A photo of the section heading that reads sensory needs are human needs

Every person has senses and sensory needs. And each person, whether they are neurodivergent or not, has sensory needs and sensory preferences. Here are a few examples from everyday life.

Some people like their environments to be really warm and there are others (You know who you are) who are out there wearing shorts in the snow.
What is spicy? What is spicy to one person may barely register to another.
Noise. Most people have noises they just cannot tolerate. (eg: people chewing with their mouths open, styrofoam coming out of a box, scratching a chalkboard, etc)

And if a neurotypical person encountered one of these experiences like a fiercely unpleasant sound, they would probably handle it by leaving the room or covering their ears. Autistic kids need to be able to walk away from an overwhelming sound or cover their ears too. This is why it’s important to acknowledge that sensory needs are human needs, not just neurodivergent needs.

Find More Sensory Activities Here

Vestibular (Movement or sense of motion)

When most people think of vestibular or movement, they think of all of the big things like swings, slides, playgrounds, running, jumping, and more. All of those those things are great but they don't represent a complete picture of movement for Autistic children or people. If you love movement and seek it out, you will enjoy the big activities . . and still need movement accommodations to sit though other things.

In the photo slide show below, see some ideas for:

Flexible seating (Note: all young children have different movement needs and should have access to flexible seating)
Movement during circle time

Flexible seating options

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Visual

Often, when folks consider the visual impacts for autistic individuals, the big thing that comes up is lighting. Lighting is important and I have a short Tik Tok on it here; however, it is not the only (or always the most important) thing to consider for autistic individuals.

If a child on the autism spectrum has an aversion to harsh lighting (as many people do- florescent lighting in schools is a known cause of migraines) it is a good idea to consider light filters.

Visual Preferences

If an autistic child has a sensory preference for visual activities, you will also want to include visual aspects into everyday activities to make them more engaging and fun for the child.

How do I know if the child has a visual sensory preference?

They may gravitate towards bright lights and colors
They may enjoy watching their favorite videos on repeat
They may enjoy studying things up close

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Whenever possible, normalize sensory learning by incorporating it into play

All young children learn best through play based experiences and all young children learn best through concrete hands-on (sensory) experiences. Normalize sensory play by making it part of the your every day preschool classroom experience.

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Proprioceptive (Where your body is in space)

Our proprioceptive system is the part of the body that provides awareness of where our body is in space. It is located within the receptors of our skin, joints, and muscles so activities that involve compression of the skin or joints are often considered to be proprioceptive activities.

Some examples include:

Hanging from the monkey bars
Yoga poses
Big squeezy hugs
Pushing and pulling objects
Play dough
Pulling apart Legos

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Touch

The sensory bin and messy activities are frequently the "go to" or most frequently thought of activities when educators of young children are thinking about touch. However, touch also includes:

Self-care tasks (how one experiences getting their hair brushed, nails trimmed, water on their skin, etc)
Light touch from others which can include anything from holding hands to having someone brush up against you
How one experiences the textures of foods

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Sound, Smell, and Taste

Sound, smell and taste are a lot harder to feature in pictures but I have included a few with descriptions below.

Sound: Often, children on the spectrum or those with sensory processing disorder are categorized as either sensory seeking or sensory aversive when it comes to things like sound, light, taste, etc. The reality is that most autistic individuals like the sounds (or tastes/visuals) and cannot tolerate certain ones. For example, I love the sounds of my favorite songs blasted loudly but I can't be in a loud crowd or sitting next to someone who talking loudly on the phone.

*See this TikTok for another example of incorporating sound in play activities.

Taste: This comes into play for snack/mealtimes in the classroom or if you are completing a cooking activity in the classroom.

When you are considering making meal time accommodations, discuss the child's food preferences with the family. If you want to know how a child experiences a food aversion, this is a great article to check out.

Smell: This is another one that comes into play for snack/mealtimes in the classroom or if you are completing a cooking activity in the classroom. And you will want to follow the same recommendations as above.

However, some kids on the spectrum also have a sensory preference for smells and you can add smells to a variety of activities such as play dough or painting.

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Interoception

Interoception is not a commonly know and understood part of the sensory system but it is critically important because it is the part of your sensory system that helps you to understand and feel what's going on inside your body.

Kids who struggle with the interoceptive sense may have trouble knowing when they feel hungry, full, hot, cold, thirsty, or the need to go to the restroom. Having trouble with this sense can also make self-regulation a challenge because even if a child can correctly visually identify an emotion they may not understand what that emotion feels like in their body or how to know when the emotion is coming on.

If you want to learn more about interoception, check out Kelly Mahler's website.