Start with a sensory audit, mapping which senses the pupil is over- or under-sensitive to, then make targeted adjustments (ear defenders, movement breaks, low-stimulus seating) and record them under SEN Support.
Step one: work out the sensory profile
Sensory processing differences are not one thing. The same pupil can be hypersensitive (over-sensitive) to classroom noise and bright strip lighting while being hyposensitive (under-sensitive) to movement, so they fidget, lean, or crash into things to get the input they need. Before you change anything, find out which senses do what.
Watch when the pupil struggles: corridors at changeover, the dinner hall, assembly, wet-play. Ask the pupil what feels too much or too little, and ask parents what they see at home. If the picture is complex, a referral to an occupational therapist can produce a formal sensory profile that names the triggers precisely.
Step two: make targeted classroom adjustments
Match the adjustment to the sense. The National Autistic Society's classroom strategies are a good starting bank:
- Noise: ear defenders or calming earbuds for focused work; felt pads under chair and table legs to cut scraping.
- Touch: let the pupil stand at the front or back of the queue to avoid being bumped, and leave lessons two or three minutes early to skip the crowded corridor.
- Movement and body awareness: regular movement breaks, a wobble cushion or stool, and a fidget item that is allowed, not confiscated.
- Sight: reduce wall clutter near their seat, and try buff or cream paper instead of black print on bright white.
- A way out: a quiet corner or screened workstation, plus a stress or exit card the pupil can show to leave the room before they reach overload.
These are reasonable adjustments. Autistic and many neurodivergent pupils count as disabled under the Equality Act 2010, so the school has a legal duty to make adjustments that remove a substantial disadvantage, and to plan them in advance rather than only after a meltdown.
Step three: record it, then escalate if it is not enough
Write the adjustments into the pupil's SEN Support plan and run the graduated approach the SEND Code of Practice sets out: assess, plan, do, review. Put a review date in (six to eight weeks is typical) and note what worked. If barriers stay substantial despite good support, that record becomes the evidence for an occupational therapy referral or, where need is significant and long-term, an EHC needs assessment.
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This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.