God has made the world alive with colour, sound, texture, flavour, and scent — a multi-sensory chorus proclaiming his creativity and generosity.

Everyone experiences the world differently, and neurodivergent people often perceive sensory input in ways that differ from neurotypical people.1 Many neurodivergent adults and children have told me that this is something they wish more people understood. The sensory environment can soothe or overwhelm; it can restore or deplete energy. It can have a profound impact on a person’s short- and long-term mental health, energy levels, anxiety, capacity to socialise, and so much more.2

There are mini videos on this topic in the Resource Hub library.

The Senses

Neurodivergent people might experience any of the senses more intensely, or even hardly at all: a person can have high sensitivity to some things and low sensitivity to others.3 And what brings dysregulation to one person might bring deep comfort to another.4 This is another wonderful opportunity to learn about the God-made, unique people around us.

High sensitivity

Many neurodivergent people notice more sensory detail than most, and once a sensation registers, it can stay in their awareness, demanding attention until it stops or they leave the situation.5 This can be wonderful when the sensation is pleasant: the person might remain aware of the calm presence of a cat in their lap or the taste of each bite of ice-cream, for example.

A long-haired cat dozing in warm sunlight, its eyes closed.

But if the sensation is stressful, they might not be able to tune it out, so an uncomfortable sock or a ticking clock, for example, could cause increasing anxiety or tension for as long as the person is exposed to it.6 Stress can build over time, contributing to meltdowns, shutdowns, exhaustion, and long-term mental health concerns.7

Environmental adjustments can make a huge difference, though this can be tricky when everyone’s needs differ. For example, my husband loves cooking beautifully spiced meals (he grew up in Bangladesh and Thailand), but one of our daughters has high sensitivity to smell and finds those smells overwhelming. She doesn’t want to deprive us of flavour-filled meals, and we don’t want to make her evenings harder. Together with her, we have decided not to cook those meals on school nights, when she is already tired, but to enjoy them on weekends when she has capacity to cope.

As well as adjusting the environment together, the child in your care could find ways to take control of the environment for themselves. They might use sunglasses for bright light, earplugs for noise, chewy jewellery for regulation, and more. This will help them to identify what helps, do what they can to manage their environment, and be brave to be different. What wonderful lessons for our children to learn!

There are mini videos on these topics in the Resource Hub library.

Low sensitivity

A person can have high sensitivity in some areas and low sensitivity in others. For example, a person may be more sensitive to sound, but less sensitive to internal body signals.

If a person has low sensitivity to inputs that they enjoy, they will need to put in more effort to experience these sensations. They may turn up the music, swing high on a swing, or spin fast in circles.

A girl spinning across a sunlit room, blurred with movement, as a parent holds out a water bottle.

But muted sensations can also bring challenges. A person may not register body temperature, hunger, or the need for the bathroom, even while becoming dizzy, distressed, or queasy because of those unmet needs. They might not be as aware of their body in space and so bump into things or trip often. They might not know when to rest, as a Christian neurodivergent woman told me:

“I am very poor at reading my own body and recognising internal cues, meaning I find it hard to know when I’m tired or reaching capacity, so I just keep saying yes to all the things. This is especially problematic because being around people and gatherings is very draining and overstimulating for me, but I sometimes don’t notice the effect it’s having on my nervous system until it’s too late and I crash or have a meltdown.”

The crash can seem to come out of nowhere, but inside stress has been building slowly, unnoticed until it suddenly becomes overwhelming.8

Children may need reminders before going outside to put on a jacket, prompts to drink water or use the bathroom, support navigating playground games safely or reminders to take a rest. Visual schedules, timers, and predictable routines can help our children to care for their bodies even when internal cues are faint or confusing. Work together, where possible, to work out how to support them best and to teach them how to care for themselves.

The Good Shepherd

The children in our care will find some things in this world delightful and relaxing, yet the world is also a noisy, busy, smelly, scratchy place and sometimes life will be really tough.

What a privilege to pray with our children about these things. God knows our troubles and he cares for us so much. Psalm 23 is familiar, yet astonishing. It begins with the breathtaking truth that the same God who created the universe takes on the role of a caring shepherd. He is the creator, the eternal one, the Most High… yet he is a shepherd to me. And to my children. Vs 1-3 say:

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake. (NIV)

As we explore sensory differences with those in our care, may it turn us together to the Good Shepherd who invites us to follow him, rest in him, and trust him as he leads us.

A lamb resting in soft, sunlit grass, its eyes half closed.

Notes

  1. Dundon, R. (2024). A therapist’s guide to neurodiversity affirming practice with children and young people. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. P65ff

  2. Raymaker, D. M., Teo, A. R., Steckler, N. A., Lentz, B., Scharer, M., Delos Santos, A., Nicolaidis, C. (2020). ‘“Having all of your internal resources exhausted beyond measure and being left with no clean-up crew”: defining autistic burnout’, Autism in Adulthood, 2(2), 1-12, doi: 10.1089/aut.2019.0079

  3. Blackwell, A. L., Wallisch, A., Little, L. M., & Dunn, W. (2023). Sensory processing: Identifying patterns and designing support strategies. In P. Wolfberg & K. D. Buron (Eds.), Learners on the autism spectrum: Preparing educators and related practitioners (3rd ed., p 87). Routledge.

  4. RJ Grant, L Barboa, J Luck, & E Obrey, The Complete Guide to Becoming an Autism Friendly Professional: Working with Individuals, Groups, and Organizations (1st ed.), Routledge, 2021. Pp. 104-107

  5. Blackwell et al., ibid, pp. 55–72

  6. To assess any given environment, the Webster framework can be a useful guideline but should be adapted according to categories that are impactful for the individual neurodivergent child, Webster, A. A., Saggers, B., and Carrington, S. (2021). Inclusive Teaching for Students on the Autism Spectrum. In S. Carrington, B. Saggers, K. Harper-Hill, & M. Whelan (Eds.), Supporting Students on the Autism Spectrum in Inclusive Schools: A Practical Guide to Implementing Evidence-Based Approaches, Routledge. (pp. 47-57)

  7. Lewis, L. F., & Stevens, K. (2023). The lived experience of meltdowns for autistic adults. Autism : The International Journal of Research and Practice, 27(6), 1817–1825.

  8. Dundon, ibid, p. 70