What is a Sensory-Friendly Event?

A sensory-friendly event is an event that is specifically designed to to be less stimulating and overwhelming to the senses. This is especially beneficial to those living with Autism and PTSD.

It’s now more common than ever to see both kids and adults wearing noise-canceling headphones in public.

Sometimes, the volume of noise or even just conflicting sounds can be sensory overload for people living with autism, PTSD, and other reasons. There are various conditions that can cause it to be nearly impossible for someone to process what someone else is saying if there is a lot of background noise.

Silent Sound System can provide the technology to create an avenue for building a sensory-friendly space or event.

Here are some tips on creating Sensory-Friendly Events from Sesame Street’s Provider’s Guide to Creating Autism-Friendly Events:

  • Do not use bright or flashing lights.
  • Keep things organized! Label important things and locations with words or pictures to make them easier to understand and locate.
  • Make it visually clear where people can be and where they should not be.  Clearly mark areas that are off-limits.
  • Have separate quiet areas or rooms, with beanbags or other comfortable seating, where people can calm down if they feel overstimulated. Tell people about these spaces at the entrance. Make sure people have access to these rooms at their request.
  • Choose a location without strong smells (i.e. cleaning products). Set a “fragrance-free” policy so people don’t wear strong perfumes or colognes.

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Silent Sound System as a Sensory-Friendly Tool:

  • Creates a space that is quiet besides conversations and other background noise
  • Enables people to opt-in to music choices rather than playing music in the background while conversations are happening
  • Allows the person wearing the headphones to control the volume of the music
  • Loud noises are dampened with noise-cancelling, over-the-ear headphones
  • Red, Green, and Blue lights on the headphones do not flash and only change color when the station is switched