needing the toilet.

 

Many autistic or neurodivergent children experience significant differences in the way they take in and respond to sensory information from their environment, and from within their own bodies. These are called sensory processing differences.


Children may have a low threshold for types for sensory experiences, examples include:

  • Loud noises, bright lights, or strong smells can feel too much.
  • Some clothes or foods might feel uncomfortable or painful.
  • Disliking the feel or sand or grass.
  • Being uncomfortable on a swing.

 

Children may have a high threshold sensory for experiences, examples include:

  • Repeating or creating specific sounds.
  • Enjoying strong movement like spinning or jumping.
  • Touching things a lot to feel them better.
  • Crashing in to objects and people around them.

 

Some children are able to respond to their need for less, or more sensory input – and will avoid what they dislike or seek out what they need. They actively respond to their sensory needs.

 

Some children do not respond to their needs for less, or more sensory input and do not avoid what they dislike or seek out what they need. They do not actively respond to their sensory needs.

 

All children have unique sensory experience of sensory processing, and most children have a mixture of both seeking out some types of input and avoiding others. 


A person’s sensory needs are closely linked to their arousal (energy) level, which in turn affects emotional regulation. By helping children understand and respond to their sensory profile we can help them match their arousal (energy) to the activity and their environment.

 

It is very important for autistic/neurodivergent children that we recognise and respond to their sensory needs.  We should accept and trust what a child tells us through their words or actions about their sensory experience.

 

 

How this affects daily life

Sensory differences can make some things harder, like:

  • Talking and listening: noisy places can be distracting.
  • Making friends: might not like hugs or eye contact.
  • Learning: busy classrooms can be overwhelming.
  • Feelings and behaviour: too much sensory input can cause meltdowns or shutdowns.

 

Sensory differences can also give children great joy and foster engagement and regulation – for example looking carefully at patterns or bright lights, or enjoying the feel of sand or water. We can use the experiences that bring happiness, calm, or energy to a child to help them grow and learn.

 

Sensory differences can form the foundation for many skills for autistic people such as balance skills for performers or sportspeople, visual skills for artists or the ability to focus carefully on patterns for engineers or designers.

 

Meeting a child’s sensory needs means supporting and accommodating the things they find hard but also recognising their sensory joy and skills.

 

You can watch a video to understand sensory needs further: 
 
What is Sensory Processing?

 

More on Sensory Processing

 

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