🧠 Understanding Sensory Processing in Autism

Sensory processing refers to how the brain receives, organizes, and interprets information from our senses. In autistic individuals, this processing often presents particularities that alter their perception of the world. It is not just about being "sensitive," but rather a different neurological functioning that affects the seven sensory systems: tactile, auditory, visual, gustatory, olfactory, proprioceptive, and vestibular.

The theory of sensory integration, developed by occupational therapist Jean Ayres in the 1970s, explains that sensory difficulties can impact overall development: motor skills, cognition, behavior, and emotions. When the brain is overloaded or under-stimulated at the sensory level, the individual loses availability to perform other tasks. Understanding this sensory dimension is the first step towards a respectful approach in institutions.

🎯 Different Sensory Profiles in Autism

Winnie Dunn, a researcher in occupational therapy, developed a model for understanding sensory profiles based on two dimensions: neurological threshold (high or low) and behavioral response strategy (passive or active). This model identifies four main sensory profiles.

Hypersensitivity (Low Registration)

Hypersensitive individuals have a low neurological threshold: they detect stimuli that others do not perceive. Background noise, fluorescent lighting, or faint odors can become overwhelming. In institutions, these residents quickly become exhausted by noisy, multi-sensory environments like dining rooms or activity rooms.

Hyposensitivity (Sensation Seeking)

Hyposensitive individuals have a high neurological threshold: they actively seek intense stimuli to "feel" their bodies and the environment. They may jump, touch various textures, make loud sounds, or engage in repetitive movements. In institutions, this search for stimulation is often misunderstood and interpreted as problematic behavior.

Poor Sensory Discrimination

Some individuals have difficulty finely discriminating sensory information: they struggle to locate a sound in space, distinguish between two similar textures, or accurately assess the strength of a movement. This can affect fine motor skills, coordination, and understanding of their position in space.

Ineffective Sensory Modulation

Modulation refers to the nervous system's ability to regulate the intensity of its response to stimuli. Ineffective modulation leads to disproportionate responses: a person may go from a calm state to a major crisis due to a minor stimulus, or conversely, not react sufficiently to a significant stimulus. In institutions, these variations are destabilizing for both residents and staff.

📊 Assessing Sensory Needs in Institutions

Sensory assessment is the starting point for appropriate support. Several standardized tools exist to identify sensory profiles, the most widely used in France being Winnie Dunn's Sensory Profile. This tool, typically administered by an occupational therapist, quantifies sensory particularities in each modality and identifies the individual's overall profile.

In addition to this standardized assessment, daily observations by staff are valuable. A simple sensory observation grid can be used by educators, nursing assistants, and activity leaders to note reactions to different sensory situations: meals, group activities, personal care, movements. These observations complement the sensory profile and help refine support strategies.

🏢 Arranging Institutional Spaces

Sensory arrangement of spaces is a major lever for improving well-being in institutions. Unlike at home, where the individual or their family controls the environment, the institution imposes shared spaces that must meet the varied sensory needs of multiple residents.

The Sensory "Calm Corner"

Every living space should have a calm corner where a resident experiencing sensory overload can retreat. This corner, visually delineated (screen, rug, light partition), is equipped with soothing elements: cushions, weighted blanket, dim lighting, discreet sensory manipulation materials. It should be accessible at all times without prior permission, which implies a change in institutional culture.

The Snoezelen Room

The Snoezelen environment, developed in the Netherlands in the 1970s, is a controlled multi-sensory space where the resident chooses the stimuli they wish to explore (lights, sounds, textures, smells). In institutions, a Snoezelen room allows for individualized sensory regulation sessions. Typical arrangements include: bubble columns, fiber optics, scent diffusers, soft music, various tactile objects, vibrating materials.

Dining Room Adaptation

The dining room is often a place of sensory overload: noise from cutlery and conversations, multiple odors, visual stimuli, physical proximity. To reduce this load, several adaptations are possible: acoustic panels on the ceiling, noise-reducing tablecloths, table arrangements to create individualized spaces, the option to have some meals in a separate area, adjustable lighting.

Bedrooms and Personal Spaces

The bedroom should be a sensory refuge. Allowing each resident to personalize their space according to their sensory needs (lighting, minimal or rich decoration, layout) is essential. Some hypersensitive residents will appreciate a clean and neutral space, while others who are hyposensitive may prefer a visually stimulating environment.

🎯 Sensory Regulation Strategies in Daily Life

Beyond space arrangement, individual sensory regulation strategies are an essential aspect of support. The "sensory diet," a concept developed by Patricia Wilbarger, involves providing sensory activities tailored to each person's profile throughout the day to maintain an optimal level of alertness.

For a hyposensitive resident who needs intense movements, the sensory diet may include proprioceptive activities in the morning (carrying loads, pushing carts, doing resistance exercises), regular motor breaks during the day (trampoline, swing, motor skills courses), and calm but sensory-rich activities in the evening (massage, weighted blanket). For a hypersensitive resident, the sensory diet will prioritize breaks in a calm space, the use of noise-canceling headphones in noisy environments, and low-sensory-load activities.

• Available Regulation Tools: noise-canceling headphones, pocket sensory objects (fidgets), weighted blankets, heavy vests, tinted glasses, sensory chews
• Regulation Activities: motor courses, therapeutic swings, sensory bins, heavy motor activities, massage, deep pressure
• Regulation Spaces: calm corner in each living space, Snoezelen room, sensory garden, decompression area

🎮 COCO THINKS and COCO MOVES: Cognitive-Motor Alternation for Regulation

The COCO THINKS and COCO MOVES program from DYNSEO naturally integrates the sensory dimension through its mandatory alternation between cognitive and physical activities every 15 minutes. This alternation is particularly beneficial for autistic children whose sensory regulation involves movement.

The physical activities of COCO MOVES provide opportunities for proprioceptive and vestibular regulation that prepare the child to refocus on cognitive activities afterward. This alternating structure aligns with the recommendations of occupational therapists specializing in sensory integration, who advocate for regular motor breaks to optimize attention and cognitive availability.

☀️ Application in Daily Institutional Life

The sensory approach must be integrated into every moment of institutional daily life. Staff training aims to develop a permanent "sensory awareness" that changes the way support is provided daily.

Waking up is a sensorily delicate moment: transition from darkness to light, noise of collective life, contact with water and clothing. The trained professional knows how to adapt the waking rhythm, gradually modulate lighting, and respect tactile sensitivities during personal care. Meal times are another critical moment: noise in the dining room, multiple odors, food textures, physical proximity to others. Adapting the environment (table away if necessary, soft music, choice of placement) and eating practices (respecting sensory aversions, appropriate presentation) is part of the trained team's competence.

The DYNSEO guides for supporting autistic children and supporting autistic adults offer complementary strategies to integrate the sensory approach into overall support.

🎓 Training with DYNSEO

DYNSEO offers a certified Qualiopi training "Supporting a Child with Autism: Keys and Solutions for Daily Life" that addresses the sensory dimension of autism and strategies for adapting the environment.