LOTS of you email me each week asking which sensory tools I recommend for home, church services, work, and classrooms. Since my whole household is autistic, we have tried hundreds of tools, and I love to share resources with you! Below is a curated list of my favorite kinds of sensory tools. Where there are Amazon affiliate links available for tools I love, I have included those. (Affiliate links give me a small referral commission but do not charge you anything extra.) I will also list links to non-affiliate sites where relevant.

SENSORY NEEDS: FOR THE USER, FOR THEIR COMPANIONS

I am especially going to focus here on sensory tools that are not loud, too bright, painful, or distracting for the other people in the room. There are some additional fun stim toys out there, but I am favoring the ones that don’t cost too much and that aren’t loud/bright.

AGED-UP SENSORY FIDGETS

If you want some quick-start options for teens and adults in a group setting like a classroom or cafe, try these tools. Make sure to make them available for everyone in the space, with plenty to go around.

Large Squishy Toys: Search Kawai sites and squishy vendors for “jumbo” sized squishy fidgets. These provide enough input for adults and have more pleasing aesthetics for adults and teens.

Jumbo Fruit Squishies (amazon aff. link) This is a relatively inexpensive variety pack that can be placed in a basket on a table. The similarity to fruit baskets when so displayed makes these fit in more with a room, normalizing the fidgets.

Jumbo Mango Squishy (amazon aff. link) This extra-large mango squishy goes well with the other jumbo fruits.

Slow-Rising Stress Balls (amazon aff. link) These are brigthly colored and provide a lot of feedback, but they can break under some circumstances. They’re not a good option for people who mouth their sensory tools because the liner can be burst with puncturing. They’re a cost-effective option for making a lot of sensory tools available to a group.

Magnetic People (amazon aff. link) These use strong magnets on the feet and hands of little silicone people to connect and build. They’re a lot of fun and scale well for groups. They’re not safe for people who might put the magnets in their mouths, so these are only for teens and adults who will not put them in their mouths. You can make crowns or towers and other shapes with these.

Travel Magna-Tiles (amazon aff. link) These smaller sized sets make them great for use at shared tables or desks, and they double as a visual stim due to their bright, transparent colors. Because of the magnets, these are also not good for people who will put them in their mouths.

Silicone Magnetic Balls (amazon aff. link) These are heavy and satisfying to twirl in hands or stack and sort on tables. Each ball is larger than a large grape. They come in several colors which look nice when mixed and matched.

Metallic Fidget Spinners (amazon aff. link) These are heavier than most fidget spinners and spin longer. They provide more sensory feedback for larger persons, and you can stack them as they spin. The link is for a multi-pack, but you can search for fancier single spinners if you have a larger budget. Providing a lot of these during gatherings or classes gives people a quiet way to maintain focus.

SENSORY SOOTHING PRIORITIES: DEEP PRESSURE, MOVEMENT, FEELING SAFE

Sensory needs fall into several main categories. Lots of people know about the “main” five senses, but not everyone realizes that the vestibular and proprioceptive senses are at least as and usually even more important to feeling calm and in control of your body. Deep joint pressure and gross motor movements (especially those that cross the midline of the front of your body and those that give rocking back and forward motions) are some of the most important sensory needs. You can make a room smell nice and put on some white or brown noise, lower lights, add a variety of textured surfaces for touching with hands or feet, and offer salty or sweet snacks. But if you don’t offer safe sheltering feelings through deep pressure movements or seating and safe movement feelings through gross motor moving and seating/activities, your autistic loved one (or you) will not be able to give attention to your present.

Use these tools WHILE learning to help with focus and coordination of bodies and attention. If you can piggyback learning onto motor neurons or music (or both) you will find that people can self-regulate much better, because the middle of your brain is where music and movement are processed. They hold everything together. There’s a saying in the autism world, “Neurons that fire together wire together,” and when you’re dealing with developmental delays or differences that are due to difficulties with forming long-chain synapses, building on the stronger, longer synapses of gross motor movements and music will make other forms of function and thinking and attention stronger. If you teach with attention in mind rather than behavior modification, you will find that people are able to self-regulate and learn much better and faster. That’s because movement and music and using tools are all fun, and it’s also because setting people at ease allows them to pay attention. Don’t use these tools as rewards for behavior. Rather, think of them as necessary accommodations for disabilities, the way you would make sure that a wheelchair user has access to their wheelchair or a person who is hard of hearing has access to their hearing aids. Give these tools as a default; make them normal. Use them all the time and everywhere (as appropriate for each thing, so no putty in the swimming pool or bath, but you can use sensory strings in water if you’d like, and balance boards in the dining room or while doing homework).

