Een individueel prikkelprofiel opstellen
Strategy
A prikkelprofiel (stimulus profile, or sensory profile in English) is a documented picture of one person’s sensory processing patterns — what they notice, what they seek, what overwhelms them, what helps, and what makes things worse. It is not a diagnosis or a score; it is a practical, living document that helps the person themselves, their carers, teachers, therapists, and support workers understand and respond to their sensory needs.
The term prikkelprofiel comes from Dutch practice and literally means “stimulus profile” (prikkel = stimulus; profiel = profile). It is the cornerstone of practical sensory support in the Dutch care and education context, particularly for autistic people and people with intellectual disability.
Een prikkelprofiel is een vastgelegd overzicht van iemands prikkelverwerking — wat iemand opmerkt, opzoekt, wat overweldigt, wat helpt en wat het erger maakt. Het is geen diagnose of score, maar een praktisch, levend document.
When it applies
A prikkelprofiel is valuable for any autistic person, and for anyone whose sensory processing patterns significantly affect their daily life. It is particularly important for people who cannot easily describe their own sensory experiences — including people with intellectual disability, young children, and people who communicate non-verbally. For these individuals, the prikkelprofiel must be built through careful observation and collaboration rather than self-report alone.
A prikkelprofiel applies across all settings and all ages. It should be started as early as possible and updated throughout life.
Een prikkelprofiel is waardevol voor iedereen wiens prikkelverwerking het dagelijks leven beïnvloedt, en is extra belangrijk voor mensen die hun sensorische ervaringen niet gemakkelijk zelf kunnen beschrijven.
How to do it
Step 1: Gather the team / Stel het team samen
The prikkelprofiel is built collaboratively. Involve:
- The person themselves, wherever possible. Even if they communicate non-verbally, their preferences, behaviours, and reactions are the primary data source.
- Family members / mantelzorgers who know the person across settings.
- Professional carers / begeleiders who support the person daily.
- Teachers / leerkrachten if the person is in education.
- Occupational therapist / ergotherapeut if available, particularly one with sensory processing expertise.
Step 2: Observe and document across senses / Observeer en documenteer per zintuig
Work through each sensory system. For each sense, document what you observe about the person’s responses. The eight senses to cover are (see also: The senses):
- Hearing / gehoor — responses to loud sounds, background noise, sudden sounds, specific frequencies, music, silence.
- Sight / zicht — responses to bright light, fluorescent lighting, visual clutter, movement, patterns, screens.
- Touch / tastzin — responses to clothing textures, light touch vs. deep pressure, temperature, water, being touched by others.
- Smell / reuk — responses to food smells, cleaning products, perfume, body odour, outdoor smells.
- Taste / smaak — food preferences and aversions, texture in mouth, temperature of food, mixed flavours.
- Vestibular / evenwicht — responses to movement, spinning, swinging, car travel, heights, escalators.
- Proprioception / proprioceptie — awareness of body position, need for heavy work or deep pressure, clumsiness, force regulation.
- Interoception / introceptie — awareness of hunger, thirst, pain, temperature, toileting needs, heartbeat, emotional body signals.
Step 3: Identify patterns using Dunn’s four types / Identificeer patronen
For each sense, consider which of Dunn’s four sensory processing patterns best describes the person’s responses (see also: Dunn’s four types):
- Registration / registratie: misses or is slow to notice input.
- Seeking / prikkelzoekend: actively seeks out input.
- Sensitivity / gevoeligheid: notices input quickly, may become overwhelmed.
- Avoiding / prikkelvermijdend: actively avoids or withdraws from input.
Most people show different patterns for different senses. An autistic person might be sensory-seeking for proprioceptive input (loves deep pressure, jumping, heavy blankets) while being sensory-avoiding for auditory input (distressed by loud environments, needs quiet spaces). This mixed pattern is normal and expected.
Step 4: Map the zones / Breng de zones in kaart
Use the four-zone framework (see: Prikkelbalans) to document what signals look like at each level:
- Green zone / groene zone: calm, regulated, able to engage. What does this look like for this person? What conditions support it?
- Orange zone / oranje zone: increasing arousal, early warning signs. What do early signals of overload or underload look like? (Restlessness? Withdrawal? Stimming increase? Facial changes?)
