Making hospitals better for children and young people with sensory processing differences 

3 mins read

Wednesday 10 September 2025

A paper published this month in respected journal Child Care in Practice shines a spotlight on work Contact carried out with Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, neurodiverse children and young people and parent carer forums in North-West England. Edge Hill University independently evaluated it.

The project highlighted in the journal explored how the environment at Alder Hey Hospital impacts children with sensory processing differences. This is something that affects around 60% of children visiting. This means that many can find coming to hospital challenging. They need additional support to help reduce their anxiety and engage in their treatments. 

Mary Mulvey-Oates, who led on the project from Contact, said:

“We are thrilled to have the important work we did looking at creating a better sensory environment recognised and published in a key academic journal. 

“Often it was small changes that made the biggest difference to children visiting Alder Hey. For example, offering a quiet space to wait or offering adjustments – like ear defenders, reduced children’s anxiety and meant they were better able to engage in their hospital appointments. The hospital offered sensory toys in waiting areas and used light projections to create welcome distractions for children during blood tests. Staff were encouraged to be ‘sensory curious’ and ask families and children about their sensory experiences and adjustments. One child on an inpatient ward was sensitive to light and had not slept for days. Fixing the curtains in their inpatient room meant they slept better and engaged positively in activities later that day.” 

Read the published paper in full.

How hospitals can create more sensory-friendly spaces

The paper calls on hospitals to create more sensory-friendly spaces to help children and young people feel more comfortable and get fair access to healthcare by: 

  • Making all areas of the hospital calmer, not just waiting rooms. 
  • Creating quiet spaces with adjustable lights, sounds, and temperature. 
  • Providing tools and resources that help children manage their sensory needs. 
  • Having kind, understanding staff who listen and communicate in ways that suit each child. 
  • Giving clear, personalized information before visits and checking if any changes are needed. 
  • Training all hospital staff -including non-medical staff -on how to support children with sensory needs, using real experiences from families. 

Mary continued: “We hope that other hospitals and health settings build on the work done at Alder Hey- working collaboratively with children and young people and their families to make sensory-friendly environments and sensory-curious care the norm, not the exception.” 

Additional information about the project

Watch this short animation developed by Alder Hey Hospital and National Development Team for inclusion (NDTi) as part of the project to help people understand how hospital noises, lights and smells can distress or over stimulate some children with sensory processing differences. 

Contact worked with Sefton and Livpac parent carer forums, young people from Alder Hey Youth Forum and Sefton Camhelions and the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi) on this project. Read our report. 

Read the full independent evaluation of Sensory Friendly Environments North West, by Edge Hill University, which reviews the impact of the project