ALPIMS · Understanding & support
Sensory & Neurodevelopmental
Understanding sensory needs. Making everyday life more manageable.
Explore sensory processing difficulties, autism, ADHD, misophonia, hyperacusis and visual snow. Start with what makes everyday life more comfortable and accessible.
A gentle sensory check-in
What seems closest right now? Choose any that fit, or skip this. This is a support tool, not a diagnostic test.
Open sensory check-in
What is the difference?
Sensory experiences
How you notice and respond to sound, light, touch, smell, taste, movement and body signals. You may want less of some input and more of another.
Sensory differences alone do not establish autism or ADHD.
Neurodevelopmental conditions
Conditions that begin during development and affect areas such as communication, attention, learning or coordination. They may be recognised in childhood or later.
Assessment considers a broader pattern and developmental history.
What do neurodiversity and neurodivergence mean?
Neurodiversity describes variation in human brains and minds. Neurodivergent is a broad term people use for ways of thinking or processing that differ from the majority. It is not a single medical diagnosis.
People differ in the language they prefer. Ask rather than assume.
Healthdirect: neurodiversity and neurodivergence →Similar difficulties can have different explanations
Concentration, fatigue, communication and sensory tolerance can also be affected by pain, poor sleep, medicines, anxiety or illness. A recent change deserves attention rather than automatically being attributed to neurodivergence.
Several needs can coexist. Support and assessment should consider the whole person.
Sensory processing difficulties
Sensory processing describes how the nervous system receives and responds to information from the senses. This includes sound, light, touch, taste and smell, as well as balance, movement, body position and internal body signals.
What does “sensory processing disorder” mean?
Some clinicians use sensory processing disorder (SPD) to describe sensory difficulties that significantly affect everyday life. Others use sensory processing differences or sensory processing difficulties.
SPD is not a separate diagnosis in the DSM-5-TR. Terminology and assessment practices vary. The difficulties can still be real and disabling, and practical support can focus on their impact.
An assessment should consider autism, ADHD and other explanations, including hearing, vision, migraine, pain and physical health.
American Academy of Pediatrics: sensory integration therapies and diagnostic considerations →What may an occupational therapist help with?
An occupational therapist can explore how sensory needs affect dressing, meals, sleep, school, work or shared spaces, and suggest individual task and environment adjustments.
If a sensory programme is proposed, ask what everyday goal it addresses, what evidence supports it and how you will review its usefulness. Responses vary; stop or adapt activities that cause pain or increase distress.
Autism & ADHD
Sensory processing differences may be part of the picture for autistic people and people with ADHD. Each person’s pattern is different; sensory experiences alone do not establish either diagnosis.
Autism / ASD
Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition. Communication, sensory experiences, routines and support needs differ from person to person.
ADHD
ADHD can affect attention, impulse control, activity levels and self-regulation. It begins in childhood and may be recognised later in life.
Sensory experiences
These describe experiences and support needs. They are not a diagnostic checklist.
Sensory sensitivity
Sound, light, touch, smell, taste or movement may feel unusually intense or uncomfortable. Needs can vary with the setting and the day.
Sensory seeking or reduced noticing
Some people seek movement, touch or other sensations, or notice certain signals less readily. A person can have different responses across senses.
Sensory overload
When sensory input becomes too much, thinking, speaking or managing a task may become harder. Overload is an experience, not a diagnosis.
Body signals & interoception
Interoception involves noticing internal signals such as hunger, thirst or a need to use the toilet. Some people find these signals difficult to recognise or interpret.
What about sound intolerance, migraine or other sensitivities?
Not every sensitivity is a neurodevelopmental difference. Painful sound, hearing changes, migraine-related sensitivity and suspected allergic reactions may need their own assessment.
Describe what happens, what triggers it and what helps. Avoid assuming all discomfort has the same cause.
Sound intolerance, migraine and other sensitivities · Coming soonOther sensory conditions in our family’s experience
Our family’s reported experiences include misophonia, hyperacusis and visual snow. These are different experiences that deserve recognition and appropriate assessment. They are not automatically explained by autism, ADHD or anxiety.
Misophonia
Particular sounds, such as chewing or sniffing, can trigger intense distress, anger or disgust. The reaction is linked to the sound or its context, rather than simply its volume.
Hyperacusis
Everyday sounds may seem unusually loud, uncomfortable or painful. This differs from a reaction to particular trigger sounds, although both experiences can occur together.
Visual Snow Syndrome
Persistent tiny flickering dots or static across vision, with other visual symptoms. It is a neurological syndrome, distinct from ordinary light sensitivity or a typical migraine aura.
Sensory processing, anxiety & autonomic responses
Several parts of the experience may overlap.
Overwhelming sensory input can be distressing and may be accompanied by anxiety and automatic body responses such as a racing heart, sweating or shaking. Worry about a repeat experience can also make participation harder.
