Could sensory overwhelm be part of the picture?
The tears before school. The tummy aches. The daily struggle to get out of the door.
Or perhaps your child goes to school but spends much of the day avoiding the classroom, withdrawing from others or struggling in the playground or after-school clubs. Some become restless, angry or disruptive instead.
As parents, we want our children to learn, make friends and enjoy their childhood. So why can school feel so difficult?
Could sensory processing be one of the missing pieces? And could understanding it help us find practical ways to make school life easier.
I've experienced this with my own children. There were the daily struggles to get out of the house, anxiety at the school gates, and one of my sons often struggled to speak or communicate at school, increasingly withdrawing from activities.
Night times became about searching for answers, as to how to help my children. That search introduced me to something I barely knew existed: sensory processing and sensory therapy.
What might we be overlooking?
When a child struggles with school, we naturally look for explanations. Could it be anxiety, friendships, bullying, learning difficulties or perhaps an underlying neurodevelopmental difference?
All are important considerations. But we may overlook something else: how a child experiences the world around them.
Our brains constantly receive and organise information from our senses, helping us focus and respond. For some children, everyday sensations feel unusually intense; others may seek more movement, touch or physical input.
Imagine trying to listen to your teacher while noticing every ticking clock, scraping chair, conversations around you in the room or distracting noises outside it.
Or finding your uniform uncomfortable, the lunch hall unbearable or the playground unpredictable and exhausting.
Sensory processing isn't just about sight, sound, touch and taste. Balance, awareness of where our bodies are in space and internal sensations such as thirst, hunger or discomfort also influence how we manage everyday life.
Transitions can add another challenge. A new teacher, classroom, school year or sudden change of activity may be especially difficult for a child who relies on predictability.
What if learning feels difficult too?
Sometimes the challenge isn't just the environment. A child may also struggle with skills they need throughout the school day:
Auditory processing: following spoken instructions, particularly against background noise.
Visual processing: keeping their place when reading or copying from the board.
Balance and coordination: managing PE or playground games.
Fine motor skills: handwriting, scissors or fastening clothes.
Body awareness: bumping into things or having difficulty judging force and movement.
These difficulties can overlap, making it hard to understand exactly what a child is struggling with. Sometimes, the way a child processes sensory information may be an overlooked piece of the puzzle.
Imagine trying your hardest while ordinary classroom activities seem easier for everyone else.
A child may become anxious, avoid activities or lose confidence. Some withdraw and go quiet; others fidget, argue or lash out. Some cope through the school day only to become overwhelmed at home.
Sometimes the behaviour we see is only the end of the story.
Sensory processing differences aren’t the explanation for every difficulty. But understanding how a child experiences and responds to the world around them may help us see what lies beneath the behaviour.
What does the research tell us?
Research is increasingly recognising the relationship between sensory processing differences, emotional wellbeing and learning.
A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis involving 11,659 autistic participants found associations between sensory processing differences and emotional and behavioural difficulties, including anxiety and mood-related challenges. [1]
Encouragingly, a 2026 study investigating Auditory Integration Training (AIT) in ten children with ADHD and learning difficulties reported improvements in attention and aspects of learning, alongside parent-reported reductions in sound sensitivity and improvements in social interaction. [2]
For children who find noisy classrooms overwhelming or struggle to concentrate, these findings are particularly interesting. They raise important questions about whether approaches targeting sound sensitivity might help make everyday learning environments easier to manage.
The AIT study was small and did not include a comparison group, so larger studies are needed to substantiate the findings. However, the findings offer encouraging reasons for further research into its potential benefits.
A diagnosis of autism, ADHD, dyslexia or dyspraxia etc can help families understand needs and access support.
But a diagnosis alone doesn't change a child's experience of the classroom.
Two children with the same diagnosis may need very different adjustments, and practical support shouldn't have to wait for a label.
What can parents try?
You don't need to solve everything yourself.
1. Look for the patterns
Start by noticing what makes your child's day harder, what are the triggers and what helps.
Ask your child in whatever way works for them: talking, drawing, zone of regulation colours, pictures or play. Ask teachers to notice patterns too.
Also consider what happens before and after school. Is your child sleeping well? Are mornings rushed? Do they eat regularly? Could screen time and changes in routine be contributing?
Looking at the whole routine can reveal useful patterns without placing blame on your child or family.
2. Try small sensory adjustments
Depending on the child, these might include:
A quieter lunch space or somewhere calm to take a break.
A suitable sensory chewy to replace chewing pencils or clothing.
A fidget toy, wobble cushion or short movement break when sitting still is difficult.
A visual timetable and advance warnings or a countdown before transitions.
Seating away from harsh lighting or glare, larger print or a reading ruler for visual comfort; typing rather than handwriting when motor demands make written work exhausting.
Some children may find coloured overlays more comfortable, although they are not an established treatment for dyslexia.
