Supporting autistic flourishing at home and beyond: Considering and meeting the sensory needs of autistic people in housing Supporting autistic flourishing at home and beyond 1 National Development Team for Inclusion [email protected] This project and report was co-produced with a group of people with lived experience and commissioned in 2020 from NDTi by the Care and Health Improvement Programme, which is jointly managed by the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Association of Directors of Adult Services (ADASS). © 2020 National Development for Inclusion June 2021 www.ndti.org.uk Supporting autistic flourishing at home and beyond 2 Contents Contributors ....................................................................................................................... 5 Writers and editors ................................................................................................................... 6 Images ........................................................................................................................................ 7 Thanks ......................................................................................................................................... 7 Foreword ............................................................................................................................ 9 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 11 Building the Right Support ............................................................................................ 13 Housing ............................................................................................................................ 15 A note on language ................................................................................................................ 17 Autism viewed as a sensory processing difference .......................................................... 18 Roundabout theory ................................................................................................................. 19 The Eight Senses ............................................................................................................ 20 Internal sensing systems ....................................................................................................... 21 Shutdown and meltdown ...................................................................................................... 24 Alexis’ Story .............................................................................................................................. 26 External Senses ............................................................................................................... 28 Sight .................................................................................................................................. 30 Lighting ..................................................................................................................................... 30 Shadows ................................................................................................................................... 31 Colour ........................................................................................................................................ 32 Storage...................................................................................................................................... 32 Sound ................................................................................................................................ 33 Building structure .................................................................................................................... 35 Appliances, including heating ............................................................................................... 36 Alarms ....................................................................................................................................... 38 Doors ......................................................................................................................................... 38 Flooring ..................................................................................................................................... 39 Outside noise ........................................................................................................................... 39 Smell ................................................................................................................................. 41 Household smells .................................................................................................................... 41 Other people ............................................................................................................................ 42 Public spaces ........................................................................................................................... 42 Supporting autistic flourishing at home and beyond 3 Taste ................................................................................................................................. 44 Sight .......................................................................................................................................... 44 Sound ........................................................................................................................................ 44 Smell .......................................................................................................................................... 44 Touch ......................................................................................................................................... 45 Interoception ............................................................................................................................ 45 Proprioception ......................................................................................................................... 45 Touch ................................................................................................................................ 46 Textiles – including clothing .................................................................................................. 46 Sleep .......................................................................................................................................... 46 Furniture.................................................................................................................................... 47 Hypermobility ........................................................................................................................... 48 Washing .................................................................................................................................... 48 Other things to consider ................................................................................................ 50 Shared spaces and communal living .................................................................................. 50 Defined areas within the home ............................................................................................ 51 Interests and hobbies ............................................................................................................. 52 Outside space .......................................................................................................................... 53 Pets ............................................................................................................................................ 54 Security ..................................................................................................................................... 54 Support ............................................................................................................................. 55 Self-management and self-regulation ....................................................................... 57 Sensory environment checklist user guide ................................................................ 59 Sight .......................................................................................................................................... 60 Sound ........................................................................................................................................ 63 Smell and taste........................................................................................................................ 68 Touch ......................................................................................................................................... 70 Other considerations .............................................................................................................. 72 Our approach .................................................................................................................. 74 10 STEPS to creating a neurodiverse inclusive environment ................................. 75 Links, references and further reading ......................................................................... 78 Supporting autistic flourishing at home and beyond 4 Contributors Alexis Quinn Autistic campaigner and activist, public speaker, author of Unbroken. Angela Heeley An autistic person with high sensitivity to sound, light, touch, and odour, a parent of an autistic individual,