A Sensory guide to Greater Manchester

A bit about me

Hello, I’m Robin and I am autistic. Here is a bit about what I find helpful and what you might find helpful in Greater Manchester. This is also about how to adapt to the world around you. I struggle with the day-to-day sensory input of the world. This is pretty common in the neurodivergent community, so this is some of my experience and what I use to make things easier to cope with.

Ways I make environments less overwhelming as a neurodivergent person.

1. Finding an outdoor space. I find this helps me feel able to have a stim break and take a break from the environment I am finding overwhelming. I focus on what I can see, such as how many things are green or blue. Using my surroundings to ground myself can help me feel calmer. When this doesn’t help, I find using my sensory aids and stimming in a quiet corner outside, helps me feel able to recharge enough to continue what I was doing.
2. Sometimes when I’m overwhelmed or stressed, I find it helpful to nip in the toilets for a few moments to breathe. This helps me to feel like I have a safe space to go, where there isn’t anyone else. This means I can unmask and have the few moments to stim and self-regulate. As an autistic person, I have found unmasking to be one of the hardest parts of my self-acceptance, but over time I have realised that it is important to do so. This tip was what I used to help myself get to the point of unmasking and feel confident to go out and meet new people – knowing in the back of my mind, I had a plan if I was becoming overstimulated or needed a break.
3. One other thing I do to help the environment feel more accessible is use my noise cancelling headphones or ear defenders. This helps me to limit the amount of auditory stimulation (sound) that I have to cope with, helping me feel calmer and in more control over the volume of my surroundings. Loud noise is a common struggle for people who are neurodivergent but using ear defenders, headphones or ear plugs is a great way to make a new place calmer.
4. Another thing I find helpful when going to a new environment is going ahead of time. I like to arrive early or even go a few days before. This way I can see the outside of the building and familiarise myself. When this isn’t possible, I like to go on google maps and look at the street view of the building so I can prepare myself. You may find this helpful too, especially if you struggle with change.

Sensory Aids

Everybody has eight senses. Touch, smell, taste, sound, sight, Vestibular input (balance), Proprioceptive input (movement), Interoceptive input (internal). Sensory aids are a way people can activate or calm their senses. Sensory aids can be things like fidget toys, ear plugs or ear defenders. Sensory/ fidget toys are designed to support sensory input by stimulating or calming one or more sense.

As a neurodivergent person, I find the use of sensory tools beneficial in helping navigate the world. They help me to feel focused on the task I’m doing and let out part of my overstimulation by giving me an object to stim with. A sensory toy that works for someone else, might not work for you. It’s about trial and error and seeing what works for your sensory preference.

There are several types of stim toys: Tactile stim toys are one option, things like spiky balls are good for a deep pressure stim. This type of sensory aid is also good for alternative pain seeking or damaging stims which are quite common in the neurodivergent community.

Another way you can use sensory aids is through visual stimming. I find visual stimming with the use of a light projector, glitter lamps or lava lamps helpful to wind down for sleep. Sleep can be hard for a lot of neurodivergent people, so things like this may help. Other visual stimming aids can be things like brightly coloured clothing or pattens, this is a form of visual stimming as it stimulates your brain. Other ideas like visual water timers or liquid motion key rings can be very grounding and help with over stimulation too.

Whilst I find sensory tools very beneficial, I also find tools that help calm my senses can be just as helpful, this can be things like sunglasses, headphones, eye masks and ear plugs, as the world can become a bit too much sometimes with the amount of sensory stimuli. As an example of this, I find using my headphones and sunglasses in the cinema beneficial to make the environment accessible for me. I also find having a sensory box in my safe space very helpful too.  In mine, I have my eye mask, ear defenders, ear plugs, soft blanket, or weighted blanket, I keep these together as this helps me to manage my over stimulation. You may find this helpful to create too.

Some tools I use to regulate my Vestibular input (balance), and Proprioceptive input (movement) senses are the use of my balance board and yoga ball. This helps me to feel regulated. Another way to engage these senses is through physical exercise such as walking or the use of the gym. The engagement of these senses can be beneficial in regulating sensory needs.

Sound can be another form of stimming, and this can be anything from listening to the rain, clicking a pen or listening to the same song on a loop for weeks, I find sound can be helpful to use to stim with.

These are just some of the things I have found helpful to manage the sensory input of the world. Everyone is different and these are just some examples of what I find helpful, I hope you may find something that helps you too.

Greater Manchester Sensory Accessible Environments

The Light Cinema

https://stockport.thelight.co.uk/autism-friendly neurodivergent friendly screening. Children and adults

Trafford Centre

https://traffordcity.co.uk/blog/autismfriendly

Sea Life

Thursday afternoon during term time 2:00-6:00 autism friendly. Extra staff dimmed light, and music turned off.

Trafford centre Wednesday 10-11 quite hour Have ear defenders available for people to use with an asc diagnosis.

Sensory Rooms

Ladybridge Connect

Ladybridge Connect online booking Off Meadway Rd, Cheadle Hulme, Stockport SK8 5NZ

 

Sensory Space | Ladybridge Connect

Jump Space

Unit 2 Hardman St, Stockport, SK3 0BJ

 

For Drop-In sessions, you can just turn up. The medical form(s) must be completed before you can access the trampolines.

Drop-In sessions are £11 per person or £7.50 for soft play only. Accompanying carers do not pay.

Adult Drop In:

• Tuesday 12-1pm
• Wednesday 12-1 pm (NEW!)
• Friday 12-1 pm (Please note slight change in time) • Saturday 2-3 pm (NEW!)

Jump space https://www.jumpspace.org.uk

 

Redbank House – Multi – Sensory Room

Booking Information, The Sensory Room is available for 30-minute timeslots. Sessions are charged at £3 per half hour. If you wish to book a longer visit, please book consecutive time slots. The maximum capacity for the room is six people (including babies, carers, and non-participants). You only need to book one ticket for the room, no matter how many people are attending.

 

The room is available:

• Monday to Friday – 6 slots Opening times

Monday to Friday 8.30am – 5pm

• Saturday – 5 slots

Please book  through Eventbrite.

Any age 4 St Chad’s Street, Manchester, M8 8QA info@redbankhouse.com