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Sensory-Friendly Home Modifications for Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder - Consider Visual Stimuli

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Category: Christy Clawson From wondermoms.org.
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Consider Visual Stimuli

When an individual with autism has a dysfunctional sensory system, the visual input they receive can be difficult to process. Lighting and colors can easily overwhelm an individual with autism. In your home, you can take measures to reduce visual stimuli in order to lessen this effect, helping your loved one feel more comfortable at home. Here are some tips to help you do this.

Look at the Lighting

  • Choose lighting that is as close to natural light as possible. Lighting comes in different color temperatures, and highly sensitive individuals may find artificial colors uncomfortable. This means you want to invest in bulbs with a color rendering index (CRI) as close to 100 as possible.
  • Avoid lights that flicker. Many types of artificial lighting flicker slightly. This may not be noticeable to a neurotypical person, but an autistic person may find the flickering unbearable. Fluorescent lighting, including CFL lighting, often has trouble with flickering. LED lighting can remove this problem.
  • Consider the sound the lighting makes. Lighting can also make a very low sound, which most people do not hear. Again, the buzz of a light can be painful to someone with autism. Again, fluorescent lighting is a main culprit here.
  • Install dimmable lights to make it easier to control the level of light in the home. This will give you a measure of control when the level of light is too intense for your autistic loved one, but will allow you to brighten up the space on days when light sensitivity does not seem to be too high.
  • Be aware of the struggle glare can cause. Glare from outdoor sunlight, glare on computer screens, and even glare off of reflective, hard surfaces, like hardwood flooring, can also be problematic, so look for ways to reduce this. Window tinting or anti-glare coatings might help.

Use Calming Colors

  • Avoid decorating with bright colors. Many individuals with autism see colors with greater intensity than neurotypical people. Too many bright colors can be overstimulating for children and adults with autism. Avoid having walls or large pieces of furniture painted in bright, bold colors. Red, in particular, is too bright and intense for many individuals with autism.
  • Opt for muted colors, with a neutral color palette. Pale pink seems to be one of the most calming colors for people with autism. Cool colors are also soothing.
  • Use a monochromatic color scheme. If you put wall hangings on the wall, keep them simple without bright designs that will intrude on the individual’s senses.
  • Reduce reflections off windows. Whether through the installation of blinds that can block outdoor light or by adding window film to reduce reflections and glare, consider areas in hour home that could cause distracting and distressing reflections from windows.

Keep the Home Organized

  • Reduce clutter in your home. The chaos created by clutter makes it difficult to function with sensory sensitivities. Go through each room of your house on a regular basis and purge excess items that are no longer needed. This will not only help your loved one with autism, it can relieve stress for other family members as well.
  • Organize your home to make routines easier. Children and adults with autism generally thrive when they have routines in place. To make life easier for them, keep your home organized. Establish distinct places where objects belong and put them back immediately after use.
  • Install shelves or built-in bookcases to make storage easier. Having a place for everything is a key to reducing visual stimuli in the form of clutter. Bookcases with organized storage containers are a helpful way to do this. Built-in bookcases can be seamlessly integrated into the home’s design, which will better reduce clutter and improve organization.
  • Use a bin system to make organization and tidy living automatic. Separate different types of supplies and toys, take photos of them and paste or tape those photos onto a bin, so items are easily stored and can be found quickly when desired.

Consider Open Concept Home Design

  • Remove barriers that can break up the line of sight when possible. Open concept floor plans are easier for people with sensory processing concerns. Removing non-load-bearing walls and opening up the home’s floor plan can help make the home more comfortable. This also allows the individual with autism to preview a space before entering it, which can improve the individual’s comfort in the home.
  • Avoid cluttering the open design with too much furniture. Again, clutter is distressing to people with autism, so remove as much as possible when considering the design of your floor plan. Arrange furniture so that your autistic child can easily transition from one activity to the next without a visual or physical barrier.
  • Create an in-home walking loop. Once you have an open design, map out a walking loop inside the home that the individual can use for pacing behaviors. Pacing can reduce stress significantly, and an open concept design makes this type of behavior possible.

For more information about visual stimuli in your home and how it affects an autistic loved one, visit:

The above information is from Christy Clawson from wondermoms.org sent to me on Sat 12/06/2021