Neurodivergent Space

By: Sam_v, recent graduate from the University of Texas at Austin and writer passionate about neurodiversity.

Learning to function as an autistic adult can be an overwhelming experience for many. Whether you’re learning to manage an apartment, care for yourself independently, or customize your environment to support your sensory needs, you’ll likely face trial and error before finding what works best for you.

As a twenty-four-year-old and recent college graduate, I’ve spent much of the last several years trying to overcome the difficulties of autistic adulthood. Below, I’ve gathered some of my favorite household items that I find helpful in navigating daily productivity, sensory input, and organization.

Visual Planners and Trackers

Managing time and tasks is essential for maintaining a job, a social life, and personal time. I’ve tried several planning and tracking methods to assist in the overwhelm when I have more than a couple of tasks to achieve.

Tools like planners, calendars, to-do lists, and habit trackers allow me to break down my tasks and choose the next step, but juggling multiple methods simultaneously can be challenging. I find that having a simplified and accessible version in a common area of my apartment is most helpful. My favorite options for calendars and habit trackers are dry-erase and magnetic displays that I can keep on my fridge.

I recommend these Amazon planners, as you can choose from weekly planners, menus, grocery lists, and memos.

Lighting

Because of my eye sensitivity, lighting is one of the most important visual components of my environment. I often develop headaches, eye pain, and disorientation when confronted with bright or artificial light. These lights can be difficult to avoid in public; however, I can curate my home environment to suit my needs.

After testing several lighting setups in my home, I’ve discovered that warm, dim lighting is best for me. I recommend salt lamps because the salt color allows the bulb to emit a soft pink or orange light.

I also recommend LED Strip Lights by Govee. You can choose the location of the light source and control the color and brightness through an app. I have attached my strip lights to the back of my desk, which casts a gentle glow on the wall.

Although I enjoy natural light, I can’t tolerate it for very long. When it comes to blocking out light, I rely on blackout curtains. These curtains offer complete darkness when I need a break during the day and at night to block out street lamps and headlights.

Noise Sensitivity

Because of my noise sensitivity, I need to block out a plethora of everyday sounds. Many tasks that I need to complete as an adult, such as washing the dishes, cooking, running the washing machine, going to the store, and dealing with construction outside of my apartment, are just a few examples of times that it’s important for me to have my Loop earplugs.

Loop earplugs offer various types depending on your needs. Their categories include noise sensitivity, sleeping, parenting, events, and travel. I recommend heading to their website and taking their one-minute quiz to determine the earplugs that will best suit your needs.

The earplugs I’ve purchased are the Engage 2, which help reduce loud sounds while still allowing you to hold conversations. I wear my loops nearly every day, and they help me cope with circumstances I would otherwise not be able to.

Proprioception

Many autistic people struggle with proprioception or the sense associated with body awareness. Because of this, I find myself seeking sensory input focused on pressure. My favorite item for proprioceptive input is my weighted blanket because it aids my parasympathetic nervous system, which controls relaxation and energy conservation.

I find that I fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer when I use my weighted blanket. It’s also common for me to lie under it for short bursts during the day when I’m feeling overwhelmed or uncomfortable in my body.

Smell Sensitivity

Once it came time for me to buy my own cleaning supplies, I realized that most of these products were scented too heavily for me. I wanted to find products that worked well and didn’t cause headaches or distractions. After trying multiple brands, I came across Dropps, which offers scentless laundry and dish-cleaning products.

Dropps has biobased formulas, is cruelty-free, vegan, septic-safe, and comes in recyclable packaging. I’ve been most satisfied with Dropps’ fragrance-free options and environmental consciousness.

Organization

Keeping my apartment clean and organized is one of the most challenging aspects of daily life for me. If my space is not tidy, my mind becomes overwhelmed, and I have difficulty carrying out my daily routine.

One of the easiest ways I’ve learned to keep my space orderly is by grouping similar items into baskets. Depending on how often I use these items or the amount of visual stimulation they cause, I can choose to keep the baskets visible or in a cupboard or closet.

Some examples of how I use my baskets include keeping hair tools under the bathroom sink, cat toys in the living room, electronic chords in the closet, and my favorite snacks in the pantry. This method lets me find items quickly and know where to put them away.

Conclusion

As an autistic adult, everyday life can quickly become overwhelming, so it’s important to surround yourself with tools that help make things a little easier. The next time you’re struggling with sensory input or household chores, I recommend considering whether there’s a product out there that will help.

Whether you’re looking for visual reminders or sensory tools, there are many options to explore. Remember that you might have to try a few different options before finding the one that works best for you. I encourage you to keep trying new things and customizing your environment to support you best!