The Invisible Sensory Kit
You've always got tools that can help minimise triggers and regulate
🖨️Today’s article comes with a free printable, scroll down to the end for the file!🖨️
I recently wrote an article about sensory kits here—bags of tools to bring along to help our children feel safe and regulated in tricky environments.[1]
Sensory kits can help in two key ways:
By minimising the impact of the environment (with tools like sunglasses or earplugs).
By supporting regulation during or after sensory stress (with items like chewy tools, comfort objects, or pressure rings).
But what happens when your child doesn’t have their kit with them?
Ideally, environments should be adjusted in collaboration with the child and their loved ones to minimise triggers and offer regulation supports. Yet, there are still places that remain difficult.[2]
That’s when the invisible sensory kit comes in handy, using your child’s body or mind as tools.
This isn’t to teach suppression, it’s certainly not about hiding neurodivergent traits—doing so is unloving and has been shown to be deeply harmful.[3]
Instead, it’s about giving our children agency—empowering them to care for their own nervous systems, regulate their own emotions, and reduce overwhelm, wherever they are. We want our children to feel safe being themselves. But we also want them to have practical options to manage their sensory experiences, even when their sensory kit is out of reach.
Let’s explore what might be in this invisible kit, sense by sense. These can be very useful for adults too!
Everyone’s body is different, and not all of these strategies will work for every person. Sift through and choose realistic options with your child, adapting them as needed.
Sound
Some children are highly sensitive to sound. While some sounds may bring comfort, others can feel painful, such as loud, layered, or unpredictable sounds.
Invisible tools:
Give the auditory system something safe and predictable to latch onto, something that your child is in control of:
Gently tapping the forehead or the temple
Gently tapping teeth together
Rubbing two fingers together right near the ear
Mentally repeating a comforting phrase or line from a song can offer internal rhythm and calm.
Sight
Bright lights, flickering LEDs, certain colours, or visually busy environments, for example, can cause strain or overwhelm.
Invisible tools:
Looking down or to a blank wall or surface to reduce visual input
Using a ‘blink and breathe’ technique (long blink, slow breath)
Watching their own hand gently move, for visual input they control
Imagine a beautiful place in the world, somewhere calm, what would you see there?
Touch and pressure
Many children crave deep pressure but dislike light touch. Pressure can calm the nervous system, provide grounding, and help a person focus.
Invisible tools:
Pressing palms together gives deep, calming proprioceptive input.
Squeezing an arm or a finger or making fists can help calm the nervous system.
Gently pressing a nail into the pad of each finger in turn can give a steady routine, relaxing the mind.
Oral input
The mouth is a powerful regulator. Gentle oral movements can calm the nervous system, reduce tension, and support focus.
Invisible tools:
Sucking the inside of the cheek or pressing tongue to the roof of the mouth
Silent chewing movements
Gently clenching and relaxing the jaw
Why these techniques matter
In difficult environments, some people experience a rapid increase in pressure and discomfort as their sensory systems become overwhelmed, that’s when knowing these techniques can make a big difference.
An AuDHDer shared how quickly this overwhelm can consume the whole body:
‘The sensations I experience are often palpitations, heat, tightness (especially in my neck, head, jaw, arms and upper back), clenching in my jaw, hands, knees and toes, heightened sensitivity to lights, sounds, tastes, smells and textures, increased sensitivity to internal sensations (such as feeling like my bladder is full when it’s actually not…), and muscle tension/pain/discomfort.’
When we help our children become equipped with techniques they always have access to, we give them a sense of agency—they can start working toward regulation even when other tools aren’t at hand.
This is not about changing the child at all. It’s about helping them discover how they work—and how to care for themselves with self-kindness and creativity.
Arrow prayer
The best thing we can equip our children with is the gospel. Their loving Father is always with them, always hears them, is sovereign, and loves them deeply—what comfort for them, and for us.
As the wise children’s singer and songwriter Colin Buchanan puts it:
You can tell the Lord that you love him anytime
You can tell the Lord that you need him anytime
Thank him for his love and care
Shoot him up an arrow prayer
You can tell the Lord that you love him anytime
And as we’re reminded in Hebrews 4:16:
‘Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.’
This is the most important thing to hold onto—in good times and hard times. Let’s lean on Jesus for everything and place our hope in him.
🖨️ My daughter has transferred all this into a handy printout! This could be a handy way to think this through with your child. 🖨️
I’d love to hear from you: what invisible tools have you or your child discovered?
FOOTNOTES
[1] Many neurodivergent people have a mix of sensory-avoiding and sensory-seeking behaviours. RJ Grant, L Barboa, J Luck, E Obrey (2021). The Complete Guide to Becoming an Autism Friendly Professional: Working with Individuals, Groups, and Organizations, Taylor & Francis Group, Routledge. Pp. 104-107
[2] Some environments can feel exhausting for some people and not for others. Knowing your child’s unique thresholds lets you support them with more curiosity, compassion, and less confusion. Wolfberg, P., & Buron, K. D. (Eds.). (2024). Learners on the Autism Spectrum : Preparing Educators and Related Practitioners (Third edition.). Routledge. Pp 82-84
[3] There is a lot of research into this, but this paper is great because it consults autistic adults on the matter: Baiden, K. M. P., Williams, Z. J., Schuck, R. K., Dwyer, P., & Wang, M. (2025). The Social Validity of Behavioral Interventions: Seeking Input from Autistic Adults. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 55(4), 1172–1186.
And Wolfberg (2021), ibid. Pp 93ff
These are some really helpful ideas. Thanks for sharing!
I love this so much! Printed for my ND hubby and me to talk about. Thanks Kate!