In today’s fast-paced world, our senses are constantly bombarded by stimuli-from the hum of city traffic and the glow of digital screens to the chaos of busy offices and family life. Many adults are not formally diagnosed with sensory processing disorder. Understanding and implementing a sensory diet as an adult can be life-changing. It’s not just about managing sensory input-it’s about creating a daily rhythm that supports your focus, emotional well-being, and overall quality of life. A good sensory diet can be of help with some individuals and even for those without ADHD.
What is a Sensory Diet?
A sensory diet for adults is not about nutrition or food-it’s about creating a structured regimen of sensory experiences tailored to an individual’s unique sensory needs. A well-curated sensory diet for adults offers a personalized plan of activities and strategies designed to balance and regulate sensory inputs. A sensory diet provides regular, structured sensory input throughout the day to help individuals maintain an optimal level of alertness and engagement, often referred to as the “just right” zone. A sensory diet may also involve exercises prescribed by an occupational therapist to assist in meeting one's sensory needs.
Why Adults Need Sensory Diets
Sensory processing disorder is not the type of condition you “grow out of”. We utilize sensory input to find our bearings in the world. For neurodivergent people who may have a more distinct sensory experience, balancing this can be especially important. Often, we do it on our own. A child might hug a stuffed animal when feeling stressed. Another person might find themselves tapping their foot or shaking their leg. We might also use sensory prompts to calm ourselves, such as savoring a cup of chai tea or listening to the birds. We all do this to some degree. Still, neurodivergent people, who have a differentiated sensory experience, often have higher needs in this area. Unfortunately, for some neurodivergent people, potential attempts at this, like stimming, fidgeting, or repeating words or phrases, can be pathologized.
The Benefits of a Sensory Diet for Adults
Implementing a sensory diet for adults brings a host of benefits that go beyond simple comfort.
1. Improved Self-Regulation
When overstimulated or under-stimulated, adults with SPD may become easily frustrated, anxious, or overwhelmed, with difficulty calming down without specific sensory tools or routines. Hence, engaging in planned sensory diet activities such as mindful breathing or tactile stimulation, individuals can better manage their emotional responses to overwhelming situations. According to polyvagal theory, movement is a key piece of working through difficult experiences that trigger us into a fight-flight or freeze response (Porges, 2022).
Read also: Regulation Through Sensory Input
2. Enhanced Focus and Concentration
Adults experiencing sensory processing difficulties often struggle with concentration. Sensory spaces can enhance focus, concentration, and memory. A multisensory environment (a.k.a. a sensory spa) is known for its calming, organizing, and soothing effects on the mind, resulting in better concentration and focus. Twenty minutes a day can make a tremendous impact.
3. Reduced Sensory Overload
A strategic balance of stimulating and calming activities in your sensory diet for adults can prevent sensory overload before it happens. The most simple of sensory diets involves avoiding triggering stimuli such as not turning on a fluorescent light, using ear defenders, or wearing shoes that do not require socks, all of which can help us to feel more comfortable. It might sound like common sense, yet often we are unaware of just how taxing cumulative triggers can be (or how much relief can be brought on through engaging glimmers). Neurodivergent children may be unable to identify or communicate how their sensory world is greeting them. Instead, it may show up in behaviors and emotions.
4. Increased Emotional Well-Being
Regular engagement in sensory balancing techniques can foster a sense of control and calm, elevating overall mood and confidence.
The Eight Different Sensory Systems
Every single moment of every single day, you are bombarded by sensory information. This sensory input is received through your body and decoded by your brain. Your brain tells your nervous system if the sensory input is a threat or not. Everyone processes the sensory world differently. We all have 8 sensory systems - our 5 main ones that most of us learned about in school, plus 3 hidden senses! These eight sensory systems work together to support physical function, learning, behavior, and emotional regulation.
1. Visual System (Sight)
This is your sense of sight - not how well you see, but how your brain interprets the visual information in your environment. Your visual system helps you move safely through your environment, maintain your balance, locate items you want / need, and perform daily self-care tasks. Why It Matters: The visual system is essential for reading, navigating environments, recognizing faces and objects, and coordinating movement.
Read also: Autism and Sensory Needs
2. Auditory System (Hearing)
This is your sense of hearing - not how well you hear, but how your brain interprets the auditory information in your environment. Your auditory system allows you to engage in conversation, listen to your favorite podcast, and maintain safety while out in the world. Why It Matters: This system underlies language development, communication, and safety awareness (e.g., responding to alarms or approaching vehicles).
3. Olfactory System (Smell)
Function: Detects and processes odors. Why It Matters: Smell contributes to taste, safety (e.g., detecting smoke or spoiled food), and emotional memory.
4. Gustatory System (Taste)
Why It Matters: Important for nutrition, safety, and enjoyment of food.
