Sensory-Aware Therapy for Neurodivergent Teens: What It Is and How It Helps
Your teen seemingly can’t stand loud noises, yet blasts music at full volume through their headphones. Or they might seem perfectly fine at the start of a meal, then suddenly have a meltdown when faced with a carrot that’s “too crunchy.” If your teen is neurodivergent, such patterns may feel all too familiar.
Many neurodivergent teens experience the world more intensely than others when it comes to their senses. Sensory issues may mean adolescents become overwhelmed by noises, lose their composure over an itchy sweater, or shut down completely due to over-stimulation.
And things can become more complex when emotional well-being is affected. Because of their intense sensory experiences, mental health therapy for neurodivergent teens often requires adjustments to be truly effective. Sensory aware therapy takes into account a teen’s sensitivities and adapts its approach to their needs. When this happens, teens can start making real, positive changes.
In this article, we’ll explore the ins and outs of sensory-awareness therapy, including:
- Understanding sensory processing
- What sensory aware therapy for teens is
- Why neurodivergent-affirming therapy matters
- How sensory awareness in therapy helps adolescents
- Teen tips for sensory overload
- Finding sensory-aware therapy
Understanding Sensory Processing in Neurodiverent Teens
Sensory processing describes how the brain interprets information we get from our five main senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. [1] Other senses may be less talked about, yet they are still vital in our lives. Some of these include having a sense of balance or movement, spatial awareness, and internal states, like knowing whether you are hungry, thirsty, hot, or cold. [1]
It’s the brain that decides what sensations are important, which to ignore, and how to react to what our senses are telling us. In other words, sensory processing has the final say on how sensations affect us.
The following sections take a closer look at sensory processing and neurodivergence in adolescents.
What Is a Sensory Processing Difference?
A sensory processing difference (sometimes called a “sensory issue”) is exactly how it sounds; the information you receive from your senses is experienced and interpreted differently from most other people. [1] It’s thought that up to three in every twenty people in the U.S. have sensory processing differences, and this value rises for people with neurodevelopmental conditions. [2]
There are two types of sensory processing differences, which are: [1]
- Hyper-sensitivity: Being more sensitive to sensory input. For example, responding too intensely, suddenly, or for too long to sensations that other people can tolerate. [2]
- Hypo-sensitivity: Being less sensitive than others to sensory information. For instance, needing sensations to feel more intense to really register them. [2]
On top of this, it’s not simply a case of being either hyper- or hypo-sensitive; you can have a mix of both. This means you might experience different responses to your senses in various situations. So, someone might find background noise completely intolerable (hypersensitive to noise), yet miss their name being called in quieter situations (hyposensitivity to sound).
How Is Sensory Processing Linked to Neurodivergence?
“Neurodiversity” refers to the way that all brains work slightly differently. And “neurodivergent” specifically describes the one in five brains that fall outside of the “typical” range (neurotypical) of brain functioning. This includes people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).[3] In fact, between 53% and 95% of people with autism are affected. [2], [4] It’s thought that the physical connections and activity in the brain and nervous system in neurodivergent people may be responsible for the sensory processing differences.
Overall, this means neurodivergent teens are likely to be extra sensitive to sensations. In everyday life, this could look like someone “losing it” at the thought of wearing a sweater because the feeling against their skin is unbearable. Or, a teenager might be labelled as a “picky eater” because certain foods taste too intense.
Teen Mental Health and Sensory Processing
Sensory processing differences can impact pretty much every aspect of a teen’s daily life. It can affect what they eat, how they sleep, where they go, and the way they respond to discomfort.
Also, sensory issues can cause emotional regulation and mental health issues due to sensory overload. [1] Sensory overload happens when the body’s senses are overstimulated and make a person feel irritable, anxious, or stressed, potentially leading to meltdowns. [5]
What’s more, sensory processing differences have also been linked to bipolar disorder, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and schizophrenia. [2]
Looking at neurodivergence through a sensory lens, it’s easier to understand how teens with ASD or ADHD can be deeply affected by their senses, allowing us to respond with compassion.
As you may be able to tell, when it comes to treating mental health challenges, sensory friendly therapy for adolescents becomes very important. Let’s look at what sensory-aware therapy involves next.
What Is Sensory Aware Therapy?
While therapy is typically personalized to a person’s mental health and well-being goals, it doesn’t always take into account the effect of sensory issues.
Sensory-awareness in therapy involves recognizing and responding to someone’s unique sensory differences. It means that therapy adapts to the teen’s sensory needs, rather than expecting adolescents to adapt to the usual therapeutic environment.
Practically, a sensory-aware therapy setting for teens may look like…[4]
- Having adjustable lighting
- Room doors that close gently and quietly
- Eliminating background noise
- Offering a choice of seating
- Pacing sessions to avoid overwhelm
- Incorporating movement or breaks into sessions
- Using sensory-informed strategies to improve emotional regulation
- Adjusting communication styles
These changes may not seem impactful at first, but the environment can actually influence how effective therapy is. [4] That’s why sensory-aware therapy is an approach, rather than a specific therapeutic modality. Sensory awareness can be applied to almost any “traditional” therapy to make it more accessible for teens with sensory issues.
