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Post-16: Sensory Processing

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People Attending a Conference

Sensory Processing

For young people with learning needs, social communication needs, language and communication difficulties and physical needs, processing information can be difficult.

Every day we filter out unconnected sensory information around us and identify what is needed and what is not. For example, a young person may hear their name and respond to this, however, we would expect them to be able to filter out the sound of the lawnmower outside. For some children, this can prove difficult.

By post 16 a young person's sensory needs may have already been identified. However, young people may continue to need support to articulate their sensory difficulties when overwhelmed and may continue to require support to pre-empt and express their needs. It is therefore important to enable a young person to communicate their sensory needs with potential training placements and employers, as part of preparing for adulthood.

All settings must adhere to the Equalities Act 2010, with the use of reasonable adjustments and accessibility requirements. Differentiation may be required to take account of slower pace in performing some tasks as pupils may tire easily. Minor adjustments to practice, materials and the learning environment may be required.

Specific consideration should be given to the way staff present the curriculum, such as use of:

  • accessibility of printed materials
  • auditory or tactile stimuli to support visual stimuli
  • speed of work
  • social interaction with other students.

Autism Sensory Experience

Autism Together has created a short immersive video, filmed from a first-person perspective, to give the viewer an idea of what it might be like for a person with autism who experiences auditory, physical or visual hypersensitivity in their sensory processing, in experiencing noisy, busy, everyday environments.

Please watch in YouTube for more accessibility options. - opens in a new tab

Resources and Tips

  • Whilst a young person's needs may be well known by familiar people, it is important that this can be shared in the young person’s wider community, as part of preparing for adulthood.
  • A regular discussion with the young person will be key to ensuring their needs are updated and they have partnership and ownership of communicating needs with people around them.
  • The National Development Team for Inclusion has made a Coping Strategy [Size: 850 KB, File: PDF] document to help with planning.