Hearing protection may help during especially noisy events. Persistent reading discomfort or suspected hearing, vision or coordination difficulties should also be professionally assessed.
Sometimes relatively small changes to the environment can make everyday experiences more manageable.
3. Add your observations to their pupil passport
Ask the teacher or SENCO whether your child's one-page profile or support plan explains which environments are difficult, how they show distress, what helps and how staff can encourage participation without causing overwhelm.
Where possible, include your child's own views.
A quiet child may be overlooked in a busy class, while a disruptive child may receive attention without the support they need.
A good plan describes what adults can do differently, not just what the child finds difficult.
4. Seek further help when needed
If sensory differences are stopping everyday life (e.g. eating, sleep, leaving home, school attendance), ask your GP, paediatrician, or OT for advice.
If attendance is falling, ask school for a coordinated plan addressing the barriers rather than attendance alone.
Try adjustments one at a time and review whether they're genuinely helping.
Exploring sensory processing may be another useful part of understanding your child's individual needs.
Why I kept looking for answers
One of my sons attended school, but much of his time was spent outside the classroom or in the reading corner rather than taking part.
His teachers didn't want to force him into distressing situations, which I understood. Yet I worried about the learning, friendships and confidence he was missing.
We'd explored speech and language support, but because he could speak in familiar surroundings, we were told he didn't need more help through that route.
I couldn't accept that school would always feel this hard for him.
When I discovered specialised sound, light and sensory therapies, I decided to explore them.
All three of my children experienced these therapies, and I observed different, meaningful changes in each of them.
For the son who had struggled so much at school, I began noticing that he seemed more comfortable in busy, noisy environments, less frequently on high alert and increasingly willing to join in.
My previously quiet boy even began showing a wonderfully boisterous side!
Today he's happier going to school, joining activities and speaking in situations where he'd previously stayed silent.
I can't know how much of their progress came from these therapies, or changes over time. But the changes I observed in my children were meaningful to our family.
When I first discovered sensory therapy, I remember thinking that even if a small improvement could make a difference, it would be worth the investment.
Seeing my children grow in confidence and participate more fully in everyday life has meant everything to me.
I didn't just want them to attend school. I wanted them to enjoy being children.
It's one of the reasons I founded Gemelli Rise. After exploring different ways to support my children, I believe I found an approach that was worth sharing with other families on their journey.
Could Gemelli Rise be worth exploring?
At Gemelli Rise, we begin by listening to your family's experiences and exploring your child's strengths, developmental history and everyday difficulties.
Depending on their needs, our assessments may explore responses to sound and light, balance, coordination, body awareness and developmental movement patterns, including primitive reflex responses.
These observations can suggest areas to investigate further; they aren't medical diagnoses or substitutes for clinical hearing, vision or other specialist assessments.
We also offer personalised sound, light and neurodevelopmental programmes:
Auditory Integration Training (AIT) uses specially modified music in a structured listening programme. It was developed with the aim of addressing atypical responses to sound, including difficulties with sound sensitivity and auditory processing.
Lightwave Stimulation (LWS) uses individually selected, pulsed coloured light. A non-invasive light based therapy using controlled wavelengths of visible light to gently stimulate the eye-brain connection with the aim to regulate mood, sleep, attention and emotional regulation.
Neurodevelopmental movement programme focuses on addressing primitive reflexes and supporting neurological maturation, balance, coordination and body awareness through structured activities.
These are holistic, non-pharmaceutical approaches that families may wish to explore alongside established medical, educational and therapeutic support. Their effectiveness for school avoidance and the other difficulties discussed here has not yet been reliably established.
At Gemelli Rise, we explain the available research, its limitations and what our programmes involve so families can make informed choices.
What if we’ve been missing something?
When a child is struggling, it’s easy to become caught up in managing their behaviour, seeking a diagnosis, attending appointments and simply trying to get through another school day, that we forget to consider what might be at the root of these difficulties.
For some children, understanding their sensory experiences and needs may be an important piece of that puzzle.
Sometimes asking a different question opens up a possibility you hadn't considered.
If school has become a struggle for your child, you don't need to know the cause before reaching out.
What matters is understanding their experience and finding appropriate support to help them feel included, confident and able to enjoy everyday life.
Because children deserve more than simply getting through the school day.
They deserve the opportunity to enjoy their childhood.
If you’d like to discuss your child’s unique sensory needs, you can reach out to us.
Gemelli Rise | Sensory Therapy & Development | North London
Email: gemellirise@gmail.com Phone: 07881924431
References and further reading
Chen et al. (2024) — A systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship between sensory processing differences and internalising/externalising problems in autism. Clinical Psychology Review.
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust — Sensory processing difficulties.
Cochrane (2022) — Auditory integration therapy for autism spectrum disorders.
