How to Manage Sensory Challenges in Kids with ADHD

If you’ve landed on this article, chances are you’re parenting an active child with big reactions. Maybe you already know your child is highly sensitive and you’re wondering if ADHD might also be part of the picture. Or perhaps your child has an ADHD diagnosis, but you’re noticing they have big reactions in ways that feel like more than just typical ADHD symptoms.

Wherever you’re coming from in this journey, I want you to know that your instincts about your child are spot-on, and most importantly—you can absolutely help them through this.

So why does this happen with ADHD children? It all comes down to differences in their brains. According to a research article published in Frontiers in integrative neuroscience, sensory over-responsivity is a really common problem in those with ADHD.

It’s like they’re on high alert ALL the time, and things we brush off, like scratchy tags or a whiff of someone’s perfume, make them feel totally overwhelmed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that roughly 10% of children in the United States have ADHD. And 40% of these kids, that’s a LOT of them, also experience a sensory processing challenges.

Common Sensory Challenges for Kids with ADHD

Ever see your little one covering their ears at the slightest noise? Or melting down in a bright and crowded room? Yeah, I feel you. Sensory processing challenges in kids with ADHD are more common than you might think, and some may surprise you:

• Sound Sensitivity: It’s the vacuum cleaner, loud noises from the TV, or maybe even chewing sounds that set off your little one. That sensitivity to sound with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can feel very intense for them.
• Touch Aversions: Have you ever felt a tag rubbing on your skin and just had to rip it out? It is exactly how a kiddo with tactile sensitivity can feel. And imagine, it’s all fabrics. Even sometimes the gentlest touch sends them recoiling like a frightened kitten.
• Visual Overload: Busy spaces, crowded patterns, moving cars and people everywhere. You just want to switch it all off sometimes, right? That’s exactly how they feel when those overload triggers hit.
• Smell Sensitivity: Some scents might seem nice to us, but those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may be extra sensitive to things like perfumes or cleaning supplies.
• Taste Issues: Do you remember when broccoli touched mashed potatoes and your whole dinner was ruined? Picky eating with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is common for kids, because even slight variations in tastes or temperatures of food can send their senses spinning.

What You Can Do at Home to Make it Better

Don’t fret, you are definitely not powerless. According to occupational therapists and various studies, those sensory pathways in their brains can be rerouted and managed over time.

Crafting a Calm Oasis in Your Home

You know those serene, quiet spas, where stress fades away? This is exactly what we’re going to do in your home. Creating sensory strategies and helpful sensory environments is easy with these simple steps:

• Calming Colors and Lighting: Incorporate soft colors, gentle lighting and try dimming lights. ADHD kids will likely feel way calmer without all that harsh stimulation.
• Organized Spaces: Avoid visual clutter by keeping rooms clean and toy bins organized. Try to encourage a tidy space where it’s easier for their little brains to breathe and function properly.
• Quiet Zones: Try setting up a chill zone, somewhere calming where they can be tucked away with blankets, calming music, or anything else that seems to regulate them. This gives them a place to breathe when the world is too overstimulating

Understanding Sensory-Based Interventions for ADHD

Now that you’ve got those home changes down, it’s important to focus on finding some strategies that are calming. There are multiple routes you can go. You can find sensory activities to implement at home, or get a prescribed sensory diet from an occupational therapist. Sensory diets are tailored to your kid’s specific needs, and can make all the difference. Research studies like those from A Systematic Review of Sensory Processing Interventions, suggests they work.

Helpful Sensory Activities You Can Try

Are you ready to dive in with me to discover what sensory-based intervention is all about? The thing is, you don’t need any special equipment or certifications. You likely do many of them now without knowing.

Movement Breaks

Why it helps:
Kids with ADHD often have what feels like a motor running inside them. Their brains process information best when their bodies are in motion. Movement stimulates the vestibular system (balance and spatial orientation) and the proprioceptive system (body awareness), which calms the nervous system and helps the brain refocus.

What to try:

• At home: Make a “movement menu” together—five-minute activities your child can choose when restlessness hits. Ideas: dance to one song, race to the end of the block, or do 20 jumping jacks.
• During homework: Break assignments into chunks. After finishing a worksheet or reading a page, send them to run laps in the hallway or do push-ups against the wall.
• In public: If you’re at a restaurant or waiting room, have them do calf raises under the table or shoulder shrugs.

Pro tip: Plan for movement before focus-demanding tasks. A two-minute race around the backyard before homework can save you from a 20-minute meltdown later.

Heavy Work Activities

Why it helps:
“Heavy work” means activities that use big muscles against resistance—pushing, pulling, lifting, or carrying. These activities provide strong proprioceptive input, which helps kids feel grounded and safe in their bodies. For kids with ADHD and sensory sensitivities, heavy work can act like a weighted blanket for the nervous system.

What to try:

• At home: Have them vacuum, sweep, or carry laundry baskets. These chores aren’t just “helping out”—they’re regulation tools in disguise.
• Transition times: Before school, let them push their backpack across the floor or carry a stack of books to the car. That input helps them settle before entering a stimulating classroom.
• Fun options: Animal walks (bear crawl, crab walk, frog jumps) give the same heavy work benefits while feeling like play.

