Spring has arrived, and you may be excited to help children in your care explore new places and create positive memories through days out and holidays. But how do you do that when new experiences trigger your young person’s fight-or-flight response and leave them feeling completely overwhelmed?
When you foster a child with sensory processing difficulties, transitions, no matter whether they’re big or small, can be incredibly challenging. Don’t worry, we’re here to help. In this blog, you’ll learn what sensory processing difficulties are, the impact they can have on a child, and tips for supporting young people in your care who struggle with these challenges to enjoy new places.
What are sensory processing difficulties?
While we all rely on our senses to understand the world around us, some children and young people process sensory information differently. They may have a neurological condition such as Autism, ADHD, or FASD; however, many children in care have also experienced abuse and neglect, which can impact brain development and the way they respond to the world around them.
Children with sensory processing differences can be hypersensitive or hyposensitive, often relying on routines and repetition to feel safe. As a result, visiting new places and taking a break from the norm can feel particularly challenging for them.
What is hypersensitivity?
Hypersensitive children are more sensitive to what’s going on around them than others, which can make particular environments overwhelming and even frightening as they notice sights, sounds, tastes, textures, and smells more acutely.
For example, in a supermarket, the lights are bright, there are lots of people, and various noises and smells all clashing together. The average person might not really notice how much is going on, but a hypersensitive child may find it too intense, making it difficult for them to think clearly. Their fight-or-flight response may also be triggered as their stress levels rise, leading to big emotions, fleeing the situation, or freezing in fear.
What is hyposensitivity?
Hyposensitive children are less sensitive to their environment than others. They might find it difficult to recognise when they’re hungry or cold, seem unbothered by things like the weather, and engage in sensory-seeking behaviours, such as fidgeting, jumping, or hugging.
Where a hypersensitive child may dislike and avoid loud noises, crowds, bright lights, and strong smells because they overstimulate them, hyposensitive children seek out this sensory input because they have an under-stimulated nervous system and need intense external stimuli to feel regulated.
Why visiting new places can feel difficult
Whether your young person is hyper- or hypo-sensitive, exploring new places can be tough for them for a few reasons, including:
- Routine disruption: Whether you go on a day out or a week-long holiday, your young person’s routine will temporarily change, which can cause anxiety and distress.
- Unfamiliar sensory input: Wherever you decide to go, your young person will encounter new sights, sounds, tastes, textures, and smells that they’ll need to process.
- Sensory overload: If you’re using public transport or flying, airports and train stations have a lot going on at one time, which could lead your young person to become dysregulated and overwhelmed.
- Adapting to a new environment: They might struggle to adapt to their environment. For instance, if you go to a hot country, your child may not realise they’re thirsty or hot and risk overheating, they may not like the food, or struggle with the texture of the bedding provided.
- Long journeys: Being stuck in the car on a long journey is a lot for anyone, but for children who need movement to feel relaxed, it could be a nightmare. And if you get stuck in traffic, the heat, car fumes, and whirring engines could quickly become too much for them.
You’re probably thinking, ‘That sounds like a lot of stress’, but with our tips below, days out and holidays can become something you all look forward to as a family.
Helping children enjoy new places
Children with Special Educational Needs shouldn’t miss out on experiencing new things and creating happy memories. That’s why we’ve put together our top tips for helping children with sensory processing differences enjoy new places. We’ll show you that, with realistic expectations and a little planning, you can help children in your care explore the world in a way that works for them.
Preparation is key
Planning is your friend when it comes to helping children in your care with sensory processing challenges have new experiences. Although spontaneous days out and last-minute getaways sound nice, in reality, they might cause your young person unnecessary stress and anxiety. Even if the activity is fun, they’ll need time to mentally prepare themselves for a change in routine and all the new sensory information they’ll experience.
You’ll also need to be prepared to manage their needs and be equipped with supplies to help the day run a little more smoothly. Bringing along items that help your young person feel safe and comfortable can go a long way in supporting them to stay regulated and enjoy the experience.
