Creating Autism-Friendly Homes

A home should be a sanctuary-a place where every family member feels safe, comfortable, and able to rest and recharge. For an autistic person, a typical home environment, with its unpredictable noises, bright lights, and visual clutter, can often feel like a source of stress rather than a refuge. By making thoughtful and practical adaptations, you can transform your home into a more peaceful and supportive space for your autistic family member, which often benefits the entire family.

This article provides practical guidance on how to adapt a home to better suit the needs of an autistic person. We will cover strategies for managing the sensory environment, enhancing organisation and predictability, and considering safety, all with the aim of creating a home that feels like a true sanctuary.

Managing the Sensory Environment

How can you turn your home from a source of sensory stress into a sensory sanctuary? For many autistic people, sensory sensitivities are a major part of daily life. Managing the sensory input at home is one of the most impactful things a family can do to reduce anxiety and prevent overload.

The Visual Environment

A visually "loud" environment can be very distracting and overwhelming. The goal is to create a sense of visual calm.

• Reduce Clutter

  An organised space is a calmer space. Use closed cupboards rather than open shelves to hide visual clutter. A clear system with labelled storage boxes helps everyone know where things belong, reducing the stress of searching for items. This reduces distracting visual noise, making it easier for an autistic person to focus and feel calm.

• Choose Calming Colours

  When decorating, opt for neutral or muted colour palettes. Bright, harsh colours or busy patterns on walls and furnishings can be visually over-stimulating. A calmer colour scheme helps to lower the overall level of sensory input in a room.

• Control the Lighting

  Bright, flickering fluorescent lights are a common source of distress for autistic people, sometimes causing headaches or physical pain. Replace them with incandescent or LED bulbs. Use lamps to create pockets of softer, warmer light instead of relying on a single, harsh overhead light. Dimmable switches and blackout blinds are excellent tools for giving you control over the level of light in a room. This reduces visual stress and physical discomfort, making the home a more tolerable space.

The Auditory Environment

Unexpected or constant background noise can be a major source of anxiety, so perhaps consider these ideas:

• Dampen Sound

  Hard surfaces can make sounds echo and feel harsher. Using soft furnishings like carpets, thick curtains, and sofas helps to absorb sound. Placing felt pads on the bottom of chair legs can prevent the jarring noise of them scraping on the floor. This lowers the overall volume of the house, reducing the likelihood of auditory overload.

• Manage Appliance Noise

  Be mindful of noisy appliances. Consider running the washing machine or vacuum cleaner at predictable times of day, or when the autistic person is in another room or out of the house. This avoids sudden, unexpected loud noises that can disrupt a person's sense of calm and concentration.

The Olfactory and Tactile Environments

When it comes to smell and taste needs and preferences, here are some good ideas:

• Reduce Strong Smells

  Many autistic people are highly sensitive to smells. Using unscented or natural cleaning products, soaps, and laundry detergents can make a huge difference. Be mindful of strong cooking smells by ensuring good ventilation. This prevents the nausea, headaches, or distress that can be triggered by overpowering scents.

• Consider Textures

  The feel of things can be very important. For bedding and sofas, choose soft, natural fabrics. For clothing, be prepared to cut out itchy labels or avoid certain textures that your family member finds unbearable. This removes a source of constant physical irritation, which can significantly improve comfort and mood.

Creating a "Safe Space" or Quiet Zone

It is incredibly important to have a designated quiet area in your home where your autistic family member can go to decompress when they are feeling overwhelmed. This does not have to be a whole room; it can be a corner of their bedroom, a small pop-up tent in the living room, or even just a comfy beanbag behind the sofa. The key is that it is their space, a predictable retreat for self-regulation.

What could you put in this space to make it as comforting and effective as possible? Think about engaging the senses in a gentle, calming way.

For a greater sense of comfort and security, consider these ideas:

• Cosy Furnishings

  Start with soft cushions, a beanbag, or a plush rug to make the space physically comfortable.

• A Sense of Enclosure

  An indoor tent, a canopy draped over the corner, or even positioning a bookshelf to create a nook can provide a sense of enclosure that feels safe and protected.

• Weighted Items

  A weighted blanket or a smaller weighted lap pad can provide deep pressure, which is very calming and grounding for many autistic people.

For a more visually calming space, consider these ideas:

• Gentle Lighting

  Avoid harsh overhead lights. Instead, use a lava lamp, a bubble tube, or LED fairy lights with a warm glow to create a soothing visual atmosphere.

• Familiar Objects

  Include some of the person's favourite comforting objects, like a specific cuddly toy or a cherished photograph.

For better auditory and tactile regulation, consider these ideas:

• Sound Control

  A small music player with headphones is a great addition, allowing the person to listen to calming music, nature sounds, or white noise to block out other household sounds.

• Fidget and Tactile Tools

  Provide a small basket of sensory toys. This could include a variety of fidgets like spinners and cubes, soft putty or stress balls, and objects with interesting textures to touch and explore. Chewable jewellery can also be a helpful tool for people who need oral sensory input.

And for adding calming activities and scents, consider these ideas:

• Quiet Activities

  Keep a small stock of low-demand, engaging activities like favourite books, comics, magazines, or a notepad and some colouring pencils or art supplies.

• Aromatherapy

  For some, gentle scents can be very calming. An essential oil diffuser with oils like lavender or chamomile can help create a relaxing atmosphere, but always make sure the person enjoys the scent first as some autistic people are highly sensitive to smells.

A well-equipped safe space provides a reliable retreat for self-regulation. It empowers the person to recognise their own needs and proactively manage their sensory input and emotions, which can help to prevent meltdowns and restore a sense of calm and control.

Organisation and Predictability: Creating Order and Calm

For many autistic people, a predictable environment reduces anxiety by making the world feel safer and more manageable. You can enhance predictability at home through clear organisation and the use of visual supports.

• Use Visual Schedules

  How can you make the day's events more predictable? A visual schedule is a powerful tool. Displaying a simple timetable with pictures or words that shows the plan for the day (e.g. Get Dressed -> Eat Breakfast -> Go to School) helps the person to know what to expect and can make transitions between activities much smoother. This removes uncertainty, which is a major source of anxiety.

• Break Down Tasks with Checklists

  A multi-step task like getting ready for bed can be overwhelming. A simple checklist (with words or pictures) breaks the task down into manageable steps, such as "Put on Pyjamas", "Brush Teeth", then "Read Book". This improves executive functioning (decision making), makes tasks less daunting, and creates a sense of true independence and accomplishment.

Considering Safety in the Home

It is important to consider that some autistic people may have a different awareness of risk and danger. Depending on your family member's specific needs, you may need to think about some practical safety measures. This might include ensuring heavy furniture is secured to the wall if climbing is an issue, or having secure locks on external doors if the person is prone to wandering when stressed. This is not about restricting them, but about creating an environment where they can be safe.

A Harmonious Home for Everyone

Creating an autism-friendly home is an ongoing process of learning, understanding, and adapting. It is about working with your autistic family member to discover what helps them feel their best. By making these thoughtful adjustments to your physical environment and daily routines, you can significantly reduce stress and anxiety.

Often, these changes (i.e. a quieter, more organised, and more predictable space) create a more peaceful and harmonious home environment that benefits everyone in the family.