The Tools: Whole Body Options

Sensory Canoe seat Large (80″ for teens and adults) and Small (60″ for up to middle school or petite adults)

Camp rocking chair (portable) Versions of these are available at Costco and Walmart during warmer months for much lower cost (Costco has them for $49.99 currently.) These hammock chairs provide deep pressure as well as vestibular movement. The rocking motion soothes the limbic system, and they have a higher weight limit than most chairs, which allows for the option of rocking with a child for many people.

Heavy duty platform swing. If you have a swing set or tree branch or decking that allows for a swing to be added, these platform swings are great. They hold up to 700lbs, which means they work well for larger persons as well as groups of smaller persons. In our experience, with several children using them daily and having the swing exposed to extreme heat, we would replace ours about once a year. When we lived in a milder climate, they lasted 2 years.

Bucket chairs that spin. You can find these through online retailers by searching for “swivel barrel chair.” We have purchased bucket spinning chairs from Home Depot, where we often find them on sale in sets of two.

Desk chairs that spin: Search for these in any store. Inexpensive ones can be found from IKEA.

Modular couches for making cubbies. Walmart and Amazon carry modular toddler couches (amazon aff. link) that can be made into a variety of designs. For easy castle building, try a castle add-on set (amazon aff. link). We have two of these in our bookshop for acting out stories set in castles during our weekly preschool class, and older children build with them when they stop by the Cloud Room. If you have a larger budget and want something quite sturdy, look up the Nugget brand of modular couches. For heavy-duty needs, look into Library (amazon aff. link to a heavy-duty set) and Classroom furniture options.

Memory Foam bean bags (amazon aff. link) for sitting, placing on feet while resting, squishing between to read or play. We have had several of these in a sensory room before, where they were used for stacking, crashing, for lying in between, and fort building. We keep a few on hand at home and in our bookshop for sensory regulating. The larger sized ones are good for sleeping, too.

Balance boards I’m linking to an inexpensive one, but they have nice balance boards of different designs in Walmart and at various online retailers. These are great options for kids with ADHD and dyslexia, too, for helping their brains cross hemispheres. Whenever you can piggyback on motor neurons with learning and focus, do so.

Peanut Balls These are great for rolling, leaning over them while sitting on the floor, bouncing, and sitting. Link is for a set of two, of different heights to faciliate different uses.

Floor pads Padding the floor in a whole room or a larger area allows for easier sensory regulation on the floor. You can find smaller area sets in the gym padding area of larger hardware stores like Lowes and Home Depot.

I’m putting the sound and HEARING tools here because of the connection with balance and the way you feel sounds throughout your body.

Noise-blocking earmuffs. The ones we use most frequently are these 28dB blocking version, which come in a variety of colors. You can also find less expensive sets by searching for bulk noise blocking earmuffs, but they are not quite as hardy as the ones linked.

Youtube playlists of ocean/nature noises with dark screens for sleeping. This one has 12 full hours of waves with a darker screen.

The Tools: Handheld options

Electric toothbrushes (for daily strong sensory input) I have linked a mid-range model that I like personally, but the inexpensive disposable ones in the toothbrush sections of grocery stores work, too. Be aware that if you use a disposable model, there might be button batteries inside the screw-on compartment. If you have a child who throws things, you might not want those in your home.

Face massagers (portable for emergency strong sensory input) The first link is for a set with detachable textured options. You can also try all in one face massagers, which are easier to keep together in my experience. We used to carry these in our diaper bags and church bags.

Sensory strings (great for classroom and group settings):

Thicker strings (30 pack) for best use. These are my go-to sensory strings. Make sure you order the ones between half an inch and 3/4 and inch wide. These are fun and quiet, and you can use them in any setting. Since they’re relatively inexpensive, give out two or three for each person in a classroom to use as they please. They can braid them, twist, pull, squish, and so on to self-regulate.

