Jade shares how she discovered her children’s sensory needs and what they do to support them.

I have two autistic sons aged eight and ten, and both boys have alternative communication needs. Joe, my eldest, is nonspeaking, and we communicate using visual aids and PECS. James, my youngest, has lots of verbal language, but his speech is mostly echolalic (repeating phrases/words) with limited back and forth conversation. As such, we communicate differently in our house and it’s important that we pick up on more subtle communication from the boys.

The boys were diagnosed as autistic at ages two and three because of their communication differences and this was the focus of their support initially. It took us a while to recognise their sensory needs. Joe is a sensory seeker and I wish I had focused on sensory input much earlier for him. He loves sensory play and gets excited in stimulating environments such as the supermarket (the opposite to his brother).

James has more sensory avoidant tendencies, in particular with noise sensitivity. While we saw this earlier thanks to hand dryers and motorbikes, it took me longer to realise the significance of the impact on him. Pre-school and school have been particularly challenging environments for him with so much unpredictable noise, but since he has been comfortable wearing headphones at school, it has made a huge difference for him. It took us a while of offering and practising using the headphones at home before he was familiar and felt safe with them.

I need to be more observant about the boys’ likes and dislikes when it comes to sensory activities/adaptations. I do use visual aids and PECS with the boys, but, as they have got older, it is more about having access to sensory items all the time so they can choose what they need and access it when they need it. Often, even when a child can communicate, they still struggle to communicate their sensory needs, especially when overwhelmed. In most rooms of our house, we have sensory fidgets that can be accessed at any time, including sensory chews. I also have my pockets filled when we are out and about.

I have pictures in the house of anything they need help to access, such as a picture of the trampoline by the back door so they can use that to ask me to go out in the garden.

Visiting SEND groups and sensory play activities has been helpful to identify items that really help the boys with their sensory needs. It was at groups such as this that we could try things including body socks and gym balls, and see what the kids were drawn to. I would recommend using local sensory lending libraries or SEND groups to try different sensory equipment.

The key for me is observing what the kids are enjoying and finding ways to get more of that input for them. Speaking to other SEND parents is always helpful when looking for ideas.

Jade blogs about autism and communication at The Autism Page, theautismpage.com 

This article first appeared in the National Autistic Society's membership magazine Your Autism and was reproduced with kind permission.