How we behave is often a direct result of how our senses are able to process the world around us.
Sensory Smart™ Design Principles combine what we know about sensory processing and the qualities of the environment to create the best match possible.
Sensory Processing ConceptsMultisensory IntegrationSensory Reactivity and Threshold SensitivitySensory DiscriminationLocal vs Global ProcessingEntrainmentRelated Behavioral SignsAnxietyTantrumsFixationsShort Attention Span for ActivitiesDesire for ConsistencyEnvironmental Qualities
Size and ShapeControl
Familiarity
Predictability
To understand the unique ways someone processes sensory information from their environment, pay attention to how they move within the space.
You may think that sensory processing is invisible, and therefore impossible to understand, let alone design for. This is actually not the case! We see signs of how people process sensory information all the time by how they act within a certain space. Action and movement give us important clues about what aspects of the environment are supporting or inhibiting positive sensory experiences.
2. From there, determine Our sensory system works to actively create meaning from our environment.
You may think that our senses are passive transmitters of information to the brain. Not true! Our sensory and motor systems are coupled, right from the start. We moveWe move in meaningful ways TO process sensory information in our own personal way, as much as sensory information tells us how to move.
Case study: example of RRBs?
We use our senses to determine what the affordances are in a space- we don’t all enter a space and ‘see’ the same thing. We are primed/biased to foreground certain aspects and leave others in the background
3. Designing spaces that support sensory processing needs and preferences needs to consider their social needs as well.
Do they need to be alone to self-regulate? Do they need a caregiver at all times? Are their sensory systems ‘synced up’ with their family?
Another common misconception is that we have a sensory system that has nothing to do with our social life. Not true! From the moment we are born, we learn how to fine tune our senses based on the people around us who are ensuring our survival.
People on the spectrum aren’t anti-social, the just can’t sync their sensory systems with neurotypical people (nor should they have to!).
Provide examples of rest and refuge
Not just general sensitivity although sometimes it is- can be tuned out, not responsive, anxious, act differently in familiar or unfamiliar places, sensory system responds differently to factors in the environment that are under their control
Sense evokes memories, ideation of what to do in a space, movement creates order
Thorough diagnostic procedures and then results into clear, manageable guidelines and suggestions