Meet 18-year-old Peter.

graphic of smiling young adult sitting cross-legged. He has a laptop on his lap.This is Peter, an 18-year-old with difficulties with Sensory Integration. He is a quiet young man who mostly keeps to himself. Peter has just started university and is living in halls of residence for the first time. He is overwhelmed by all the changes and new experiences. Due to his sensory processing challenges, his behaviour is often misunderstood by others. To see how difficulties with sensory processing and integration can affect young adults in everyday life, take a look at a typical day in Peter’s life.

Meet Peter, an 18-year-old who experiences differences in sensory processing and integration. He’s a quiet young man who tends to keep to himself. Having just started university and moved into halls of residence, Peter is adjusting to a wave of new experiences and unfamiliar environments, which can feel overwhelming. Because of his sensory processing differences, his behaviour is sometimes misunderstood by others.

To explore how sensory processing and integration differences can impact everyday life for young adults, let’s follow a typical day in Peter’s life.

You can also download this story as a PDF:

A Day in the Life of a University Student with Sensory Processing and Integration Differences - Peter.pdf

8.00 am

It is the first day of term and Peter is feeling very stressed. In spite of visiting the campus before on an induction visit, he is feeling worried about where to go. He has difficulty with directions and has a hard time following a map. Peter noticed that the induction events are taking place in different places across campus and he hopes that he does not get lost trying to find them.

Sensory Integration Differences: Difficulty with visuo-spatial processing.

icon of map arrow

9.30 am

Peter made it to his first event with minutes to spare. He didn’t have breakfast at his halls of residence and decided to try the students' union coffee shop instead. Peter immediately regretted the decision when he arrived there. The queue was very long and it was way too noisy and busy. He wishes that he had brought his noise-cancelling earpods along but was also worried about losing them on the first day.

Sensory Integration Differences: Over responsive to sound (auditory sensory input).

icon of earpods

11.00 am

The morning has gone reasonably well so far, considering all the new experiences and the noisy environment but now Peter has realised that the next induction activity will involve a throwing and catching activity. The student reps planned a series of icebreaker activities, which could be seen as fun for most people but not for Peter due to his difficulties with motor coordination. Peter never got the hang of catching, especially from an unexpected direction and force, and spent the last few years at school preferring running instead. He is worried that he will make a fool out of himself. 

Sensory Integration Differences: Eye-hand coordination and motor planning difficulties (praxis).

icon of a hand throwing a ball

2.00 pm

After lunch Peter is attending an induction session in a computer lab. The room is packed, and all students are told to find a computer. As Peter couldn’t find a sandwich that he liked (all the ones in the canteen closest to the lab had squishy fillings or sauce, which he couldn’t stand), he went elsewhere for lunch. However, as a result he is one of the last students to find a seat. The lecturer at the front starts explaining very quickly, and Peter gets lost in the log-in instructions. There is no one to ask, and he is too embarrassed to put his hand up. For the rest of the session, he pretends that he is following even though he will have to ask someone to explain it all to him again.

Sensory Integration Differences: Sensory over responsivity (gustatory); difficulty with auditory processing and following directions.

icon of a sandwich

5.00 pm

The first day of induction is almost over. Peter has had a full day trying to process all the new information and instructions from the day. As a result, he is absolutely exhausted and not sure if he feels like going out to meet other first-year students at a social event that evening. Peter then gets a message from a school friend who is attending the same university, which convinces him to go out. Social events are always easier for Peter when he attends with someone he knows.

Sensory Integration Differences: Sensory overload from all the experiences of the day.

icon of aseries of zs to indicate sleep

10.00 pm

Peter is at his first student party. He has spent most of the time keeping to the side as the venue is very busy, and he got fed up with people bumping into him. He enjoyed the event more than he thought he would as he enjoyed the music choices but didn’t socialise much as he finds it difficult to hear and process information over the loud noise. He is now scanning the room to try and find his friend to tell him that he is going home.

Sensory Integration Differences: Over responsive to tactile sensory input; difficulty with auditory processing.

icon of a disco glitter ball

Sensory processing and Integration differences can include:

  • Experiencing sounds, textures, flavours, smells or other sensory input more or less than others

  • Having difficulty carrying out new activities.

  • Having difficulty with bumping into things and knowing where your body is in space.

  • Seeking or avoiding certain types of movement.

  • Having difficulty with emotional regulation.

  • Not knowing whether you are hungry or full and misunderstanding the cues from your body.

In Summary

What can be perceived as an exciting day for many new university students, has turned into a stressful day for Peter due to his sensory processing and integration differences. He is worried about the next day and how this term will go for him.

graphic of a young person wearing a shirt and tie, they are holding their chin looking quizzical

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