17 | Sensory Overload at Loud Events? My Long-Term Plan For Our Neurodiverse Family

Whether it’s church, parties at friends’ houses, or school concerts, these loud, overwhelming events are a part of life. I want to prepare them to navigate these situations on their own, so they can attend and know how to handle the challenge.

For my kids, it often felt like the environment was attacking them, so I knew we needed to take it slow and give them time to process.

Here’s the process:

1. Start Small: The expectation was that we’d go inside the church. But we took it slow.

2. Noise-Cancelling Headphones: At first, we’d go into the service with headphones on, then step out during the music, and come back in for the sermon.

3. Gradual Exposure: Eventually, my kids could stay in for the music with their own music playing through headphones, sitting the whole time.

4. Building Tolerance: Next, we’d try listening to the worship music with headphones, then take them off for the sermon.

5. Full Participation: Over time, we worked up to sitting with no headphones during both worship and the sermon, and eventually standing and participating with the music.

After we’d been at one “level” for a while, I’d let my kids know that things might be a little different the next Sunday. Sometimes they were ready for the challenge, and sometimes they weren’t—and that was okay.

I also learned that I needed to take care of myself. Those days were stressful and exhausting for both of us, so I made sure not to jam-pack our schedule with more events.

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Hey friends, I will be sharing from my personal experience and since I am not a licensed therapist or medical provider these episodes should not be considered therapeutic or medical advice. But if my stories make you smile, that is a bonus!

We have an active home, so you will hear kids in the background sometimes, thanks for understanding.