5. Tactile System (Touch)
This is your sense of touch. You have tactile receptors all over your body and even inside your mouth. Your tactile system allows you to detect danger (think of a mosquito landing on your arm), helps you understand your environment (think of the clothing you wear), and even assists with locating what you’re looking for (think of reaching into your bag without using your vision). Why It Matters: Essential for body awareness, emotional comfort, and protection.
6. Vestibular System (Balance & Movement)
This is your sense of movement. Your vestibular system is located in your inner ears, therefore whenever your head moves, you activate your vestibular system. Additionally, this is directly connected to your visual system. Vestibular input is typically alerting (spinning, jumping) and can oftentimes be over-stimulating, meaning it is too much for the body and can cause an adverse reaction (such as nausea, irritability, or dizziness). Some types of vestibular input can be calming and regulating, such as slow linear swinging. Why It Matters: Fundamental for balance, posture, eye coordination, and motor planning. Balance will stimulate the brain. Walk on a slack rack, balance beam, curb, or line taped on the ground. It really doesn’t matter what method you use, but learning to balance can do wonders for concentration, making it a super effective way of dealing with ADHD. You can also use an exercise ball, ball chair, or a rocker board for a similar effect. Just a few minutes a day can do the trick!
Read also: Examples of Sensory Diets for Toddlers
7. Proprioceptive System (Body Awareness)
This is your sense of movement and body position. You have receptors in your joints and muscles that tell your brain where your body is and what it's doing. This also allows you to understand how much force to use with certain tasks. Additionally, proprioceptive input is calming to the nervous system (heavy work and deep pressure). Why It Matters: Supports coordinated movement, self-regulation, and motor planning. It’s the reason we can walk without looking at our feet or apply the right pressure when holding a pencil. Heavy Work Can Be in the Form of Chores. With that said, heavy work for the body can be in the form of sweeping, mopping, cleaning up, doing laundry, vacuuming, raking, taking out the garbage, etc. Routine chores not only help with the body-mind connection but also can help with responsibility, contribution, and being part of a family or group.
8. Interoceptive System (Internal Awareness)
This is your sense of internal processing - hunger and thirst, needing to use the bathroom, when you feel sick, feeling tired, emotional regulation, etc. Why It Matters: Crucial for self-regulation, emotional awareness, and bodily functions. Difficulties in this system can lead to challenges in identifying feelings (e.g., anxiety vs.
Integrating Sensory Diet Activities into Daily Life
A sensory diet for adults may include a variety of strategies embedded into daily life. Integrating a diverse range of sensory diet activities for adults can transform how you interact with your environment. A sensory diet involves intentionally taking note of sensory information that tends to de-regulate us (triggers) and that which re-regulates us (glimmers), thereby creating a plan to meet our needs. Try using fidget tools, texture boards, or even creating art with various materials. Listening to curated playlists, ambient soundtracks, or nature sounds can soothe an overactive auditory system. These activities can be adjusted according to personal preferences and varied throughout the day. Eye-Hand Coordination Can Have a Calming Effect. One of my favorite, go-to strategies is eye-hand coordination. I use this regularly to gain attention prior to therapy and at the midway point to refocus. It also works as a great calmer at the end of a day or as a sensory break. As the brain-eye-hand connection forms, there is an overall calming and focus that occurs. Add in crossing the midline by having the individual cross the body while tossing or catching, and you have a magic formula!
Examples of Sensory Activities
- Movement and Play: Make Movement and Play a Part of Every Day. It’s just basic, but the more we move, the healthier our brains as the body can be a healthy trigger for the mind. As our joints are compressed and our muscles are pulled, endorphins are released and respiration is increased and focus draws to the body. So, get yourself and your ADHD individual involved in some sort of regular daily or 3x weekly exercise such as yoga, ball sports, gymnastics, walking, running, karate, and so forth.
- Creative Expression: Creative Spaces Allow for Focused Introspection. Providing time and space to be creative whether it is with art, building, music, or play allows those with ADHD and those with other neuro-diversities to calm. A calmer brain is just a better brain. You can think of this time as meditation with much the same benefit to the mind.
- Vibration/Touch/Hands: Vibration/Touch/Hands - Heavy Hand Work is Like Exercise. Using sensory input, such as vibration, tactile input, and heavy handwork like baking, art, small chores, or playing an instrument can act as a sensory buffer and provide the right stimuli needed to focus and attend.
