Sensory needs
Daniel Hardy, APRN • December 14, 2022
Suggestions for sensory accommodations
Sensory sensitivities and preferences are common in neurodivergent individuals such as Autistic or ADHD folks. The below tips and suggestions have been created from occupational therapy and sensory treatment plans. When considering expanding your sensory capabilities, be sure that you're in a stable mindset so that you feel less overwhelmed. Start slow and "microdose" your sensory experiences; trying to change too much at once can be uncomfortable or lead to a meltdown.
Individuals who are “sensory-avoidant” experience a decreased desire to seek both familiar and new sensory experiences. They may feel easily overwhelmed by many types of sensory input and may be hyperresponsive to them. Exploring sensory experiences in a calm and relaxed setting slowly over time can allow you to expand your ability to tolerate new sensory experiences. These individuals may experience increased distractibility and discomfort when presented with intense stimuli.
For hypersensitive individuals, try:
Taste/Smell
- Explore new foods, ask friends to introduce you to restaurants or foods you've never tried
- Try out scented products (lotions, soaps, shampoos, aromatherapy); Find scented products that you like and utilize them regularly.
- Utilize unscented products as appropriate (shampoos, lotions, cleaners)
- Identify flavors and ingredients that you prefer and incorporate them into daily meals
- Introduce new foods and smells gradually
- Ask for sauces and dressing on the side
Movement (proprioception)
- Pursue new physical activities such as (bowling, aerobics, dance classes)
- Change the order or technique you do your daily routines (like morning hygiene or workplace tasks)
- Attend to how your body feels when you are moving
- Use rocking chairs for calming effects
- Limit the number of steps when learning a new movement activity
- Select movement activities that allow you to keep your head upright and/or maintain a consistent speed (bike riding). Movements with multiple components (basketball for example) can feel more uncomfortable than movements that keep your body in a stable position.
- Seek out the stairs when in the community, as elevators, escalators and high places may be uncomfortable
- When involved in physical activities, schedule breaks as needed
- Incorporate routine and repetition in movement activities
- Place your most frequently used objects within arm's reach in cabinets and drawers to avoid having to bend over
Visual
- Consider trying new colors in your environment (wardrobe, school supplies, bedroom décor)
- Visit a museum
- Rearrange your furniture
- Use systematic methods of visual scanning (left to right, top to bottom)
- Cover or visually block out information, reduce clutter.
- Organize drawers, closets, etc. so that it is easy to find what you are looking for
- Periodically close your eyes to decrease visual stimulation
- Wear sunglasses when appropriate
- Use dim or natural lighting
Touch
- Incorporate textures in clothing and objects
- Take a warm bath using a bath mitt, loofah sponge, or textured washcloth
- Use deep-pressure rather than light touch
- Wear clothes that are heavy or weighted
- Wrap yourself in a blanket; Use lots of blankets or heavy comforters on the bed
- Explain your need for personal space to others
- Select fabrics that don't irritate your skin or styles that are not constricting
- Position fans/vents so that they are not blowing directly at you
- Wear gloves when cooking, gardening, etc.
Activity and Energy Level
- Spend time in the natural environment (parks, lakes, hiking trials)
- Cook something from scratch
- Vary the order in which you go about your daily routine
- Take opportunities to engage in safe social interaction
- Incorporate breaks and time-outs
- Look for smaller, less crowded, more organized stores to do your shopping at
- Use self-cues to stay focused—talk aloud or to yourself when executing a task
- Make a plan before starting a task
- Break tasks down into smaller parts
- Identify the steps and important features that need your attention
- Put materials in sequential order (line them up in the order you will use them)
- Write out steps to a task and check them off as you complete each one
- Avoid community areas during crowded, busy times
- Maintain consistency to reduce disruptions
- Establish routines that are comforting and supportive
- Find quiet places for alone time
- Find opportunities for small groups or one-on-one interaction
- Ask to sit individually on the outside when in a large group setting
Auditory
- Play music while going about daily activities
- Read aloud to someone or listen to books on tape
- Limit the amount of information or steps that are provided at any one time
- Reduce the volume or amount of auditory stimuli
- Take notes and ask for written handouts to supplement verbal information
- Participate in group discussions to help maintain focus (rather than only listening)
- Diminish background noise/conversation, turn off the TV/music
- Go to a quiet area when you really need to focus
- Use white noise or calming sounds to drown out distracting noises
- Use ear plugs
Hyporesponsive
Individuals who are sensory seeking may find that activities and environments do not provide the necessary intensity or variability of stimulation to enable sustained attention to performance. They are often under-responsive to sensory stimuli and need more intensity input to register a specific response. These individuals often encounter slowed response in reacting to low intensity or rapidly changing stimuli.
