Sensory-Friendly Care Environments for Neurodivergent Patients

Nanda Rommelse

Sensory-Friendly Care Environments for Neurodivergent Patients

Author(s)	Dr. Nanda Rommelse
Country	United States
Abstract	Healthcare environments are commonly designed around operational efficiency and standardized clinical workflows rather than individual variation in sensory processing, communication, predictability needs, and environmental tolerance. For some neurodivergent patients, intense lighting, background noise, crowded waiting areas, unexpected touch, unfamiliar personnel, rapidly changing instructions, and prolonged uncertain waiting may increase distress and interfere with communication or completion of necessary care. Pre-2021 healthcare research involving autistic people identified sensory sensitivities, patient–provider communication, and planning demands as significant barriers to healthcare access, while hospital and emergency-department studies documented challenges associated with sensory stimulation and inflexible care processes. This simulation-based study evaluates a sensory-friendly care model using 240 hypothetical clinical encounters, equally allocated between standard and adapted environments. The intervention includes adjustable lighting, quieter waiting options, reduced avoidable environmental stimulation, predictable sequencing of clinical activities, patient-selected communication methods, advance explanation before touch or procedures, additional processing time, access to sensory-regulation tools, and individualized accommodation documentation. Simulated outcomes indicate that visits completed without sensory-triggered interruption increased from 58% under standard conditions to 86% in sensory-friendly environments. Favorable communication readiness increased from 64% to 88%, perceived safety and trust from 61% to 89%, and care-plan understanding from 68% to 90%. Mean observed-equivalent distress scores declined from 6.7 to 3.4 on a ten-point scale. These findings are hypothetical and do not establish clinical effectiveness. They demonstrate a methodological framework for testing whether modifiable environmental and communication accommodations can improve accessibility without making assumptions about individual needs based solely on diagnostic labels.
Keywords	neurodivergent patients; sensory-friendly healthcare; autism; sensory processing; patient-centered care; healthcare accessibility; communication accommodation; environmental modification
Field	Engineering
Published In	Volume 4, Issue 5, September-October 2023
Published On	2023-10-16

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American Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Innovation and Research

A Widely Indexed Open Access Peer Reviewed Multidisciplinary Bi-monthly Scholarly International Journal

Sensory-Friendly Care Environments for Neurodivergent Patients

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