
27/09/2025
🏖️Summer means beach days, BBQs, and long hours outside… but for many neurodivergent kids, it can also mean sensory overload!!!
Here’s why:
☀️ Heat + humidity amplify discomfort, especially for kids with sensory sensitivities.
👕 Sticky clothing or sunscreen can feel unbearable on sensitive skin.
🎆 Summer sounds like crowds, music, fireworks all add layers of overstimulation.
Fun fact: Research shows that when body temperature rises, the nervous system is more reactive to sensory input (Gaoua, 2010). That’s why small irritations (like tags or loud noise) can feel so much bigger in the heat!
💡OT tips for keeping cool:
•Choose lightweight, breathable fabrics (cotton, bamboo or linen).
•Use cooling tools: handheld fans, wet towels, frozen water bottles.
•Plan quiet breaks indoors after high-energy outdoor play.
•Build predictable routines into summer days (even a loose one helps reduce uncertainty).
At OT-Me., we help families understand how environment + sensory inputs needs to interact — so kids can enjoy summer without the meltdown 💟🧩
*Gaoua, N. (2010). Cognitive function in hot environments: A question of methodology. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports.