For Educators
You see these kids for more hours in the week than most of their parents do, which means you're often the first to notice when something's shifted. These sheets are for the moments when you want to understand what you're seeing a bit better, or when you're trying to figure out how to have that conversation with a family. A lot of them are written by clinicians who've spent a fair bit of time in schools.
Sensory Needs in the School Environment
Sensory processing describes how the brain receives, organises, and responds to information from the senses, including sound, sight, touch, smell, taste, movement, and body awareness. Most people have a sensory profile that sits within a typical range. Some students have a profile that is more extreme, and they may seek out sensory input or work hard to avoid it. Schools that understand this can set students up to learn, rather than simply survive the day.
Understanding a student’s sensory profile, rather than only managing the behaviours it produces, can make a significant difference to how a classroom feels for that student. Small, low-cost adjustments to the sensory environment often do more to support engagement and wellbeing than any single behavioural strategy on its own.
Understanding Autism in the Classroom
Autistic students thrive in classrooms where they are understood, respected, and supported. Autism is a neurodevelopmental difference that influences how a young person communicates, processes information, experiences sensory input, and interacts with others. It is not a behavioural issue, a result of parenting, or something that needs to be fixed. When educators understand autism and make a few practical adjustments, autistic students can become some of the most engaged, capable, creative, and curious learners in the classroom.