Sensory Preferences Checklist

This checklist helps you notice which sensory experiences may calm, relax, activate, or overwhelm you. You can use it to get to know your own responses, prepare for a conversation with a specialist, or find ways to make your day feel more manageable.

This is not a diagnostic test or medical advice. The answers do not indicate a “norm” or a “deviation”; they help describe your individual sensory preferences.

How to use it

  • Choose the answer that best fits your usual experience.
  • If your response depends on your state, place, or the day, choose “it varies / not sure”.
  • After completing the checklist, click “Show answers” to see an automatic summary of what tends to calm, activate, or overwhelm you, and which sensory areas may need more attention.
  • Your checklist answers are not sent or stored by the website. If the result is important to you, copy it and save it separately.

About non-commercial use and data. This checklist is provided free of charge and is used only for psychoeducational purposes. Completing it is not connected with purchasing services or booking a consultation. Your checklist answers are processed only in your browser, are not sent to forms, CRM, email, or other services, and are not stored by the website.

Choose one option for each row. You do not need to complete everything: the summary is calculated only from the answers you mark.

Vision

Bright light, many visual details, saturated colors
Dim light, low lighting, minimal visual stimulation
Screens, videos, computer games, rapidly changing images
Drawing, reading, handcrafts, looking at images

Hearing

Silence or almost complete quiet
Music, nature sounds, radio, or audiobooks
Background noise, nearby conversations, several voices at once
Loud, sharp, or sudden sounds

Touch and tactile sensations

Deep pressure: a weighted blanket, firm hug, massage
Light touch on the skin, unexpected touch
Clothing, seams, labels, fabric temperature
Water, shower, bath, sand, clay, different textures

Smell

Perfume, essential oils, scented products
Smells of food, drinks, herbal tea
Fresh air, the smell of plants, rain, grass

Taste

Sweet, sour, salty, spicy tastes
Food textures: crunchy, soft, sticky, grainy
Temperature of food and drinks: cold, warm, hot

Movement and pressure

Walking, running, sport, dance, active movement
Rocking, swings, rocking chair, rhythmic movement
Stretching, yoga, slow exercises
Squeezing a ball, lifting weight, carrying heavy objects

Complete the checklist and click “Show answers”.

How the result can be useful

Your answers can help you notice what helps you recover, focus, or relax—and what you might want to reduce or prepare for. If sensory overload strongly affects sleep, work, study, relationships, or everyday tasks, it is better to discuss this with a specialist who works with neurodivergent clients or with a sensory integration specialist.

Source and license

Based on Sensory Preferences Checklist, developed by the Mental Health Occupational Therapy Sensory Approaches Clinical Group. © State of Queensland (Queensland Health), 2017.

Original material: Sensory Preferences Checklist. Resource page: Queensland Health Sensory Preferences Checklist. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Australia.