The autonomic nervous system helps manage heart rate, blood pressure, sweating and digestion. It participates in the body’s response to anxiety and stress. This ordinary activation is different from dysautonomia, where automatic regulation is impaired.
Sensory overload, anxiety and autonomic illness may coexist, but one should not automatically be used to explain the others. Repeated symptoms on standing, actual fainting or new physical symptoms deserve appropriate assessment.
Can sensory difficulties overlap with FND?
Yes. Some people with functional neurological disorder (FND) experience altered sensation or sensitivity to light, sound, touch or movement. Research also reports an association between autism and FND, but the reasons and extent of that overlap remain uncertain.
FND involves changes in how brain networks function. Symptoms are real and involuntary. Sensory sensitivity alone does not establish FND, and misophonia, hyperacusis or Visual Snow Syndrome should not automatically be relabelled as FND.
NHS Inform: FND symptoms, diagnosis and treatment → Neurosymptoms: a patient’s guide to FND →Connections with other ALPIMS domains
Support may need to consider several areas.
Sensory and neurodevelopmental needs can coexist with anxiety, pain, physical illness and mood difficulties. Their everyday effects may interact without having one shared cause.
Everyday support
Choose one topic. The ALPIMS pages below are planned; add links as they become available.
Sensory comfort & recovery
- Reducing sound, light and scent Coming soon
- A personal sensory comfort kit Coming soon
- Rest after demanding environments Coming soon
Communication, routines & tasks
- One clear step at a time Coming soon
- Written information and communication choices Coming soon
- Predictable routines with room for change Coming soon
- Help with planning and starting tasks Coming soon
Participation, interests & relationships
- Enjoyable activities that fit your capacity Coming soon
- Social participation with access adjustments Coming soon
- Support without blame or pressure Coming soon
Professional care & assessment
A GP can help identify suitable assessment or referrals. Depending on your needs, support may involve an occupational therapist, psychologist, speech pathologist or other clinician.
- Preparing a short needs summary Coming soon
- Sensory-aware and accessible appointments Coming soon
- Exploring assessment and support services Coming soon
Australian resources & specialist reading
External resources open in a new tab so you can keep this page open.
Choose one useful starting point. You do not need to read everything.
Autism & ADHD
Sensory needs
What may help
Ask about communication preferences. Offer predictable steps, sensory adjustments and time to respond. Support should respect the person’s choices, interests and strengths.
Ask what feels useful. Adapt support to age, communication, energy, physical health and preferences. Participation and comfort matter.
Resources
Healthdirect: autism →More ALPIMS support for autism · Coming soon
What may help
Make the next step visible. Offer reminders, flexible routines and practical help with starting tasks. Discuss assessment and individual treatment options with a qualified clinician.
Ask what feels useful. Adapt support to age, communication, energy, physical health and preferences. Participation and comfort matter.
Resources
Healthdirect: ADHD →More ALPIMS support for ADHD · Coming soon
What may help
Ask which input is hardest. Try a quieter space, gentler lighting, comfortable clothing or less scent. Let the person choose adjustments and review what actually helps.
Ask what feels useful. Adapt support to age, communication, energy, physical health and preferences. Participation and comfort matter.
Resources
The Spectrum: sensory strategies →More ALPIMS support for sensory sensitivity · Coming soon
What may help
Offer preferred sensory experiences safely and voluntarily. Avoid assuming the same tool suits everyone. Consider an individual occupational therapy assessment when daily life is affected.
Ask what feels useful. Adapt support to age, communication, energy, physical health and preferences. Participation and comfort matter.
Resources
National Autistic Society: sensory processing →More ALPIMS support for sensory seeking or reduced noticing · Coming soon
What may help
Reduce input and demands. Offer space or calm company according to preference. Use fewer words and allow recovery time. Discuss frequent or changing episodes with an appropriate professional.
Ask what feels useful. Adapt support to age, communication, energy, physical health and preferences. Participation and comfort matter.
Resources
The Spectrum: sensory strategies →More ALPIMS support for sensory overload · Coming soon
What may help
Use gentle prompts or predictable breaks if helpful. Offer food, drink or toilet access without pressure. New, severe or unexplained bodily symptoms still need medical assessment.
Ask what feels useful. Adapt support to age, communication, energy, physical health and preferences. Participation and comfort matter.
Resources
National Autistic Society: sensory processing →More ALPIMS support for body signals & interoception · Coming soon
Understanding the experience
The initial response to a trigger can be automatic and intense. Misophonia can affect relationships and everyday participation. It can occur with or without other conditions.
Everyday options to discuss
- Agree on a way to pause or leave a situation without blame.
- Explore seating, meal arrangements or tolerable background sound together.
- Explain needs at a calm time rather than during a trigger.
- Seek a clinician familiar with misophonia if it is limiting daily life.
