Sensory Processing

What is sensory processing?

Sensory processing is how the brain receives, organises, and responds to information from the senses. It is happening all the time - every sound, texture, light, movement, and internal signal is being processed by the brain to build a picture of what is happening and what to do about it.

When sensory processing works smoothly, you can filter out background noise to focus on a conversation, tolerate the feeling of your clothes against your skin, and notice when you are hungry or need the toilet. When it works differently - as it does for many neurodivergent people - the world can feel overwhelming, confusing, or painfully intense.

The eight senses

The familiar five

• Sight (vision) - processing light, colour, movement, and visual detail
• Hearing (audition) - processing sound, volume, pitch, and where sounds are coming from
• Touch (tactile) - processing pressure, texture, temperature, and pain through the skin
• Taste (gustatory) - processing flavours and textures in the mouth
• Smell (olfactory) - processing scents and odours

The three "hidden" senses

These three senses are less well known but deeply important for daily functioning.

Proprioception is the sense of where your body is in space. It tells you the position of your limbs without looking at them, how much force to use when picking up a cup, and how to navigate a doorway without bumping into the frame. Proprioceptive differences can affect coordination, motor planning, and body awareness.

The vestibular sense is based in the inner ear and provides information about balance, spatial orientation, and movement. It is what tells you whether you are upright, tilting, or spinning. Vestibular differences can affect balance, coordination, and tolerance for movement.

Interoception is the sense of what is happening inside your body. It includes signals like hunger, thirst, temperature, heart rate, the need to use the toilet, and pain. Interoceptive differences can mean missing important body signals - or experiencing them with confusing intensity.¹

Sensory processing differences

People experience sensory processing on a spectrum. The same person may be highly sensitive to some types of input and under-responsive to others. Understanding your own sensory profile is one of the most useful things you can do.

Hypersensitivity (over-responsivity)

A person with sensory hypersensitivity experiences sensory input more intensely than others. Sounds that most people can ignore may feel painfully loud. Certain textures may be unbearable. Bright lights may cause headaches or distress. The tag in a shirt may feel like sandpaper.

Hypersensitivity can lead to sensory avoidance - withdrawing from environments, situations, or activities because they are too overwhelming.

Hyposensitivity (under-responsivity)

A person with sensory hyposensitivity may not register sensory input that others notice easily. They might not feel cold when others do, miss pain signals, or not notice when they are hungry or need the toilet. This can create practical difficulties and safety concerns.

Sensory seeking

Some people actively seek out intense sensory input - deep pressure, loud music, strong flavours, fast movement. This is not attention-seeking or recklessness. It is the nervous system looking for the level of input it needs to feel regulated and alert.

Mixed profiles

Most people with sensory processing differences have a mixed profile. You might be hypersensitive to sound but hyposensitive to proprioceptive input. You might seek vestibular stimulation but avoid certain textures. This complexity is normal and expected.

Sensory processing in numbers

• A 2024 meta-analysis of 63 studies (11,659 participants) found that all types of sensory processing differences in autistic people were associated with greater mental health difficulties. Hypersensitivity and auditory, visual, and tactile sensitivities showed the strongest associations.3
• Research from the STAR Institute shows that 75% of children with sensory over-responsivity do not meet criteria for any other condition - suggesting that sensory processing difficulties can exist independently of autism or ADHD.4
• An estimated 40-60% of children with either ADHD or sensory processing difficulties have symptoms of both.4

Which conditions involve sensory processing differences?

Autism

Sensory processing differences are now a core diagnostic criterion for autism in the DSM-5. Autistic people commonly experience both hypersensitivity and hyposensitivity across multiple senses. Sensory overload is one of the most common triggers for meltdowns and shutdowns.

ADHD

Sensory processing differences in ADHD are increasingly recognised but are not yet included in diagnostic criteria. The 2025 meta-analysis by Jurek and colleagues makes a strong case that sensory assessment should be routine in ADHD evaluation.²

Dyspraxia (DCD)

People with dyspraxia often experience significant proprioceptive and vestibular processing differences, affecting coordination, balance, and spatial awareness. Tactile sensitivity is also common.

