For children with autism spectrum disorder, everyday sensory experiences can sometimes feel overwhelming or unpredictable. Sounds, movements, textures or smells that might be soothing for one child can be overwhelming or distressing for another. These differences in sensory processing can affect how a child participates in daily life.
Sensory play gives children a chance to explore these sensations in a safe, low-pressure way. When introduced with intention, these activities can improve focus, body awareness and help children feel more in control of their actions.
Understanding Sensory Processing and Autism
“Sensory processing” is how the brain receives and organizes information from the senses. This includes sound, touch, taste, smell, sight, balance and movement. For children with autism, this process may be more sensitive or harder to regulate.
A child might cover their ears at a sudden noise, pull away from certain fabrics or seek constant movement like spinning or jumping. These behaviors are your child’s way of coping with a world that may feel overwhelming. They reflect how their body responds to what it senses.
Sensory activities, especially when introduced through pediatric therapy, can allow children with autism to gradually build tolerance and discover strategies that make everyday experiences easier to manage.
The Role of Sensory Play in Child Development
While sensory play has a role in all children’s development, for children with autism it can be essential to allow them to take part more easily in everyday activities like meals, dressing or schoolwork.
These play-based experiences support children in developing balance, attention, hand control and comfort with different types of sensory input. For example, jumping on a soft surface before reading can calm a child and make them ready to sit for a longer period. Finger painting can improve hand coordination, which supports skills like feeding or writing.
When practiced regularly, sensory play promotes the emotional awareness children with autism need to recognize what feels soothing or too much during different parts of their day. This awareness can make some experiences feel more manageable.
Activities for Children with Autism You Can Try at Home
Children with autism often have stronger or more specific sensory preferences than their peers. These hands-on tasks give them a structured way to explore new sensations and practice using their bodies in more coordinated ways.
Touch-Based Activities (“Tactile”)
Many children with autism are sensitive to touch and may avoid messy or unfamiliar textures. This type of play can make touch feel more predictable and less stressful:
- Digging into dry rice, sand, cotton balls or water beads using hands or a scoop
- Finger painting, drawing shapes in shaving cream or tracing letters to build fine motor control
- Squeezing and stretching sponges or loofahs to explore different surfaces
- Squishing, rolling or molding play dough or soft clay to strengthen hand muscles
Tactile play can make children become more comfortable with clothing, grooming and other daily experiences that involve touch.
Sound-Based Activities (“Auditory”)
Children with autism may have a heightened response to sound. These exercises give them a way to explore sound safely and learn how to tune in—or tune out—as needed:
- Listening to music, white noise or nature sounds during quiet play
- Playing with hand drums, shakers or tapping sticks to explore rhythm
- Trying sound guessing games with kitchen items or other familiar objects
Auditory play can improve listening and help children feel more prepared for group settings.
Movement Activities (“Proprioceptive” and “Vestibular”)
Some children with autism seek out motion, while others avoid it. The following movements engage the body’s balance (vestibular) and position-sensing (proprioceptive) systems, which can help children feel calmer and more centered:
- Jumping on a soft mat or use a mini trampoline
- Swinging, spinning, rocking or rolling gently on a therapy ball
- Doing animal walks like bear or crab crawls through a short obstacle course
- Pushing weighted toys, carrying books or stretching resistance bands
These actions also let children release extra energy and prepare for learning or transitioning between activities.
Smell and Taste Activities (“Olfactory” and “Gustatory”)
Children with autism may respond strongly to new smells (olfactory stimuli) or tastes (gustatory stimuli). The following activities introduce sensory input through scent and flavor in a relaxed, playful way:
- Blowing scented bubbles or using scented markers and lotions
- Introducing familiar smells like cinnamon, citrus or vanilla during play or cooking
- Letting your child safely smell herbs, spices or fruit before meals
- Offering supervised taste tests of foods with different consistencies like yogurt, crackers or applesauce
These experiences can help make meals feel less stressful and reduce sensitivity to smells in social or classroom settings.
Creating a Low-Pressure Sensory Routine
For children with autism, predictability matters. A sensory routine works best when it’s consistent, flexible and tailored to what feels good to your child’s body.
Start small. One child may benefit from swinging before homework. Another might enjoy a quiet sensory corner after school with stretchy bands, soft pillows or dim lights. A short, thoughtful routine that includes the activities your child responds to can reduce stress and increase participation.
The goal is not to eliminate sensitivities but to help your child notice what helps them feel balanced and ready to engage.
How Sensory-Based Therapy Builds Everyday Skills
For children with autism, occupational therapy and sensory-based activities are used to build essential daily abilities such as getting dressed, feeding themselves, writing and joining group activities.
A child who struggles with noise may begin therapy using sound-blocking headphones while working closely with a therapist to gradually increase tolerance to everyday sounds through play, movement and exposure at a comfortable pace. A child who avoids food textures might start by exploring familiar foods with a therapist’s guidance, using sensory play and structured steps to reduce anxiety and build comfort before trying new items.
Over time, children build “self regulation”—the ability to notice how they are feeling and choose a strategy they need to feel balanced. This might include swinging for a few minutes, squeezing a fidget toy or spending quiet time before transitioning to a new task.
Schedule a Sensory Evaluation for Your Child with Autism
If your child with autism shows signs of sensory processing difficulties, a personalized sensory evaluation is the first step to identifying what’s behind these responses and addressing them. At Little Hands at Play Therapy, we assess your child’s sensory processing to build focus, emotional regulation, and participation in daily life.
Call Little Hands at Play Therapy at (479) 480-5173 and schedule an evaluation in our Fayetteville or Fort Smith, AK, clinic.