Thinner strings (100 pack) very inexpensive, but they do not give as much input and can break. When we used these for our younger children, I would tie them in gentle knots for them to untie in church. We also had a towel bar under an icon of the Holy Mother of God, so we could tie on our troubles and ask her help to untie them, as St. Irenaeus (c. 125) said, Mary untied the knot of Eve’s sin, thus giving us the ancient custom of honoring Our Lady as the Undoer of Knots.

Alpaca sensory strings (30 pack) great for group flicking games (they don’t hurt when they hit). Our family has a tradition of buying these when we know we will be stuck inside. Everyone gets a dozen or so alpaca strings, and we flick them at each other across the room. They make for great alpaca wars. They can be picked up, reflicked, and if you are across the room or at least a couple of feet away, they don’t hurt when they hit. Makes for a funny interlude and about a ten minute game, where everyone gets lots of sensory input from pulling and releasing the alpacas at each other.

Bulk Kinetic Sand This is a large (24lb) set that is great for filling a sensory table or several shoebox sized sensory boxes for lots of students to use at their seats. I like this version (the National Geographic Moon Sand) because it’s softer than classic Kinetic sand and costs a bit less. In my bookshop, I have one dry sink filled with this moon sand and one with the coarser classic Kinetic Sand. They are both heavy play sands that cling together and clean up easily, and the variance in texture between them makes them great for people to regulate. Kids and adults love to play with this with cookie cutters and smoothers like flat spatulas or play eggs.

Fidget spinners. There are LOTS of fidget spinner options. For people working on motor control and building fine motor coordination, we use a lot of these popper fidget spinners. Metallic ones for older people are linked above.

Sketchbooks with pens. We buy bulk 8.5×11 blank sketchbooks from Michaels and purchase pens at Walmart or grocery stores during back to school sales. We use them for drawing, painting, worldbuilding, map making, and writing.

Crochet or knitting. You will do best by buying yarn, crochet hooks, and/or Knitting needles at a local arts and crafts store or Walmart, then find someone to teach you basic stitches. If you don’t have a local guide, look up beginning videos on YouTube, where a lot of people have produced excellent teaching guides. Don’t start with kits to make creatures; those are not actually good for beginners. For crochet, you will want to look up how to single crochet and double crochet. Those are the basic stitches that will help you make scarves and blankets, and you can build everything else on top of that. For knitting, find out how to “cast on,” “knit,” and “purl.” Your local library might have some yarn circles where people can guide you further. Crochet and knitting are great because they’re portable and can be light weight. You can usually knit or crochet in church services and even in theaters if needed, as they are silent and contained on the lap.

Model Magic Classpacks (great for group settings) These are great for lots of uses, as they do not stick to clothes or hair or surfaces (as long as you don’t get them wet). You can use this in conjunction with the Clay Quiet Book (link to Park End Books listing; I own Park End Books).

Scratch and sniff stickers. These can be placed on school book covers or notebooks for a quick sensory experience.

The Tools: Lighting

Fluorescent bulb replacement LED tubes. Get rid of all of your fluorescent lights. Don’t dim them. Get rid of them or cover them. Measure your current fluorescent tubes, and then search for “LED replacement for fluorescent tubes” at amazon or your favorite online retailer.

Fluorescent light covers (magnetic) The linked set is for standard rectangular fluorescent lights usually found in schools or offices. They come in trees, stars, and clouds, and you can find more unusual patterns by searching.

Warm LED bulbs You can find these at most big box stores and online. We favor the vintage style 40w bulbs because we tend to use lamps where the bulbs are visible at some angles.

Natural light is great, but lamps and twinkle lights and uplights on shelves to give indirect light are also great options. If you have a blank wall and want to add sensory input and gentle lighting, these warm LED curtain lights are excellent. You can also place them behind stages or in music areas. In general, most people find warm white LEDs more soothing. If you have a room that needs bright blue white, make sure to aim it upward so that the bluish light is only experienced indirectly.

BONUS: SLIDES ON SENSORY ACCESSIBILITY FOR ADULTS

I recently spoke with a wonderful education group that works with autistic adults living in group settings, and I made these slides to help shift mindsets about how to make sensory tools a normal part of their program. You’ll find links to many of the options I list here above.

normalize sensoryDownload

What are your favorite sensory-regulation tools for around the house and in your group spaces?

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