Sensory processing as a standalone experience

Studies using physiological measures (such as electrodermal responses) have shown that children with sensory over-responsivity have different nervous system responses to sensory input compared to children with autism or ADHD alone - suggesting that these are overlapping but distinct conditions.³

For more on how conditions overlap, see our page on co-occurrence.

Sensory overload

Sensory overload happens when the brain receives more sensory input than it can process. It is not about being weak or dramatic. It is about a nervous system that has reached its limit.

Signs of sensory overload include:

• Difficulty concentrating or thinking clearly
• Feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or irritable
• Physical discomfort - headaches, nausea, tension
• A need to escape the environment
• Meltdowns or shutdowns

Sensory overload is cumulative. A person may manage one source of input but become overwhelmed when multiple sources combine - a noisy room with bright lights, strong smells, and crowding, for example. The effects can also build over the course of a day, meaning the same environment that was manageable in the morning becomes unbearable by the afternoon.

The body connection

Proprioception, hypermobility, and emotional regulation

A 2024 study published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B found a significant link between proprioceptive processing, joint hypermobility, emotional dysregulation, and neurodivergence. The researchers proposed that imprecise proprioceptive signals may contribute to difficulties with emotional regulation - a finding that opens new ways of understanding the connection between the body and emotions in neurodivergent people.⁴

Interoception and daily life

When interoceptive processing is affected, everyday self-care becomes harder. A person may not notice they are hungry until they are shaking, or not feel cold until they are hypothermic, or not recognise the need to use the toilet until it is urgent. These are not failures of self-discipline. They are sensory processing differences that need practical support.

Living with sensory processing differences

Know your sensory profile

Understanding which senses are most affected - and whether you tend toward hypersensitivity, hyposensitivity, or sensory seeking in each area - is the foundation for managing sensory challenges. There is no one-size-fits-all approach.

Environmental adjustments

• Sound - noise-cancelling headphones, quiet spaces, control over background noise
• Light - dimmer switches, tinted lenses, avoiding fluorescent lighting
• Touch - choosing comfortable clothing textures, removing labels, having preferred textures available
• Smell - fragrance-free environments, carrying a preferred scent for grounding
• Movement and proprioception - access to movement breaks, weighted blankets, fidget tools

Sensory regulation strategies

• Scheduled breaks - building sensory rest into your day before overload hits
• Sensory toolkit - a collection of items that help you regulate (earplugs, sunglasses, chewable items, textured objects)
• Movement - physical activity, stretching, rocking, or pressure can help the proprioceptive and vestibular systems settle
• Control where possible - having some control over your sensory environment makes a significant difference

Professional support

• Occupational therapy - especially sensory integration therapy, which helps the brain process sensory information more effectively
• Sensory assessments - an occupational therapist can conduct a formal sensory profile to identify your specific patterns
• Environmental audits - identifying and modifying sensory challenges in your home, workplace, or school

Getting support

NHS and private services

• If sensory processing differences are significantly affecting your daily life, speak to your GP about referral to an occupational therapist.
• If you suspect sensory difficulties may be connected to an undiagnosed neurodevelopmental condition, ask about assessment. See our guide to getting a diagnosis.
• Use our Local Services directory to find occupational therapists and sensory specialists near you.

Organisations

• STAR Institute - research and resources on sensory processing
• National Autistic Society - sensory differences and autism
• Sensory Integration Network - UK-based sensory integration resources and practitioner directory

neurobetter resources

• Autism - sensory processing as a core feature
• ADHD - sensory differences in ADHD
• Dyspraxia (DCD) - proprioceptive and vestibular differences
• Emotional dysregulation - sensory overload and meltdowns
• Neurodivergent burnout - the cumulative cost of sensory overload
• Our online community - connect with others who understand
• Ask a Counsellor - private, confidential guidance