Recognising an involuntary reaction does not excuse hurtful behaviour. Plan respectful ways to manage distress and protect everyone’s boundaries. Avoid deliberately making trigger sounds to test someone.
Research and treatment approaches are developing. Individual psychological support may help with distress and functioning; this does not mean the sensory experience is imagined.
Duke Health: misophonia assessment and care → Misophonia and shared family spaces · Coming soonUnderstanding the experience
Sounds that others tolerate may feel excessively loud or painful. A GP can help arrange hearing assessment or specialist advice.
Everyday options to discuss
- Give warning before noisy appliances or activities.
- Agree on quieter times and access to a comfortable space.
- Use hearing protection for hazardous noise.
- Discuss an individual plan for everyday sound and hearing protection with a hearing specialist.
If prescribed sound therapy causes pain or feels uncomfortably loud, stop and contact your clinician. NHS advice cautions that wearing ear protection all the time or avoiding sound completely may increase sensitivity; ask how this applies to your symptoms.
Understanding the experience
Persistent visual static can occur with symptoms such as afterimages, light sensitivity or difficulty seeing at night. Visual Snow Syndrome can coexist with migraine, but differs from a typical migraine aura.
Assessment and everyday support
- Describe whether the static is continuous, when it began and any other visual symptoms.
- Ask about eye assessment and whether neurological or neuro-ophthalmological advice is appropriate.
- Try comfortable lighting, less glare and manageable screen breaks.
- Discuss care for associated migraine or other symptoms.
There is no single established treatment that reliably removes visual snow for everyone. Any lenses, medicines or therapies should be discussed individually, with realistic expectations.
Sudden vision loss, a new curtain or shadow, or new flashes with many floaters needs urgent assessment. Do not assume a new visual change is visual snow.
Cleveland Clinic: Visual Snow Syndrome → Visual comfort, screens and migraine support · Coming soonConsider both the setting and the body
Ask what sensory input was present, whether there was fear or worry, and whether symptoms changed with standing, heat or position. These patterns may help a clinician; they are not a diagnostic test.
Try reducing uncomfortable input, offering clear choices and allowing rest. Anxiety support may help when anxiety is present. An autonomic condition needs its own assessment and care.
Improvement in a calmer setting does not prove anxiety caused the symptoms. Lower demand, rest and a change in position may also help.
The Spectrum: anxiety and autism → Healthdirect: anxiety → Healthdirect: POTS → Anxiety & Autonomic: differences and support · Coming soonRelated does not mean identical
Functional sensory symptoms may include numbness or altered sensation. Sensory hypersensitivity can also occur alongside FND. These are not the same as every sensory processing difficulty.
Studies suggest autism and FND can co-occur. This does not show that autism causes FND, or that an autistic person’s sensory needs are functional neurological symptoms.
FND is diagnosed using the clinical history and examination findings that support it. Anxiety, trauma history or normal scans alone do not establish FND. Other neurological or medical conditions may coexist.
What may help
- Tell your clinician which sensory environments affect you.
- Ask for predictable communication and tolerable appointment settings.
- Coordinate sensory accommodations with an individual FND rehabilitation plan.
- Adapt sensory grounding if it increases discomfort; do not force painful input.
New weakness, vision loss, loss of awareness or other changing neurological symptoms need appropriate assessment. Do not automatically attribute them to an existing diagnosis.
Information & resources
NHS Inform: FND symptoms, diagnosis and treatment → Neurosymptoms: a patient’s guide to FND → Neurosymptoms: functional sensory symptoms → NINDS: functional neurologic disorder → Research: preliminary study of autism–FND overlap → FND and accessible support · Coming soonThese examples describe ways needs can interact in everyday life. They do not show that one condition causes another.
A — Anxiety & autonomic
Overwhelming environments may add distress. Dizziness or a racing heart still needs appropriate assessment; sensory overload does not establish dysautonomia.
Combine sensory adjustments and predictable communication with care for anxiety or positional symptoms when needed.
L — Laxity & connective tissue
If joint instability or pain is also present, movement-based sensory activities may need adapting.
Choose comfortable positioning and ask about safe movement and task adaptations. Flexible joints alone do not establish a connective-tissue disorder.
P — Pain & bodily sensitivity
Pain and migraine can make demanding environments harder to tolerate.
Consider lighting, sound and seating alongside appropriate pain care. New pain deserves assessment.
I — Immune & inflammatory concerns
Smell discomfort and allergic reactions need different consideration. Sensory sensitivity does not establish allergy or MCAS.
Respect scent preferences and follow any prescribed allergy plan. Ask a clinician about suspected reactions.
M — Mood & mental health
Emotional distress and sensory or communication needs can coexist. Trauma history should be considered without explaining every difficulty through trauma.
Offer choice, predictable communication and accessible mental healthcare when needed.