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Make the Home Tactile-Friendly
The sense of touch is something that affects many people with autism intensely. Some find themselves overly sensitive to textures and things they can feel, while others find themselves craving tactile input. Some individuals with autism will experience both of these intensities. This is one area where home modifications can make a big difference. By creating touch-friendly spaces in your home, you can make it more inviting and calming for an autistic child or adult who lives there.
Focus on Textures
- Add a variety of textures into the space. This can help those who are sensory-seeking find ways to self-calm. Add textures in furnishings, floor coverings, wall coverings, and accessories added to the home. Be aware that individuals with autism may have strong aversions to specific textures, so be sensitive to your loved one’s unique needs.
- Remove and replace textures the individual finds upsetting. If something is too rough or too smooth, remove it from the environment and replace it with something more tolerable.
Make the Home Durable
- Understand that children with autism are going to touch everything. Make sure your home is friendly to this type of behavior. Remove items that could be broken by a pair of curious hands.
- Prepare for repetitive behaviors by purchasing durable materials and furnishings. One of the common traits of autism is repetitive behaviors. Closing the same door over and over, walking the same path repeatedly, or stimming in a certain area of the home are all possibilities. Make sure your home can stand up to these types of repeated behaviors.
Bring Nature Indoors
- Add plants that are safe for the individual to interact with. Houseplants and an indoor garden can soothe individuals with autism and bring part of nature indoors, which is calming. This also provides something else to touch and feel. Be cautious about plants that are potentially poisonous, because individuals with autism may wish to interact with plants differently than neurotypical people do.
- Make space for a sensory garden outdoors. Bringing nature inside is a good idea, but it does have its limits. Plant a sensory garden outdoors that will stimulate all five senses, and allow the autistic family member to spend time in the garden often.
Assess Tactile Challenges in the Bathroom
- Understand the challenges the traditional bathroom creates. Cold toilet seats, harsh cleaning chemicals, slippery floors, and poor ventilation can make bathrooms challenging areas for individuals with autism. Focus on home modifications that reduce these risks. Some are simple, like adding a cushioned toilet seat or soft, warm rug, while others may require some actual home modification.
- Add non-slip surfaces to the tub and bathroom floors. When individuals with autism struggle with balance and the vestibular system, slippery floors are dangerous. Add non-slip surfaces to slick bathroom and tub floors.
- Improve ventilation in the bathroom. Poor ventilation can make bathrooms smelly, which makes them uncomfortable spaces for individuals with autism. Invest in better ventilation. If the bathroom is on an outside wall, consider adding a window to improve the comfort of the space.
- Create a water play area, because individuals with autism are naturally drawn to water. Water plan is another favorite activity for many individuals with autism. Make the bathroom a place where water play is safe. Consider installing a floor drain and protecting surfaces in the bathroom in case the individual with autism chooses to play in the faucet or tub.
- Add safety features to the bathroom like grab bars. Again, when individuals with autism struggle with balance due to vestibular system concerns, having something to grab can be helpful.
For more information about tactile changes to make for loved ones with autism or sensory processing issues, visit these resources:
- Sensory Processing Disorder: Environmental Modifications to Help Children with sensory Processing/Sensory Integration Disorders
- Your Therapy Source: Modifications for Toilet Training
- Understood.org: Sensory Processing Issues – Strategies You Can Try at Home
- UCSF: The Unbearable Sensation of Being – Living with Sensory Processing Disorder
The above information is from Christy Clawson from wondermoms.org sent to me on Sat 12/06/2021