Back-to-School Sensory Overload and How to Prevent It

A young child sitting at a classroom table gets a high five from their teacher.

Source: RDNA Stock Project / Pexels

Half of all school-age children are hypersensitive to at least one sensation, and as many as one in six may have sensory processing disorder (SPD). For them, going back to the stimulation of school after a peaceful, unscheduled summer can be an especially tough adjustment.

SPD can affect kids in a number of different ways. It can make them overresponsive to some sensations so that certain noises, touches, or food textures feel overwhelming. It can make them numb to other sensations so they’re constantly seeking stimulation through fidgeting, nail biting, or physical contact with their classmates.

If a child has challenges processing their senses of balance or body position, they can also struggle with coordination, which may come out as clumsiness or difficulty performing fine-motor tasks like writing.

SPD is common in children on the autism spectrum and children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but it also affects many neurotypical children. In the classroom, sensory issues can lead to inattentiveness, embarrassment, meltdowns, shutdowns, conflict with peers, or negative feedback from teachers.

So how can you set your child up for sensory success this back-to-school season?

1. Talk to Their Teacher

Children may not have the confidence or self-awareness to express their needs when something’s bothering them at school, and it may take a teacher a long time to work out a child’s sensory sensitivities on their own. Most teachers are happy to receive a courteous email or phone call from a parent asking to schedule a brief chat about their child.

In your conversation, let the teacher know your child’s sensitivities, any adaptive supplies they may use (like fidgets or noise-blocking earplugs), and any visual or behavioral signs they may give when they’re headed for a meltdown so the teacher can intervene. This information helps set both the child and their teacher up for a smoother classroom experience.

2. Use Familiar School Supplies

Scratchy clothing seams, stiff backpack straps, pens instead of pencils—it can all be too much for a child who struggles to process sensations. If you know your child is comfortable with certain supplies, stick with them!

Re-use last year’s bookbag. Buy the same brands of pencil-crayons, exercise books, and glue. If you’ve bought your child new clothing or shoes, break them in at home, in a familiar environment, before sending your child to school in them.

3. Try Sensory-Friendly Supplies

Choose new school supplies that work with, not against, your child’s sensory profile:

• For a child with coordination challenges, add grips to pencils so they’re easier to hold, and buy retractable pens so they don’t have to fiddle with caps.
• For a child who’s easily irritated by clothing, shop for items with flat seams and no tags. Compression clothing, which provides gentle pressure, can soothe sensation-cravers.
• For a child who’s sensitive to color, look for crayons, binders, and highlighters in pastels instead of bright hues.
• For a child who’s overwhelmed by sound, try noise-reducing earplugs that filter out harsh sounds without muffling conversation.
• For a child who needs extra sensation, use scented markers, chewable pencil toppers, and wiggle cushions to keep them stimulated.

Get your child involved in shopping so they can tell you what does and doesn’t work for them.

4. Make a Calm-Down Kit

A calm-down kit is a box or bag of objects your child can use to reduce their stress and regulate their emotions when they’re feeling overloaded.

Calm-down kits may include the following:

• Books
• Relaxation prompt cards
• Sensory toys like Silly Putty, a glitter wand, or a stuffed animal
• Distracting activities like a coloring book or a music player with headphones

Some teachers provide a calm-down kit for the whole class, but you may want to make your own using items that work for your child. Make a plan with your child’s teacher for when they will be directed to the calm-down kit or how they can ask for it when they need it.

5. Provide a Nutritious Sensory Diet

Before and after school, make sure your child’s sensory needs are being met so they’re more likely to feel relaxed and regulated in the classroom.

A sensory diet is a set of activities and exercises that are specifically tailored to your child’s sensitivities. It can include sensations to avoid—maybe at home you don’t turn on bright lights and your child goes barefoot—as well as sensations to provide, like swinging at the playground, breathing exercises, or tight hugs from family members.

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Many sensory diets take the form of a regular schedule so that a child gets the stimulation they need proactively, but a sensory diet can also be a symptom-response checklist with specific activities to do when a child is feeling dysregulated. An occupational therapist can help design a plan that’s tailored to your child.