Sensory triggers are the sounds, lights, textures, and situations that tip us toward overwhelm.
When we know our triggers, we can plan around them and ask for what we need. This checklist covers eleven areas, from lighting and sound to clothing and people.
How to Use This Checklist
As an Autistic-ADHD person with alexithymia, I find checklists easier than coming up with examples on my own. You might mark the triggers you recognize in each area. Most of us will have triggers that aren’t on this list.
If you’re not sure what sensory overload looks like for you, Sensory Overload: Signs, Triggers, and What Helps walks through what it can look like.
The Sensory Trigger Checklist
Lighting
Visual
Temperature
Touch
Taste and Food
Sound
Smell
Environment
People
Clothing
Movement
Free Sensory Trigger Checklist
Not sure what sets off your overload? Our free Sensory Trigger Checklist walks you through common triggers across each sense so you can start mapping your own.
A Few Closing Thoughts
Most of our triggers have been with us for a long time. There may have been ways that you’ve been accommodating around these for years. You may not have had words for them, or you might have learned to push through them at the cost of disconnecting from your body.
Paying attention can be a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand it helps us manage these experiences with more intention, but it can also intensify our focus to them, which can cause them to feel more distressing initially.
And if you’re looking for Sensory Calming Techniques, we also have a soothers checklist to pair with this one, and having a sensory safety plan can help with the harder days.
Sensory Trigger Checklist FAQs
What are sensory triggers?
Sensory triggers are sounds, lights, textures, smells, tastes, movements, or situations that push the nervous system toward overwhelm, and they vary a lot from person to person.
What are common sensory triggers for Autistic and ADHD people?
Common ones include loud or sudden noises, background chatter, bright or flickering lights, scratchy fabrics and tags, strong smells, crowds, and unpredictable environments.
How do I figure out my sensory triggers?
A checklist can help, especially if it’s hard to come up with examples on your own. Paying attention to the moment overwhelm starts can fill in the rest.
What is the difference between sensory triggers and sensory preferences?
Sensory preferences are the input we enjoy and go looking for, like deep pressure or a favorite texture. Triggers push us toward overwhelm. The same input can feel soothing one day and too much the next, depending on how much capacity we have left.
Additional Resources
Sensory Overload Signs, triggers, and what helps
Sensory Preferences Checklist Find what your senses like
Sensory Calming Techniques The soothers checklist
Sensory Safety Plan How to prepare for and manage sensory overload
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