Sensory Processing
About a 5-minute read — the short version just below covers the essentials.
Sensory processing differences are variations in how the nervous system registers and filters sensory input — common in Autistic and ADHD adults, and near-universal in AuDHD. Most people filter out background sensory input without thinking about it. For many Autistic and AuDHD people, that filter works differently — sensory information arrives louder, more intense, or more intrusive than it does for neurotypical people. This isn't sensitivity in the colloquial sense. It's a different nervous system architecture.
The three patterns
Hypersensitivity
Sensory input registers as more intense than expected. Sounds are louder, textures more irritating, lights more glaring. Input that others barely notice can be overwhelming or painful.
Hyposensitivity
Sensory input registers as less intense, or may not register at all. Pain thresholds may be higher; you may not notice temperature, hunger, or physical discomfort until they're extreme.
Sensory seeking
Actively seeking strong sensory input — loud music, tight clothing, intense textures, movement, pressure. The nervous system needs more input than the environment naturally provides.
Most neurodivergent people experience a mix — hypersensitive in some channels, hyposensitive or seeking in others. This combination can look contradictory from the outside: needing silence but also wearing headphones playing music at volume; hating light touch but craving deep pressure.
The sensory channels
Sensory processing differences affect more than just the five traditional senses.
Sound (auditory)
Background noise that others filter out — conversations, air conditioning, traffic — may be impossible to tune out. Sudden sounds can be startling and distressing. Certain frequencies or timbres may be physically uncomfortable.
Light and visual input
Fluorescent lighting, bright screens, visual clutter, and busy environments can cause headaches, eye strain, or overwhelm. Pattern sensitivity (flickering, certain visual repetitions) is also common.
Touch (tactile)
Clothing textures, seams, labels, or fabric types may be unwearable. Light unexpected touch can be deeply unpleasant even from people you like. Deep pressure (hugs, weighted blankets) may feel regulating rather than intrusive.
Smell (olfactory)
Strong smells — cleaning products, perfume, food, public spaces — can be overwhelming to the point of triggering nausea or requiring exit from a space.
Taste and food textures
Sensitivity to texture, temperature, or specific tastes can make eating difficult. Food refusal or a narrow diet is often sensory-driven rather than preference. This is frequently misunderstood in both children and adults.
Proprioception (body position)
The sense of where your body is in space. Proprioceptive seeking — crashing, pressing, carrying heavy things — is common and self-regulating. Difficulties here can affect coordination and spatial awareness.
Interoception (internal body signals)
The sense of internal states: hunger, thirst, pain, temperature, the need for the bathroom, emotional states. Many Autistic and AuDHD people have reduced interoceptive accuracy, meaning internal states are harder to read until they're urgent.
Vestibular (movement and balance)
The sense of movement, balance, and spatial orientation. Some people seek vestibular input (spinning, swinging, rocking); others are sensitive to it and find motion sickness or balance challenges significant.
Sensory overload
Sensory overload happens when the cumulative sensory input exceeds the nervous system's processing capacity. It's a physiological state, not a choice. Signs include:
Overload is cumulative and has a lag. You might hold it together in a difficult environment and then crash once you're home — not because home is worse, but because you've been managing the load all day and finally reached your limit.
What this might look like for you
Managing sensory load
Identify your sensory profile
Know which channels are most sensitive for you, and which conditions trigger overload fastest. This is self-knowledge, not a limitation — it lets you make better decisions about environments and capacity.
Reduce input where you can control it
Noise-cancelling headphones, sunglasses indoors, choosing seating away from speakers or vents, wearing comfortable clothing — small adjustments to the sensory environment add up significantly.
Build recovery into your schedule
High-sensory environments (shops, offices, social events) have a cost. Scheduling quiet, low-stimulation time afterward isn't indulgent — it's maintenance. Not scheduling it is what leads to overload.
Stim
Stimming — repetitive movements or sensory input that helps regulate the nervous system — is a valid and effective self-regulation strategy. Rocking, tapping, fidgeting, wearing headphones, using a weighted blanket: these work. Let yourself use them.
Communicate your needs
In workplaces and relationships where it's safe to do so, naming your sensory needs reduces the daily effort of managing them alone. You don't owe anyone an exhaustive explanation, but stating what you need clearly is almost always more effective than masking and hoping.
Explore your own patterns
The free OddlyWired self-assessment — no email needed, it runs entirely in your browser — includes questions about sensory experience across the Autism and ADHD modules. If sensory differences are a significant part of your experience, the results may help you understand your profile more clearly.
It's a self-exploration tool, not a diagnostic instrument.
Take the self-assessment →