Taste/Smell
- Incorporate unfamiliar foods
- Use extra care when drinking or handling hot liquids
- Ensure smoke detectors are present and working
- Chew gum or eat mints when feeling restless
- Use scented lotions, soaps, etc
- Wear perfume, cologne or body sprays
- Use spices, hot sauce, etc to add to your meals.
- Try new foods frequently
Movement /safety
- Use weights or other forms of resistance paired with movement tasks
- Use visual cues or visual demonstration to support movement activities
- Add visual markers or cues for steps, doorways, etc.
- Place anti-skid bathmats in the tub/shower
- Wear non-skid shoes
- Make sure pathways are clear
- Incorporate physical movement to activities
- Engage in a physical activity before any thinking task
- Select movement activities that allow changing speeds or bending over
Visual
- Make visual cues more salient—underline, bold, highlight and use color for visual directions, school work, schedules, etc.
- Label drawers and cabinets
- Take notes so that information can be reviewed and processed later
- Place important everyday objects in an obvious and consistent location
- Use bright colors, and bold shapes and forms
- Use bright lighting
- Look for environments that have a lot of visual interest and activities
Touch
- Use visual cues to notice when things are touching you
- Ask others to let you know if you are getting too close
- Pay attention to weather reports and temperature to determine appropriate dress
- Choose activities that allow tactile input from your environment (examples, crafting, gardening)
- Select clothes, blankets, towels with varied textures
- Go barefoot
- Use textured lotions and creams
Activity and Energy Level
- Use lists, reminders, calendars as reminders and cues
- Write something down or talk it through to another person before executing a task
- Seek out group activities
- Find opportunities for self-expression (drawing, dancing, painting)
- Find new ways to complete familiar tasks
- Try to find a way to add something new to your daily routine (take a new route to work, try something new, change the order of two tasks etc).
Auditory
- Ask others to repeat information as needed, see if you can record classes
- Ask for verbal information to be in written form, or take notes when necessary
- Use an alarm on your phone for reminders
- Incorporate sounds into daily activities (play music while working)
- Use background noise
- Find leisure activities where the environment is rich with auditory stimuli (bowling, sporting events, walking in nature)
- Attend concerts or other events that provide sounds
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When I first came out (the first time) in the 1990s, things were quite different. We were still in the middle of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, queer marriage and domestic partnerships were illegal in all US states, and significantly more than half the states had anti-sodomy laws. We, queers, hid and banded together for safety in spaces like the theater program at school. We spoke in coded phrases do avoid outing ourselves. I did not see people like myself reflected on television, in books. There would occasionally be a special interest news story about gay rights that I would secretly record (on a VHS tape) to watch at night when everyone else was in bed. I know that in 2020, things are not perfect- and even in many areas, they have not progressed far from how things were when I was growing up. But in many areas, with help from the internet and the passionate advocacy from those who came before us (Black Trans women, primarily), things have begun to improve. Teens and even children now understand that the way they feel inside is not shameful, not harmful, but a variation of normal. Parents don't attempt scientifically proven harmful "therapies" aimed at changing their children, but instead affirming their true nature. And in the face of these changes, youth are claiming their identities more than ever. In 2021, nearly 30% of LGBTQ youth aged 13-24 identified as transgender, nonbinary, or both. The Trevor Project (2021) https://www.thetrevorproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Measuring-Youth-Sexual-Orientation-and-Gender-Identity.pdf For these same youth, 21% have sexual identities as something outside the identities of gay, lesbian or bisexual. Most people, even cisgender straight people, understand the concept of gay and lesbian. Many also have a firm grasp on the bisexual identity- attraction to two or more genders