Meeting sensory needs in everyday life
Many people meet some of their sensory needs themselves, often without realising it. This might include choosing certain clothes, listening to music, moving in particular ways, or spending time alone or in quiet spaces. These are helpful and valid ways to support the nervous system.
Sometimes, a person also needs support from others, or reasonable adjustments at home, in education, at work, or in public places. These adjustments help reduce unnecessary stress and make environments more accessible.
Both self‑led strategies and support from others are important.
Supporting different senses
Vision (seeing)
Vision includes light, colour, shape, and movement.
Some people are sensitive to bright lights, glare, flickering screens, or busy visual spaces. Others enjoy visual input and find it calming or satisfying.
Examples
- Mohammed finds bright lights hurt his eyes and can cause headaches. He meets his visual needs by wearing tinted glasses, keeping the curtains partly drawn, and avoiding shops with harsh lighting when possible. A helpful adjustment at work is seating him away from strong lights.
- Riley enjoys visual input. Looking at patterns, watching a lava lamp, or seeing light move through trees helps them feel calm and focused.
Support strategies for vision may include reducing bright lighting, using lamps instead of overhead lights, allowing visual breaks, and respecting someone’s need to seek out visual input that feels calming.
Hearing (sound)
Hearing includes volume, pitch, rhythm, and background noise.
Some people find background noise, sudden sounds, or lots of voices overwhelming. Others use sound to calm or regulate themselves.
Examples
- Aisha finds background noise stressful and tiring. Wearing noise‑cancelling headphones and using quieter spaces helps her feel more settled. A reasonable adjustment might be allowing her to work in a quieter area or take breaks from noisy environments.
- Ben uses music to calm himself at the end of the day. Listening to familiar songs, sometimes on repeat, helps him feel safe and regulated.
Support strategies for hearing may include reducing background noise, offering headphones or ear defenders, warning before loud sounds, and respecting a person’s use of music or sound to self‑regulate.
Smell
Smell is closely linked to memory and emotion.
Some people experience everyday smells as very strong or unpleasant. Others find certain smells comforting or grounding.
Examples
- Elena feels unwell around strong perfumes or cleaning products. Using unscented products and opening windows helps reduce distress. A reasonable adjustment might be asking others not to wear strong fragrances in shared spaces.
- Jonah finds some smells calming, such as fresh air or familiar food smells, which help him feel safe and relaxed.
Support strategies for smell may include using unscented products, improving ventilation, allowing people to leave spaces with strong smells, and recognising that comfort smells can help with regulation.
Taste and food
Taste includes flavours and the texture of food. Sensory differences around food are common and valid.
Examples
- Nisha feels safest eating familiar foods with predictable textures. This reduces stress and helps her eat enough.
- Sam enjoys strong flavours like spicy food or salty snacks, which feel positively stimulating and satisfying.
Support strategies for taste include respecting food preferences, avoiding pressure to eat certain foods, offering choice and predictability, and allowing strong flavours for those who enjoy them. Taste differences are sensory differences, not behaviour problems.
Touch (tactile sense)
Touch includes light contact, texture, temperature, and pain.
Some people are sensitive to light or unexpected touch. Others enjoy certain textures or types of contact.
Examples
- Leo finds clothing labels and people brushing past him uncomfortable. Removing labels and choosing soft clothing helps him feel calmer. A helpful adjustment is warning before touch and respecting his personal space.
- Amara enjoys certain textures and likes hugs when she chooses them.
Support strategies for touch may include letting the person choose when and how they are touched, adjusting clothing fabrics, avoiding unexpected touch, and respecting both touch‑seeking and touch‑avoiding needs.
Proprioception (deep pressure and body position)
Proprioception comes from muscles and joints and tells us where our body is.
Deep pressure, pushing, pulling, and carrying weight can have a calming and organising effect on the nervous system.
Example
- Oscar feels calmer when he carries heavy items, pushes against walls, or receives firm hugs. This kind of input helps him regulate, especially when other senses feel overwhelming.
Proprioceptive input is very unlikely to feel “too much” for the nervous system. This helps explain why someone may dislike light touch but actively seek firm pressure.
Support strategies may include allowing movement and heavy work, respecting the need for firm pressure, and safely including deep pressure activities in daily routines.
Vestibular sense (movement and balance)
The vestibular sense helps with balance, movement, and direction.
Some people find movement overwhelming and avoid it. Others seek movement because it feels enjoyable or regulating.
Examples
- Mae avoids fast spinning because it makes her dizzy and uncomfortable. Moving slowly and keeping her feet on the ground helps her feel safe.
- Alex enjoys swinging and rocking, which helps them relax and feel happy.
Support strategies include letting people control their movement, avoiding forced activities, offering enjoyable movement when wanted, and respecting avoidance when movement feels uncomfortable.
Interoception (inside the body)
Interoception helps people notice hunger, thirst, needing the toilet, pain, temperature, and emotions.
Some people find it hard to notice these signals early.
Examples
- Fatima often does not realise she is thirsty until she suddenly feels unwell. Gentle reminders and routines help meet her needs earlier.
- Chris finds emotions hard to identify and may only know they feel “wrong.” Supportive check‑ins and attention to body needs help them understand themselves better.
Support strategies for interoception may include gentle reminders, routines for food, drink and rest, and helping link physical signals to feelings.
Asking for adjustments
Some sensory needs can be met by the person themselves. Others need reasonable adjustments from schools, workplaces, carers, or services.
Examples of adjustments include changes to lighting or noise, flexible routines or break times, access to quiet spaces, flexible clothing rules, permission to use sensory tools, and understanding different ways of regulating.
Asking for adjustments is about access and fairness, not special treatment.
Seeking support
If sensory processing difficulties are causing a person problems, you may want to ask your doctor about the possibility of a referral to an Occupational Therapist (OT). OTs are the experts in assessing a person’s specific sensory profile and working out useful adaptations and interventions.
In Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, a health care professional (including GPs) or a school teacher can make a referral to Children’s Occupational Therapy to ask for a parent education video workshop – for parents whose children have difficulties in their daily life caused by sensory processing problems. They would need to complete and submit the following form:
Click here to access the families, young people and children’s service referral form
For more information about sensory processing, click the following link:
www.leicspart.nhs.uk/autism-space/health-and-lifestyle/sensory-processing
For information on how to help your child with sensory processing related problems in school, click this link:
www.leicspart.nhs.uk/autism-space/education-and-employment/sensory-processing-issues-in-school/
For a directory of resources and support services, to help you learn more about autism – including sensory processing, click the following link:
www.leicspart.nhs.uk/autism-space/general-resources/other-resources
Key points
- Sensory processing differences are natural and common.
- Everyone has a unique sensory profile that can change over time.
- Unmet sensory needs can strongly affect wellbeing.
- Sensory needs can be met through self‑led strategies and reasonable adjustments. Sensory input can be challenging, but it can also be calming, enjoyable, and supportive. Understanding and meeting sensory needs helps people feel safe, regulated, and able to take part in everyday life.