Sensory Diet for Children with ADHD
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects thousands of students, adults, and seniors each day. It results in an inability to attend on command or to hold attention when necessary. Though medication and therapies may be appropriate, teachers, parents, and caretakers are often left to their own strategies when it comes to effectively dealing with ADHD. A sensory diet is a personalized activity plan designed to meet the sensory needs of individuals, especially children diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Engaging in sensory activities can help children with ADHD regulate their sensory input, improving focus and attention. Sensory activities can have a calming effect on children with ADHD. Children with ADHD often have sensory processing difficulties. A sensory diet can assist in integrating sensory information effectively. Providing appropriate sensory experiences helps their nervous system process and respond to sensory input more efficiently. Sensory activities often involve physical movement, which can help improve coordination and motor skills. Teaching children techniques and activities they can use independently empowers them to self-regulate. Adequate sensory input during the day can contribute to better sleep patterns at night. Meeting sensory needs can help children engage more fully in learning experiences. Each child with ADHD can have different sensory preferences and sensitivities. In summary, a sensory diet can benefit children with ADHD by promoting emotional regulation, enhancing focus, improving motor skills, and fostering overall well-being.
Key Strategies for Optimizing a Sensory Diet for ADHD
Feeding our sensory system not only provides it with much-needed input but can provide it with the right form of sensory input to maximize functional outcomes and overall well-being. Let’s take a look at some key ways you can optimize the sensory diet for ADHD.
- Structure: Structure is a Key Component. Providing structure whether it is through an organizer, written information, visual cues, timers, or schedules can help someone with ADHD function more independently. Having them participate in creating the structure is even more beneficial and can be highly empowering.
Activities to Incorporate
Activities like fidgeting with stress balls, using textured objects, heavy work activities, stopping/starting quick brain breaks with whole body movement, or simple breathing exercises can provide the necessary sensory input, allowing them to concentrate better on tasks. For example, if your child is a “sensory seeker,” a sensory diet of activities can provide the “just right challenge” to get into an optimal learning zone.
The Importance of Professional Guidance
It’s essential, however, to work with therapists experienced in sensory integration. Observe the child’s response to different activities and adjust the sensory diet accordingly. Work closely with occupational therapists or specialists experienced in sensory integration to fine-tune the sensory diet based on the child’s progress and needs.
The Role of Exercise
Several studies have shown that exercise has a positive impact on individuals with ADHD.
How to Create and Implement a Sensory Diet
- Identify Sensory Preferences: Once you’ve identified your sensory preferences, it’s time to identify your child’s sensory preferences! You can use the same questions that you used, or you can use a Sensory Preference Checklist from Sensational Brain! This will help you determine which activities to incorporate into your child’s sensory diet!
- Understand Sensory Thresholds: The sensory threshold is the point at which you respond to sensory stimuli. For some sensory input, you may need only a small amount before you react. For other types of sensory input, you may need more in order to react.
- Develop Emotional Intelligence: Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and control one’s emotions, as well as to identify emotions in others. During a specific activity, verbalize how the activity makes you feel. Ask your child questions, such as, “Can you see how I’m feeling?” Talk about facial expressions and body language cues. Then, start identifying your child’s emotions during activities. A simple comment such as, “It looks like swinging makes you feel happy; you’re smiling while you do it!” Next, ask your child questions about how they feel during specific activities. During challenging moments when your child is upset, it’s important to give them space before talking about emotions. Additionally, be sure to avoid any shaming for their emotions. Try something like, “I noticed you seemed very angry; you were yelling very loud.
- Meeting Sensory Thresholds: You will begin with meeting their sensory threshold - providing them with the sensory input their body is craving / seeking. Sensory diets are all very personalized and what works for one child may not work for another. One child may benefit from a morning sensory diet to help them feel awake and ready to go to school, while another child may benefit from an afternoon sensory diet to help them feel calm after a busy day at school.
- Choose Activities: You’ve identified your child’s sensory preferences. You’ve chosen the activity(or activities) to use at the beginning of the sensory diet to meet your child’s sensory threshold. You’ve chosen 2-3 more activities to include as well. If your child is able to, incorporate specific explanations for why you’re trying a sensory diet. Be sure to use positive language.
- Create a Routine: Now, choose how you’re going to follow the sensory diet! Will you use a checklist of each activity? Will you write the activities on paper or a white board? Will you use pictures of each activity? Ultimately the way you and your child create and follow your sensory diet is entirely up to you!
- Design for Specific Activities: A Sensory Diet is designed to give the child the input they need, at different times throughout the day for specific activities -- school, homework, meal time, and bedtime.
- Make it Fun and Motivating: They need to be fun and motivating to the child -- so the child doesn’t refuse but instead feels HAPPY and CONFIDENT.
- Frequency: Frequency is important to help the child’s sensory system maintain that “just right” state while also not getting overloaded. Keep track of how your child’s affect changes. Are they more focused?
- Reaching Sensory Threshold: Make sure you’re working to reach your child’s sensory threshold! Their sensory system is telling them that they need more input, more jumping, running, crashing, etc.