or genders that are the same and different from that of ones self. It is in this "something else" that many people who are not very familiar with the queer community begin to feel lost. Here is where we will examine these identities. The "long" acronym (LGBTQPIA2S+) includes letters for many portions of the community- but not all. Starting with these letters: T- Transgender: Transgender is an individual whose gender identity (internal gender concept) is different than their assigned gender at birth. This is an umbrella term that may include people who identify with terms such as "nonbinary" (gender identity outside of the male/female binary) "gender queer" (gender identity that is outside the traditional notions of gender- 'queering gender'), "gender fluid" (gender that fluctuates), "transsexual" (transgender person who seeks medical transition, can be seen as outdated term by some, but is preferred by others), "agender" (having no gender identity) and more. The opposite of transgender is cisgender- someone whose gender identity matches their gender assigned at birth. Q- Queer: For more information about Queer, see the asterisk (*) below. Queer is an umbrella term for the longer acronym. It is fully and totally inclusive of all of the community- all those whose gender and/or sexual identities fall outside the social standard. Questioning: This term is used to include people whose identities are not firm, "I don't know where I fall- If I'm straight or gay or something else." It's healthy to explore your identity and see what fits best. P- Pansexual: Pansexual is a term similar to Bisexual (bisexual is an umbrella term inclusive of pansexual). Pansexual is a more politicized term, with attraction being defined as "without respect to gender." I- Intersex: intersex individuals are those whose biology doesn't neatly fit into a male/female binary. This might be at the genetic level only, or expressed in a more visible way. This is a much more common condition than most people realize, 1/100- with around 1/5 of these receiving coercive surgery before they are able to consent. A- Asexual, Aromantic and Agender (agender was defined above, under transgender) Asexual- a lack of sexual attraction to any gender (not necessarily lack of libido or lack of sexual action). It's important to note that this is often mistaken for a medical or mental health concern. Aromantic- a lack of romantic attraction to any gender (lack of romantic desire) A note on "A for Ally"- A in the acronym does not and should not ever stand for "ally." While allies are an important part of advocacy and support for our community, they are not within the community. Asserting that A should stand for Ally eraces the identities that A does stand for, while simultaneously centering the feelings of cisgender, heterosexual individuals, who are claiming to be allied with us while causing us actual harm (by eracing us). 2S- Two Spirit- Many native american cultures identified a third gender, generally called by the modern Pan-Indian term Two-Spirit (or known by the appropriate term within each tribal nation's language). Although the diversity across these cultures is massive, the similarities remain- that these individuals were highly respected and afforded an important place in society until white missionary work sought to "normalize" gender identities. + The Plus stands for identities that aren't captured by the longer acronym. Polysexual Omnisexual Split attraction model: Sexual attraction- desire for sexual acts with a person or a group of people (a particular gender, for example) Romantic attraction- desire for romantic acts with a person or group of people Sensual attraction- the desire for tactile but non-sexual touch with a person (such as hugging, back rub) Aesthetic attraction- an appreciation of beauty or attractiveness of another, such as a work of art Emotional attraction- the desire to form an emotional bond with someone, to understand them better Platonic attraction- the desire to form a friendship Intellectual attraction- the desire to interact on an academic or thought-process level. "picking your brain." from https://lgbtq.unc.edu/resources/exploring-identities/asexuality-attraction-and-romantic-orientation/ *"queer" specifically used as a term of inclusion here, having been reclaimed several decades ago. the more recent (post 2000s) pushback against the reclamation began as part of an anti-transgender movement. Substitute for LGBTQPIA2S+ as preferred.
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