This session explores auditory processing differences and how sound affects access, communication, and regulation. It examines noise, processing speed, predictability, and environmental demands, alongside the impact on stress, fatigue, and wellbeing.

Although this session focuses mainly on autism, auditory processing differences can also apply to other neurodivergent conditions and those with learning disabilities.

The participant will be able to:

1. Identify key features of auditory processing differences, including over- and under-sensitivity to sound.
2. Assess how auditory processing differences impact communication, learning, and self-regulation.
3. Apply practical environmental and communication strategies to support individuals with auditory processing differences.

• Introduction

1. 1. • 2 minutes (Welcome and overview, speaker introduction, personal experience with hearing sensitivity, professional background)

• Understanding Sensory Processing

1. 1. • 2 minutes (Eight sensory systems overview, what sensory processing means, brain filtering vs. physical hearing differences, importance of checking physical health first)

• Sleep, Eating, and Daily Life Impacts

1. 1. • 3 minutes (How sensory differences affect sleep, eating, periods, toileting; feedback cycles between poor sleep and sound sensitivity)

• Hearing as Communication

1. 1. • 6 minutes (Role of hearing in understanding others, tone/pitch/proximity, challenges with filtering sounds, processing delays, sense of danger and vigilance)

• Oversensitivity to Sound

1. 1. • 4 minutes (Common triggers: electricity, TVs, traffic, voices; avoidance behaviors, mishearing, children making noise to replace unpleasant sounds)

• Under-Sensitivity to Sound

1. 1. • 2 minutes (Missing vocal cues, difficulty with intonation and subtleties, challenges understanding meaning vs. words, humor and proximity issues)

• Classroom and Work Environments

1. 1. • 2 minutes (Constant stream of sounds in educational/work settings, impact on focus and self-regulation, fatigue from processing)

• Practical Solutions and Reflection

1. 1. • 6 minutes (Strategies for sleep, outdoors, public transport, play, school, communication; noise cancellation, replacement sounds, room acoustics)

• Supporting Under-Sensitivity

1. 1. • 2 minutes (Volume adjustments, subtitles, processing time, using names before statements, positive language, visual supports)

• Sensory Diets and Audits

1. 1. • 4 minutes (List-based diet for struggles and solutions, timetable-based diet for proactive support, environmental audits for planning)

• Strengths and Closing

1. • 2 minutes (Hearing differences as strengths, noticing subtle cues, sensory joys, free resources available, next session preview)

TOTAL: 35 minutes.