Sensory-aware therapy often overlaps with neurodivergent-affirming care, so it can be helpful to understand why neurodivergent-affirming therapy matters. We explore this in the next section.
Why Neurodivergent Affirming Therapy Matters
We all need some support from time to time. Yet neurodivergent people may require a different type of support to help them function in a world designed for neurotypical individuals. This is where neurodivergent-affirming care and therapy enter the conversation.
Neurodivergent-affirming care focuses on accepting and supporting a person’s needs and meeting them where they are at, rather than treating them as a problem to be solved. [6] Because of this, neurodivergent-affirming therapy often takes a strengths-based approach. This approach supports teens in becoming more self-confident by focusing on their strengths, resilience, and personal resources to help them grow.[7]
But why does neurodivergent-affirming therapy matter?
In a nutshell, it makes therapy more effective for neurodivergent adolescents. Neurodivergent-affirming therapy helps a teen feel accepted and builds trust between them and their therapist. It also reduces the shame that a teen may have for being “different” from their peers. Overall, neurodivergent-affirming care often encourages teens to feel more engaged in the therapeutic process and able to make healthy changes for their well-being.
It is often neurodivergent affirming therapy teens with ASD or ADHD need to grow their confidence and truly accept themselves. What’s more, understanding that being neurodivergent is often associated with sensory processing differences means that sensory aware therapy isn’t just a nice-to-have add-on; it’s essential.
But how does sensory-aware therapy really help teenagers in their daily lives? We explore the benefits of sensory awareness in therapy next.
How Sensory Aware Therapy Helps Teens
Sensory-aware therapy recognizes that overwhelm isn’t just emotional; it’s also influenced by a teen’s physical environment and their neurological development, too. This is why sensory awareness in therapy is often crucial in treatment for overwhelmed teens, especially if they are neurodivergent.
Here are some of the key ways in which sensory-aware therapy can benefit teens:
- Improved emotional regulation: Through sensory regulation treatment teens can begin to understand how they respond to different sensations, recognize triggers, and communicate needs better. Overall, this may lead to fewer moments of overwhelm, sensory overload, or meltdowns.
- Better engagement with therapy: ADHD sensory support therapy allows elements of therapy to be altered to suit a teen’s pacing, movement, and attention needs. By tailoring therapy to their sensory needs, teens can feel understood, supported, and more engaged with the therapeutic process, leading to better overall results.
- Increased practical coping skills: In therapy, adolescents often learn practical strategies and skills to help them stay calm and manage sensations in their daily life.
- Feelings of independence: With a toolkit of strategies for coping with stressful situations, teens may feel more confident and independent both inside and outside of school.
As well as being useful for long-term well-being, practical skills can help teens work through in-the-moment sensory overwhelm, which is discussed in more detail next.
Adolescent Calming Strategies for Sensory Overload
When textures, lights, scents, or noises overload your senses, it can be tricky to know how to turn their intensity down. This is where coping strategies come in.
Having a set of personalized sensory coping strategies can be a big help when you are between sensory-aware therapy sessions. To create your own coping skills toolkit, it can help to know what your triggers are and what usually works when you feel overstimulated. Knowledge is power, and by understanding your responses, you can take back control, calm your senses, and get back on track with enjoying the rest of your day.
Let’s take a look at what items you might include in your toolkit.
Creating a Coping Skills Sensory Toolkit
Personalized coping strategies are often developed in therapy. However, to help get you started, we have some suggestions for items for you to consider adding to your toolkit. These include:1
- Ear defenders or noise-cancelling headphones: Useful for noise hypersensitivity
- Sunglasses or tinted glasses: Handy if bright lights are a trigger
- Weighted blankets: Can feel comforting and grounding for those who are hypo-sensitive to touch
- Fidget toys: May help people with hypo-stimulation to concentrate
- Low-stimulation spaces: Creating a dedicated space or corner at home where triggers are removed and comforting objects are added
- Grounding techniques: Grounding exercises, especially those involving your senses, can help you feel less overwhelmed
- A personal music playlist: Create a list of relaxing or soothing sounds to have at your fingertips for when everything feels like too much
- Layers of clothing: If your body’s thermostat seems to vary, use layers of clothing to help you stay comfortable in any weather or environment
- A scented handkerchief: Having a piece of fabric with a scent you love on it can help cover up triggering or unpleasant smells around you.
It’s important to know that this list isn’t exhaustive, and not every suggestion will work for everyone. There isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” approach when it comes to coping strategies because we are all unique.
So, rather than trying everything on the list, you might want to see if one particular strategy stands out to you and give that a try first. Then, you can slowly try others out to see what works for you and build up your own personal toolkit for sensory relief.
Find Sensory Aware Therapy With Mission Prep Teen Treatment
Many parents of teenagers coping with sensory overload begin looking for help online by searching for “therapy for autistic teens near me.” However, the vast amount of information that comes back can feel overwhelming in itself. If you’re looking for clear advice on how to help your teen deal with sensory processing differences, know that professional support is available. We are here to help you.
At Mission Prep, we work with neurodivergent teens who are also facing challenges such as anxiety, depression, or mood disorders. Our team of experts provides personalized treatment plans for adolescents and adapts evidence-based therapies to ensure that the care they receive is tailored to their needs, preferences, and goals.
Reach out to us today to learn more about the mental health support options available for your teen.
