About SensoryShore
SensoryShore is a free website for adults in the UK who are autistic, or who think they may be autistic. Our family built it and runs it. This page explains who we are, why we built it, and what SensoryShore is and is not.
Who we are
Who runs SensoryShore
We are a family. Two of us are autistic and ADHD adults. ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
SensoryShore is self-supported. This means we run it and pay for it ourselves.
SensoryShore is not a company. It has no staff. It is not part of any other organisation.
Why it exists
Why we built SensoryShore
We know how alone and isolated a person can feel while they wait for answers.
Waits for adult autism assessments on the NHS (National Health Service) are often long. The services are under a lot of pressure.
We felt that health services did not understand how urgent it was for us to know. We also felt they did not understand the anxiety that waiting caused.
So we built SensoryShore to give people a sense of knowing.
What we mean by a sense of knowing
It means:
- A clearer picture of your own patterns, such as how you react to noise or how much effort you put into fitting in
- Words for those patterns that you can take to a GP (general practitioner, your family doctor)
It does not mean:
- A diagnosis
- An answer to whether you are autistic
Only a formal autism assessment by qualified health professionals can give a diagnosis.
What it is
What SensoryShore is and is not
SensoryShore is not a diagnostic tool and does not diagnose autism or any other condition.
What it is
- ✓ A free website for adults aged 18 and over in the UK
- ✓ For autistic adults, and for adults who think they may be autistic
- ✓ Made especially for people waiting for an NHS autism assessment
- ✓ A questionnaire, with results that describe your own patterns in plain words
What it is not
- ✗ A diagnosis, or a replacement for an autism assessment
- ✗ A helpline, a support service, or someone to talk to
- ✗ Therapy or treatment
- ✗ A crisis service
- ✗ For anyone under 18
Available now
What you can use now
The main part of SensoryShore is the NeuroProfile questionnaire. It is free to use. If we can keep it that way, we will.
You need a free account to take it. The account asks for your first name, your email address, and a password. It does not ask for payment details.
There are up to 129 questions, plus 3 short questions about you at the start, such as whether you already have an autism diagnosis. The questions are in up to 9 sections. If you already have a formal autism diagnosis, you see 122 questions in 8 sections.
You see one question per screen, so you deal with one thing at a time. There is no time limit. You can pause and come back at any time.
When you finish, you get:
- A results page
- A report to download as a PDF (a type of file you can save and print)
- A letter for your GP, which you prepare and download yourself
If the cost of SensoryShore ever changes, we will say so on this website first. Results you already have will stay available to you.
Your results
What your results describe
Your results describe patterns in your answers. They cover the areas below.
Sensory profile
Your sensory profile shows how you respond to what your senses pick up. It covers six areas: sound, sight, touch, smell and taste together, balance and movement, and body awareness.
Body awareness means sensing where your body and limbs are without looking.
Masking
Masking means hiding or changing how you naturally act, so that you fit in with other people.
Your results show masking in three parts:
- Compensation: actively working out social rules
- Masking: hiding autistic responses
- Assimilation: forcing yourself through situations that do not fit you
One of the three parts is also called masking. That part means only the hiding.
Burnout
Autistic burnout is deep, long-lasting exhaustion. It can build up after a long time of masking or coping with too much. Your results show whether your answers include signs of it.
Other areas
Your results also cover social communication, routine and flexibility, executive function, emotional regulation, and communication preferences.
What these mean:
- Social communication: how you take part in conversations and social situations
- Routine and flexibility: how routines, changes to plans, and deep interests affect your day
- Executive function: planning, starting, and organising tasks
- Emotional regulation: how you experience and manage strong feelings
- Communication preferences: how you like other people to communicate with you (this area is not scored)
How the scores are worked out
Each score is calculated from your answers by fixed rules. No AI (artificial intelligence) is involved in scoring. The results page shows how each score was worked out.
Each score falls into a band, such as low, moderate, or high. A band is a fixed range of scores. It shows how much of that pattern you reported. It does not compare you with other people.
The bands are provisional, which means they may change. Clinicians (health professionals such as doctors and psychologists) have not yet checked them. No formal study of their accuracy has been run yet.
The questions
Where the questions come from
The questions are adapted from questionnaires published in peer-reviewed autism research. Peer-reviewed means other researchers checked the work before it was published.
We grouped the questions into 9 sections. Each section covers one area, such as the senses, masking, or burnout.
Using it
What using it is like
We see autism as a difference in how a person experiences the world. We do not see it as something to fix.
We built SensoryShore to be calm and predictable:
- Plain, literal words that say exactly what they mean
- One question per screen, and no time limit
- You can pause at any time and come back later
- No streaks, badges, or points (rewards some apps use to keep you coming back)
Not available yet
What is not here yet
CalmCompanion is in development and not yet available. It is an AI companion: a computer program you write messages to, and it writes back. It adapts to your NeuroProfile results, your communication style, and your pace. We cannot give a date for it yet.
Leave your email address and we will email you now to confirm it, and once more when CalmCompanion is ready.
You do not need to do this to use the NeuroProfile questionnaire.
Get one email when CalmCompanion is ready
Pulse is planned for later and is not available. It is a phone app that uses a heart rate monitor, such as a smartwatch, to help you notice rising stress earlier.
Privacy
Your information
We store your answers in your account. The privacy policy explains what we keep and why.
We do not sell your information.
You can ask us to delete your account and your answers at any time. Email hey@sensoryshore.com to ask.
Safety
Safety and urgent help
SensoryShore is a website with a questionnaire. It has no helpline, no support service, and no one to talk to.
If you feel unsafe, or you are in crisis, please contact one of these services:
- If you or someone else is in danger now, call 999
- For urgent help that is not an emergency, call NHS 111
- To talk to someone at any time, call Samaritans free on 116 123
- If you would rather text than call, text SHOUT to 85258 (Shout is a free text service)
These services are not run by SensoryShore.
Contact
Contact us
If you have a question about SensoryShore, or you spot a mistake, email hey@sensoryshore.com.
Short messages are fine. Write in whatever way is easiest for you.
This address is for questions and requests about the website, such as deleting your account. It is not a support service, and it is not for urgent help. If you feel unsafe, use the services in the safety section above.