‘It just feels unnatural being here’: Autistic secondary school students’ experiences of sensory sensitivities in the school environment

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. one author of this publication is identified as autistic in the project.

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Price, J. & Romualdez, A. M. (2025). ‘It just feels unnatural being here’: Autistic secondary school students’ experiences of sensory sensitivities in the school environment. Autism, 29(9), 2228-2238. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613251333860

Publication date: 21 Apr 2025 Added to AutiHub: 18 Oct 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
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Authors

Publication authors
2
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 2 (50.0%)
  1. Jennifer Price *
  2. Anna Mel Romualdez

Abstract

Autistic young people often struggle to cope with the daily demands of school and are likelier to experience poorer wellbeing and educational outcomes than their non-autistic peers. Among other factors, this may be because mainstream settings are unsuitable for individuals’ sensory needs. Evidence suggests the unpredictable multi-sensory nature of school can elicit sensory distress, adversely affecting behaviour and learning. However, existing literature has primarily taken a top-down deductive approach and largely neglected autistic voices. The present study, therefore, employed a participatory approach and photo-voice semi-structured interview method to explore autistic students’ sensory experiences in a mainstream secondary school in the U.K. The sample consisted of six students aged 12–16 years with a clinical diagnosis of autism attending a state comprehensive school in Suffolk, U.K. Through reflexive thematic analysis, three main themes were identified: (1) impact of the school environment; (2) the importance of safe spaces and (3) levels of support and understanding. This study’s findings suggest autistic students are routinely overstimulated, overwhelmed and lack adequate support to overcome sensory barriers in mainstream settings. This study has implications for further participatory research and inclusive practice to ensure better educational experiences and outcomes for autistic young people. Lay Abstract Autistic young people often struggle to manage and respond to sensory stimuli within the school environment, impacting wellbeing, energy levels and the ability to learn. We asked six autistic students aged 12–16 years about their sensory experiences at secondary school. Specifically, we asked students to photograph areas in school that they positively and negatively associated with sensory stimulation, and follow-up interviews focused on these photographs and individuals’ sensory experiences. Many studies previously examined the sensory impact of school on autistic children. However, few studies have considered how autistic children think and feel about how their sensory differences affect them in school. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate autistic students’ firsthand accounts of sensory challenges within a secondary state school in the U.K. Students spoke about the detrimental effects of the school environment on their sensory needs and the importance of quiet spaces to recharge. Students also described a lack of consistent and adequate support to overcome daily sensory barriers. Generally, participants desired acceptance and understanding of their autistic identity and differences. This study has implications for future practice and research. With increasing numbers of autistic children attending mainstream schools, central and local governments must increase funding and support to equip schools and staff with the necessary training and resources to meet autistic students’ sensory needs. Increased provision of quiet rooms and low-cost environmental modifications (such as replacing fluorescent lighting) may also reduce sensory distress. Despite its complexities, empowering autistic young people to have their say is essential and may improve long-term outcomes.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 28 Oct 2026 01:01.

Cited references
40
With a DOI
30
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
10
3 / 40 (7.5%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
4 / 40 (10.0%)
References with detected author names
36 / 40 (90.0%)
Without detected author names
4
Without a structured title
4
Without a stable identifier
10
References with raw author names still to review
4
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
115
From DOI or external metadata
115
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
5
36 / 115 (31.3%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 79 / 115 (68.7%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
5 / 115 (4.3%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 5 / 36 (13.9%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 5 / 112 (4.5%).
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