Sensory processing affects how we filter, organise, and respond to information from our environment. For neurodivergent people, everyday environments can be overwhelming, understimulating, or completely unpredictable. What feels comfortable to a neurotypical person might be genuinely painful or distressing to someone with sensory differences.
The challenge is that sensory needs are highly individual. Some people need movement to regulate, others need stillness. Some find deep pressure calming, others find light touch soothing, or no touch. Some need background noise to focus, others need complete silence.
Beyond Sensory Tools
Sensory-friendly support isn't just having a sensory room filled with equipment. It requires understanding of each person's unique sensory profile and adapting environments, interactions, and activities to support their nervous system regulation.
James has Level 3 autism, PTSD and ADHD. Previous support services focused on using medication to dull the stimuli from overwhelming environments. Not only is this a restrictive practice, it's also not working with the real cause of his dysregulation. When we assessed his sensory needs properly, we discovered he was hypersensitive to bright lighting, 'people-noise', unpredictability and certain fabric textures.
Simple changes using low level lighting, allowing James to choose when he interacted with others, assisting him to create routines, and providing advance notice of sensory-rich environments reduced his anxiety significantly. Instead of teaching him to endure sensory distress, we eliminated unnecessary sources of it.
Effective sensory-friendly support starts with proper assessment. We use formal sensory profiles, but more importantly, we observe how people respond to different environments and ask them directly about their experiences. Many people have learned to mask their sensory difficulties, so we look for subtle signs of overwhelm or understimulation.
Key Sensory Considerations
- Lighting: Natural vs artificial, brightness, flickering
- Sound: Background noise, volume, unexpected sounds
- Touch: Clothing textures, physical contact, temperature
- Movement: Need for activity vs stillness, balance, coordination
- Smell: Strong scents, cleaning products, food odours
- Visual: Clutter, patterns, moving elements, color intensity
In our support environments, we maintain "sensory neutrality" as a baseline with minimal visual clutter, natural lighting, low-moderate noise levels, and unscented cleaning products. From this neutral base, we can add sensory input that individuals find regulating or enjoyable.
We also recognise that sensory needs change throughout the day and in response to stress, illness, or other factors. Someone might love music in the morning but find it overwhelming in the afternoon. Flexible sensory support means checking in regularly and adjusting as needed.
Training our support team in sensory differences is crucial. They need to understand that sensory behaviours aren't attention-seeking or defiance, but necessary regulation strategies. When someone covers their ears or needs to move constantly, they're communicating important information about their sensory state.
Sensory-friendly support also extends to communication. Some people process auditory information better with visual supports, others need extra processing time, and some communicate more effectively through movement or creative activities rather than traditional conversation.
The goal isn't to eliminate all sensory challenges because some exposure helps build tolerance. But we can create an environment where someone's nervous system can stay regulated enough to engage, learn, and enjoy activities rather than just survive them.
When sensory needs are properly supported, everything else becomes easier. Behavioural challenges often decrease, communication improves, and people can access community experiences they previously found impossible. This is what creating truly accessible environments for neurodivergent nervous systems looks like.