Things you can do to prepare for your adventure:
- Research: Spend time getting to know the place you’re visiting. Where are the toilets? What time are meals served? What’s the menu like? Which days do fewer people visit, and which days are busier? Are there any SEN sessions?
- Route plan: If you’re doing a long journey, plan when and where you’ll stop along the way so your child has time to stretch their legs, go to the toilet, and move around.
- Stick to their routine: Plan to stick to the same routine wherever possible. For example, if you’re going out for the day, eat at the same time you would at home. If you’re going on holiday, try to pick flights that won’t impact their usual sleeping times too much. You could even create an itinerary for while you’re away that lets everyone know what to expect and when.
- Take food with you: Even if you plan to eat out, you never know whether there will be enough seating, or if your young person’s favourite meal will sell out before you arrive. So it’s always a good idea to take some snacks or a packed lunch just in case.
- Create a sensory kit: Make sure you have a bag prepared with items, such as noise-cancelling headphones, fidget toys, and sunglasses, that you know will help your young person regulate themselves if things get too much for them.
Know your young person
Before you plan an action-packed holiday or a day out splashing in your local water park, think about whether it’s something your child or young person will actually enjoy and cope with.
There are hundreds of activities and places for you to explore, which means that if you decide that a particular event would be too much for your child, there will always be something else for you to do or somewhere else to visit.
You know your young person best, so think about what triggers them and what soothes them. Make sure you also talk to them about what they want to do, so everyone is on the same page and they feel heard.
Create a visual schedule
Even if you try to stick to your young person’s routine wherever possible, things are going to look a little different from their usual day at school when you take a trip together.
You can help the child in your care by creating a visual schedule to show them what to expect throughout the trip. For example, if you’re going abroad, you can include illustrations of every step of the journey, from leaving the house and driving to the airport to checking in and getting on the plane.
You can also use tools like AccessAble, which provide guides to places across the UK and Europe. They include photographs and lots of useful information about each venue. Showing your child the place you’ll be visiting with this tool could put them at ease and remove the element of surprise that can make exploring new environments difficult for them.
Choose sensory sessions
When planning day trips for children with additional needs, it’s worth checking which venues offer SEN sessions, designed specifically for children who find loud and crowded places overwhelming.
For example, cinemas across the UK usually offer neurodiverse friendly screenings of films, which are quieter, less crowded, and don’t include trailers. If you want to take your young person to a theme park but worry about how they’ll manage waiting in line for their turn, Drayton Manor and Alton Towers allow people with certain needs to bypass long queues.
The best thing to do is to check out the venue’s website or give them a call to find out what they offer.
Managing sensory overload
No matter how much you plan and prepare, children and young people are unpredictable, and something as simple as a bad night’s sleep could make things feel harder for them, sending them into sensory overload a lot more easily than usual.
The best thing you can do is stay calm and remain connected with your young person by helping them use grounding techniques and taking them to a quiet place to decompress.
Don’t rush them, go at their pace, giving them as much time as they need to feel safe in their body and environment again. Once they feel more like themselves, you can talk to them about what happened and find out whether they’re happy to continue exploring where you currently are, or if they’d prefer to leave and do something else.
We’re by your side
At ISP, we specialise in therapeutic foster care, which means that when it comes to supporting children with sensory processing difficulties to enjoy new places and make positive memories, we have the expertise to help.
From our therapeutic pathway training programme that teaches you how to care for children living with trauma and complex needs, to our wrap-around support and input from our in-house professionals, such as therapists, advisory teachers, social workers, and more, we’re here to help your whole family thrive on your fostering journey.
Not only that, but we also organise meet-ups, activities, and fun events, where you can meet other foster parents, share your experiences and learn from one another. You never know, they may even have some of their own tips to help you on your way.
We’re a community, all here to support each other and change the lives of children in care.
Start your therapeutic fostering journey
Ready to learn more about fostering a child with complex needs and supporting children with trauma? Call us today on 0800 0857 989 or submit your details via our online form.
Our expert team are waiting to help you decide whether fostering is the right fit for you and your family.