Pro tip: Try adding heavy work before stressful situations (like going to a birthday party). That pre-loaded input can make transitions smoother and meltdowns less likely.

Oral Sensory Input

3. Oral Sensory Input: Calming Through the Mouth

Why it helps:
The mouth is a direct pathway to the nervous system. Chewing, sucking, and crunching all provide organizing sensory input that can calm an overactive system. For kids with ADHD, oral input gives their body something repetitive and soothing to do while their brain works on focus.

What to try:

• At home: Offer crunchy snacks during homework time—carrots, apples, pretzels, or celery sticks.
• On the go: Keep frozen fruit pops or reusable water bottles with straws for the car. The sucking motion helps regulate in confined spaces.
• For older kids: Sugar-free gum can be a discreet way to give oral input during school or extracurriculars.

Pro tip: Create a “snack basket” with safe, parent-approved crunchy foods your child can access when they feel restless. This empowers them to self-regulate.

Fidget Toys

4. Fidget Tools: Channeling Restlessness into Focus

Why it helps:
Fidgeting isn’t a distraction—it’s a way the brain self-regulates. For kids with ADHD, movement in the hands helps release excess energy and increases focus on the task at hand. Without an outlet, fidgeting can turn into more disruptive behaviors (tapping, squirming, interrupting).

What to try:

• At home: Give them a stress ball, putty, or a pop-it while they’re reading or listening to you explain something.
• At school: Work with teachers to allow small, quiet fidgets in the classroom. A tangle toy in a desk can be enough to keep focus without disrupting others.
• In public: Keep a fidget kit in your bag for waiting rooms, car rides, or restaurants. Even something as simple as a keychain-sized squishy can prevent overload.

Pro tip: Introduce fidgets as “tools, not toys.” Frame them as something that helps the brain work better, not something to sneak or hide.

Navigating School With Sensory Processing

We’ve created an awesome chill zone at home, learned about that magic “sensory diet”, but what about the big bad world of school? If their classroom is not sensory-friendly, it can cause trouble paying attention, impulsivity and increase a lot of sensory sensitivity.

Working as a Team With Teachers

Forming strong relationships with teachers and communicating with them is the best way support our ADHD kiddos at school. Learning from their teachers what sensory support they need at school can be crucial for their success.

• Creating a Sensory Toolbox at School: Get teachers on board by sending some of their fidget toys to school and creating calming activities for your little one’s desk. Things like weighted lap pads or weighted blankets built into their routine can be magic in those bustling classrooms.
• Sensory Breaks Throughout the School Day: Talk to their teachers about this first, but try and find ways to incorporate movement breaks or restful periods. Maybe it’s going for a short walk in the hallway to reduce fidgeting. It could even be stepping out for a minute to take a break away from intense sounds and smells. Those opportunities to re-center themselves are critical for regulation.
• Educating the School Community: Having teachers as allies can be extremely important. Remember, having empathy goes a long way in helping kids with sensory differences have an amazing school experience.

 

Identifying When Sensory Overload is Happening

Have you seen a meltdown erupt in the middle of the grocery store or a school recital? What happens if those overload triggers have caused anxiety or emotional outbursts, and how will you recognize it?

Common Signs Sensory Overload is Kicking In

Those symptoms can look really different for each child. Try to respond as soon as you can if any sensory challenges cause appear to be causing anxiety.

Common Sensory Overload Behaviors	When it May Show Up
Covers ears or eyes	Bright lights, Loud sounds
Becomes unusually restless or fidgety	Uncomfortable clothing, long waits
Gets agitated or aggressive	Frustration
Avoids or refuses to engage with specific sensory input	touching sand or sticky glue
Hides, runs away, or attempts to escape	Feeling extremely overwhelmed or startled

 

FAQs about How to Manage Sensory Challenges in Kids with ADHD

How to deal with ADHD sensory issues?

It’s crucial to create a supportive and understanding environment by reducing sensory overload. This can be done with sensory breaks, those calming activities and sensory strategies. Also, be sure to communicate openly with their teachers in order foster a supportive environment at school.

How to handle a child with sensory issues?

Try your best to stay calm and regulate yourself during an episode. Empathize, validate their feelings, because kids who have unique sensory issues are not seeking attention. You can try and redirect them to their “calm zone”. Encourage deep breaths and offer choices to empower them. Then, you can offer them some chewy snacks for oral sensory input. Sensory integration therapy and movement breaks can work wonders as well.

What are sensory based interventions for ADHD?

You can get a sensory diet, which is a routine that’s uniquely crafted by you and your occupational therapist just for your child. The goal is to provide sensory stimuli at regular intervals throughout the day to create a regulating effect. Think things like, jumping on a trampoline, swinging, rolling play dough, blowing bubbles with a straw, listening to bird sounds, or having a brushing protocol. Those activities work because they provide vestibular senses, oral sensory, or proprioceptive input which helps to settle a busy sensory system.

Conclusion

Figuring out how to manage sensory challenges in kids with ADHD is an ongoing journey. Be patient with yourself and with your child. Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to understanding this. We’re on this adventure together because there’s no magic wand for figuring out how to manage sensory challenges. The best gift you can give your kiddo, beyond all those sensory strategies, is acceptance, understanding, and tons of love.