You know those moments when you’re utterly exhausted, on the verge of tearing your hair out, because your kid with ADHD just can’t seem to handle the chaos of everyday life? It could be bright lights, a busy store, or even just loud sounds coming from another room sending them spiraling. If this sounds like you, I get it. Trust me, figuring out how to manage sensory challenges in kids with ADHD is easier than you might think.

So why does this happen with ADHD children? You see, 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 disorder.

 

Understanding the ADHD Sensory Experience

Sensory processing issues can be totally different from one kid to the next, making those common ADHD symptoms even tougher to manage. While all children crave interaction with their senses, for a kid with ADHD, it’s like that volume is cranked up way too high.

Common Sensory Challenges for ADHD Kids

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: Regular movement sensory breaks are lifesavers for ADHD. If that attention deficit starts kicking in, have a quick dance break, do some jumping jacks, or have a race around the house. Movement helps these kiddos regulate.
• Heavy Work Activities: Heavy work helps their vestibular senses feel grounded. Doing chores, vacuuming, carrying heavy baskets, and pushing furniture provide them with input that helps them process things much easier.
• Oral Sensory Input: Chewing gum, eating crunchy snacks like celery, and sucking on frozen fruit pops are great oral sensory activities to incorporate. These activities provide much needed input and can help them feel regulated.
• Fidget Toys: Squishy stress balls, those tangles and and pop-its might just be the secret weapons you’ve been seeking to reduce sensory overload in a healthy way. Giving their little hands something to keep them busy with frees up that mental space they so desperately need. This lets them focus without all the extra sensory distractions.

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.