- Red zone / rode zone: overload, meltdown, shutdown. What does crisis look like? What should carers do? What should carers not do?
- Blue zone / blauwe zone: underarousal, disengagement, fatigue. What does this look like? What helps the person re-engage?
Step 5: Document what helps and what doesn’t / Documenteer wat helpt en wat niet
For each sense and each zone, note:
- What helps (wat helpt): specific strategies, objects, environments, routines. Be concrete. “Noise-cancelling headphones in the canteen” is more useful than “reduce auditory input.”
- What doesn’t help or makes it worse (wat niet helpt of het erger maakt): include well-intentioned strategies that have been tried and found unhelpful. This prevents future carers from repeating unsuccessful approaches.
Step 6: Note context / Noteer context
Sensory responses are context-dependent. A sound that is tolerable at home may be unbearable in a busy school. Document:
- Setting-specific notes for each relevant environment (home, school/work, care facility, public spaces, transport).
- Time-of-day patterns — many autistic people have less capacity for sensory input later in the day.
- Cumulative load — the effect of sustained sensory input over hours or days. A person may cope with one challenging stimulus but not with three simultaneous ones.
- State-dependent variation — sensory tolerance changes with illness, fatigue, hunger, stress, and emotional state.
What to watch for
- Don’t assume stability. Sensory processing patterns change over time — with development, with new environments, with shifts in mental health, with medication changes. The prikkelprofiel must be reviewed and updated regularly.
- Don’t project your own experience. What feels neutral to you may be painful or pleasant to the person you are supporting. Observe behaviour, don’t assume sensation.
- Watch for masking (see: masking-and-camouflaging). A person who appears calm may be suppressing sensory distress at significant cost. Look for the after-effects: meltdowns after school, exhaustion after social events, withdrawal in the evening.
- Include interoception. Most standard sensory profiles miss interoception entirely. Ask about hunger cues, pain responses, toileting awareness, temperature regulation, and emotional body signals.
How it travels / Hoe het meebeweegt
A prikkelprofiel is only useful if it moves with the person:
- When a child transitions from primary to secondary school.
- When care shifts from one team to another.
- When a person moves into supported living.
- When respite carers take over.
- When a person enters hospital or another unfamiliar environment.
The prikkelprofiel should be written in language that is accessible to anyone who will use it — not in clinical jargon. A one-page summary version is helpful for new carers or emergency situations.
Een prikkelprofiel is alleen nuttig als het meebeweegt met de persoon — bij schoolwisselingen, teamwisselingen, verhuizingen, ziekenhuisopnames.
Privacy considerations / Privacyoverwegingen
A prikkelprofiel contains personal and sometimes intimate information. Handle it with care:
- Never share without consent — from the person themselves if they can give it, or from their legal representative if they cannot.
- Include only what is needed. A teacher does not need to know about toileting; a respite carer may. Share the relevant sections, not the whole document.
- Store securely, in accordance with GDPR / AVG requirements.
- Review regularly who has access and whether that access is still appropriate.
- The person owns their prikkelprofiel. Where possible, they should have a copy and a say in what is included and who sees it.
Een prikkelprofiel bevat persoonlijke informatie. Deel het nooit zonder toestemming, bewaar het veilig, en geef de persoon zelf zoveel mogelijk regie.
Evidence notes
The prikkelprofiel as a practice tool draws on Dunn’s Sensory Processing Framework, the four-zone model of arousal regulation, and established occupational therapy practice in sensory assessment and intervention planning. It aligns with the capabilities approach (see: models-of-disability) in focusing on what the person needs to function well, rather than on what is “wrong” with them.
There is no single peer-reviewed study validating the prikkelprofiel as a specific instrument — it is a practice framework rather than a standardised tool. Its evidence base is primarily practitioner consensus within Dutch autism care and occupational therapy. The sensory assessments that inform it (Sensory Profile 2, SPM-2, SEQ, MAIA) are individually validated.
Key sources
- Dunn, W. (2014). Sensory Profile 2: User’s Manual. San Antonio, TX: Pearson.
- Mahler, K. (2017). Interoception: The Eighth Sensory System. Shawnee, KS: AAPC Publishing.
- Bogdashina, O. (2016). Sensory Perceptual Issues in Autism and Asperger Syndrome (2nd ed.). London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.