The Sensory Impact of School Holidays

Guest Blog: Helen Edgar, Autistic Realms

Tigger Pritchard delivered a great workshop with The PDA Space where they discussed 'The Sensory Impact of School Holidays', which is available to watch here in The PDA Space Portal.

Sensory Systems

Everyone has a sensory system; autistic and otherwise neurodivergent people may find some of their senses are more or less sensitive and different from other people's. Autistic needs are fluid, as is the sensory system; what is tolerated one day may not be tolerated the next.

More sensitive = hyper-sensitivity   |   Less sensitive = hypo-sensitivity

Hypersensitivity: a more intense / heightened response to sensory stimuli, to the point it could feel very uncomfortable or even painful (e.g., light/sound/taste/touch/smell/movement/pain).

Hyposensitivity: a lower response to sensory stimuli, may be unaware of pain or not as responsive as you may expect (e.g., light/sound/taste/touch/smell/movement/pain).

A highly responsive sensory system can be wonderful as it enables you to experience the world intensely but can also be exhausting and difficult to manage. Holidays can bring more challenges for neurodivergent people as lots of things change, which can raise anxiety and cause more sensory dysregulation.

Changes may include:

• Weather
• Clothing
• Types of Food
• Routines of the day
• Going to different places and being with different people

Autistic people can be a lot more or less sensitive to certain things. Holidays can create uncertainty as your usual dependable routines and ways of living suddenly change.

There are 8 main senses, but recent research shows there may be up to 33 different senses!
1. Sight
2. Hearing
3. Smell
4. Touch
5. Taste
6. Proprioception (body awareness)
7. Vestibular (movement and balance)
8. Interoception (internal body sense, e.g. feeling hot /cold/hungry /pain or need the toilet)

Uncertainty can increase anxiety.

It can help recreate the sensory elements and the things that help your child or young person in their usual routines to provide consistency during the holidays.

Being a Sensory Detective

Try to be a Sensory Detective and consider what sensory input your child or young person may struggle with. Also, think about when they are most happy and regulated. What sensory input do they enjoy, what calms or stimulates them, and what works well?

Learn more about building your family sensory toolkit by downloading your e-book in our resources in our PDA Space Portal to provide further ideas and support.

Hope to see you there!

Helen Edgar
www.autisticrealms.com

Helen is a qualified early years /primary teacher and is also autistic. She has 20 years teaching experience working in specialised settings and has two neurodivergent children. She developed Autistic Realms to advocate for a better understanding of neurodivergence and mental health in education for children and families.