Sensory Challenges at School

This section of the resource highlights some of the main sources of sensory input in each environment of the school building.

General Considerations

  • Visual
  • Bright sunlight.
  • Lighting.
  • Visual busy spaces can be distracting.
  • Auditory
  • School Bell
    Auditory processing challenges can impact on:
    • Student noticing their name being called or processing verbal instructions. 
    • Decoding verbal information in real time: 
    • the impact on working memory and language comprehension, particularly in peer interactions which are often fast paced, with topics shifting frequently; 
    • Being able to filter or screen out background noises, which can also make classroom discourse difficult to follow, as well as being able to concentrate and engage in learning.
  • Smell
  • Plug-ins and other fragrances.
  • Touch
  • Uniform.
  • Room temperature.
  • Interoceptive over responsivity:
    • Might feel internal body signals very intensely, such as hunger, thirst, needing to go to the toilet.
    • Might feel pain more intensely.
  • Interoceptive under responsivity:
    • Might not feel internal body signals.
    • May forget to drink, eat or go to the toilet.
    • Might not feel pain.
  • Discrimination:
    • Internal body temperature – not knowing if too hot or too cold.
  • Possible proprioception challenges:
  • Trouble with grading the force of their movements. This might be seen in a firm pencil grip, or breaking the nib of their pencil a lot, or even the pencil itself!
  • “not knowing their own strength”: 
  • dropping heavily on their seats, 
  • slamming the classroom door or knocking in to furniture.
  • Sometimes they seek out additional sensation to help support their body to know where it is in space by clashing and jumping on the mats in P.E. or seeking rough and tumble play with their peers.  

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