Additional Tips for Success
- Timing and Setting: Once you’ve curated a list of sensory activities tailored to your needs, remember that timing and setting matter.
- Natural Rhythm: “I think the most functional and practical way to do a sensory diet is to make it more like a naturally flowing rhythm than a schedule. Alternating up-regulating activities with down-regulating activities, and to use functional activities that the child already participates in such as playing outdoors, walking the dog, cuddling up to read a book, etc. rather than making it specific (i.e.
- Proprioceptive Activities: To counter this, organizing sensory activities-especially proprioceptive ones with deep pressure-can help maintain attention and provide a recharge. Short “heavy work” tasks like organizing the pantry or tidying up toys are effective, as are sensory tools like Soundsory® headphones paired with a weighted blanket in a cozy sensory corner.
- Evening Activities: The best evening activities are those that provide calming, organizing input to help reduce arousal after a day filled with sensory stimulation or simply to unwind.
- Personalization: While ADHD symptoms may look similar, each person’s experience is unique.
The Role of Occupational Therapists
An occupational therapist (OT) develops a sensory diet in collaboration with the individual, tailoring the plan to their preferences, routines, goals, and nervous system profile. An OT with training in sensory integration can help identify the sensory systems a person is over- or under-responsive to and whether they tend to seek or avoid certain sensory inputs.
Key Considerations for Therapists
- Evaluation: “The evaluation should be conducted by someone with training in sensory integration and include both formal assessment and clinical observations of unstructured activities.
- Experimentation: To personalize the sensory diet effectively, experiment with different sensory activities and adjust based on what seems to help most. Try varying the frequency, intensity, and timing of activities to see which combination works best.
- Goodness of Fit: “Goodness of fit for the activities in the sensory diet is also key. The chosen activities should be not only easy to implement for the family, but should also be engaging for the child.
- Integration into Family Life: “Considering how to incorporate sensory diet activities into things the family is already doing can make the difference.
- Understanding the Why: It’s also critical that the child and the family have a solid understanding of WHY a sensory diet is being given and how the chosen activities will support the child.
- Tracking Responses: Keeping a log is invaluable for tracking responses to different activities. It can help caregivers and individuals observe which sensory inputs are most effective and identify times of day or specific situations-like demanding tasks-when extra sensory support is needed.
- Incorporating Tools: Incorporating tools into a sensory diet not only enhances focus and self-regulation but also helps maintain consistency. These tools offer easy, immediate ways to engage sensory needs, keeping individuals grounded and ready to manage ADHD symptoms effectively.
Sensory Processing Challenges
Successful sensory processing includes processing and modulating all different types of input. This means that all 8 of your sensory systems are working efficiently in order to allow you to get through your day successfully. Occasionally something may happen that causes a challenge, such as being in a very noisy environment that causes you to feel uncomfortable. When this happens, you likely use a strategy to help - maybe you leave the room for a couple of minutes. Sensory processing challenges occur when the signals between the body and the brain get mixed up or aren’t received properly. Oftentimes children with diagnoses of autism, ADHD, or other learning disabilities or developmental delays struggle with sensory processing. Unfortunately, SPD is not a recognized diagnosis in the DSM-5… yet! We are hopeful that one day it will be. A true sensory processing challenge is not something that is just a phase or something that a child will just “grow out of.” It’s something that happens every time. Every day. And it causes difficulties for the entire family! You may already know your child’s specific sensory challenges. They likely have more than one area of difficulty and those difficulties are likely in different sensory systems. Your child may be over-responsive to tactile and auditory input, while simultaneously craving vestibular input AND showing signs of dyspraxia and postural disorder! We all prefer certain types of sensory input, while we also dislike other types of sensory input. It’s important to fully understand your own sensory preferences before you help your child - this will help you empathize with their specific needs! What type(s) of movement do you enjoy? What type(s) of movement do you dislike? What type of proprioceptive input do you enjoy? Heavy work such as working out? What type of tactile input do you enjoy? Do you prefer soft materials or coarse materials? What type of tactile input do you dislike? Do you hate being tickled? Do you notice when you are thirsty and hungry? What type of auditory input do you enjoy? What type of auditory input do you dislike? Do you hate large crowds because it’s so noisy? What type of visual input do you enjoy? What type of visual input do you dislike? Does being in the sunshine hurt your eyes? What types of tastes and smells do you enjoy? What types of tastes and smells do you dislike? Keep in mind, your child can have severe adverse reactions to sensory activities without knowing what their sensory needs are. We run you through the different types of sensory inputs and how to tell which one your child needs right now. A sensory diet helps by providing structured sensory input to balance these symptoms, boosting focus and self-regulation. A sensory diet specifically supports ADHD symptoms through targeted sensory inputs with calming, organizing, or alerting effects.
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