Children’s Services and Adult
Learning Disability Services
Children’s Services and Adult
If you have sensory processing differences, your brain might react to certain sensations differently from your friends. Your sensory threshold is how much sensation or sensory input you can handle might be, and this might be lower or higher than other people’s.
Here are some real‑life examples that might sound familiar:
Hearing (Sound)
Sight
Touch
Proprioception (Body Awareness)
Vestibular (Balance and Movement)
Interoception (Internal Body Sense)
You can explore all of our senses further by clicking the links below. There is information on how it feels to be over or under sensitive to sensory input across each of your senses.
School is full of sensory input – lights, sounds, smells, movement, people, rules. For someone with sensory processing differences, it can feel like:
In class
In corridors
At lunch
During assemblies
Emotionally
Lots of people have sensory processing differences, even if they don’t talk about it. It’s really common, especially among teenagers dealing with busy school days, social pressures, and changing routines.
And here’s something important to know:
Your sensory needs can change depending on:
For example, a sound that’s “fine” in the morning might feel unbearable by last lesson. A crowded corridor might be okay one day and overwhelming the next. That doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you, it just means your brain is working hard.
You may want to watch this video, where William talks about his experiences of sensory differences and how they impact him day to day. Some of his experiences may sound familiar to you and the resources at the bottom of the page may give you some ideas to cope with them.
Everyone has different sensory thresholds or limits, and learning yours can really help you cope better. Think about:
What helps you feel calm, focused, or organised?
What makes things harder?
What signs tell you you’re reaching your limit or threshold?
It can really help to tell teachers, support staff, parents, or employers:
You don’t need to explain everything just the things that help you feel understood and supported.
For example, sensory input like a school bell might sound as loud as someone screaming in your ear, or a piece of artwork on the wall might keep distracting you from the teacher because your brain has not registered that you’ve seen it before. You might also feel the need to move constantly because your arms and legs aren’t giving enough input about the position of your limbs.
Sometimes, these different reactions can become overwhelming and frustrating, leading to emotional outbursts that are hard to control. The limits to what we can tolerate, or sensory thresholds are different for everybody. Each person has their own thresholds for sensory input but might not know how to cope when they feel overloaded and stressed. It’s important to understand your unique sensory needs and preferences to help you tolerate certain situations.
Make a note of which activities are difficult for you and which activities feel good.
The resources below can help you understand strategies to manage specific areas which you might find difficult:
This service provides post-diagnostic support and on-going management for children and young people with ADHD and their families.
Our Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service supports children and young people aged up to 18 years, who are experiencing significant emotional or mental health difficulties.
The team completes Autism and ADHD assessments for children and young people who are below the age of 18 and have a GP in Hull or the East Riding of Yorkshire.
The Front Door Team is where referrals for Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity (ADHD) are sent and reviewed.
“Our Senses are the gateway to our world”
