Helpful easy reasonable adjustments

Headphones can also help if you have to go somewhere that is busy / noisy.

Tactile/fiddle toys– You may still find that fiddle toys help you concentrate.  You may choose something inconspicuous such as a piece of blutac. In addition, having crunchy foods, ice pops, or gum can help with oral motor skills and sensory integration. 

Movement Breaks– can be helpful in regulating your nervous system. Adding in muscle work can help to ground you.

Deep pressure, for example massage style touch, can be calming to the nervous system. Some young people like to wear tight fitting clothing, for example sportswear (can be worn under other clothing), some like to carry something weighted / have a weighted object on their laps as this weight provides deep tactile input

Eating and drinking

As you get older you will have more say about what you have to eat or drink.  You may be choosing your meals at school and have money for snacks.  This will help where you satisfy some of your sensory needs with textures and tasty foods.  Just make sure you keep a balanced diet as much as you can.

Art and Music

Other outlets that can act as a wonderful sensory filter with cognitive benefits are art and music. Consider joining a band or taking regular art classes. These provide sensory benefits as well as communication and social-emotional benefits.  You may also want to go to nightclubs and gigs with your friends- you can make adjustments such as discrete ear plugs so that you don’t miss out.

Socialising

Social situations can be very overwhelming because crowds and closeness to others can trigger sensory overload. While you may struggle to express how you are feeling, you may be hyperaware of how you respond in social situations and feel helpless when you struggle to connect.

Your peers may be starting to “date” or be socialising outside of their family homes by going to nightclubs, public events or to shopping centres away from parental oversight.  This is likely to bring sensory challenges beyond having a friend round to the house or coping in your familiar school environment.

You will want to join in but the thought may also feel overwhelming.  Lous echoing spaces, strange smalls and bright lights may be challenging.  It is important that you understand yourself and find ways to achieve the social life you want while managing the sensory impact.

Sports

The range of sports you can play may become more varied as you reach your teens and move away from the idea of school PE lessons.  Joining a sports team can provide a social group as well as regular exercise and a sensory workout.  You may want to think beyond the opportunities at school:

• Going to the gym
• Yoga
• Martial Arts
• Swimming and diving
• Wrestling
• Football
• Tennis
• Golf
• Horse Riding
• Athletics
• Trampolining
• Cycling
• Exercise classes
• Jogging

Personal care

Adolescence is a time when body changes means that personal hygiene will need to change too. Young men and women need to take extra care with hygiene. If they are prepared in advance for the changes that will happen, they can also be introduced to items they will use e.g. shaver, deodorant, sanitary wear etc. Early introduction, before they become necessary, may allow young people to investigate and accommodate any sensory issues. Some young people will have a heightened sense of smell or touch which can make some aspects of personal hygiene uncomfortable. The feel of water from a shower, the smell of particular soaps or shampoos and the texture of some towels may all have an impact.

As a teenager you may well choose to shower rather than have a bath.  Baths and showers are different sensory experiences and it is personal choice.

Although all teenagers have the same basic hygiene issues there will be a need to address some specific issues for:

Girls will need help to manage their periods. For example, parents might need to talk about how often to change her pad or tampon, and parents and school will have to discuss how to dispose of it hygienically.

Boys will need advice about shaving (how to do it and when to start), looking after their genitals, and about bodily fluids. Parents might talk to their son about wet dreams and how to clean up hygienically afterwards.

Self-regulatory activity for teenagers

Sensory modulation

 As you get older it is important to be able to take control of your senses and use them to your benefit.  Sensations can be used mindfully to help you feel calmer and/ or more alert.  The following examples are categorised as calming or alerting to help you to think about how they might influence you.  Circle those that you find helpful.