Sensory Overload

Nearly 20% of the world is believed to be neurodiverse. And yet, for so many, neurodivergence is still seen as negative, and sensory sensitivities are seen as strange—perceptions based in outdated stereotypes and a fundamental lack of understanding of what these things mean, and the spectrum of how they can manifest. It’s about time to shift those perceptions.

The groundbreaking documentary, Sensory Overload, aims to do exactly that, helping to rewrite the narrative around neurodivergence and sensory sensitivity by telling the true stories of individuals who prove that these aren’t deficiencies—they’re just differences. The film follows Dr. Jacob Dent, a dentist and father who pivoted his practice to focus on sensory sensitive care after his son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. It also features Lola Dada-Olley, a mother adapting to the needs and preferences of her two neurodivergent children. Finally, it tells the story of Burnett Au, a young adult on the autism spectrum who has struggled for years to find a work environment with sensory sensitive conditions and openness to neurodivergence.

Filmed over the course of a year, the film weaves the stories of our heroes together with voices from experts and advocates in neurodivergence, healthcare, and policy, like Dr Virginia Spielmann and Jonathan Martinez. It follows each of our heroes as they navigate the ups and downs of their everyday lives in a world that wasn’t designed for neurodiversity. We’ll watch them encounter very real hurdles—prejudice from strangers, workplace difficulties, interpersonal mismatches, and lack of access to medical care—with resolve, resilience, and an eye towards the ways things can and should change. Through their stories, viewers will gain a better understanding of how all brains function. We’ll witness the ways neurodiversity can be a superpower, how it exists on a spectrum that touches so many of us, and how a deeper understanding of neurodiversity can help to create a more inclusive—and wonderfully sensitive—world for everyone. This isn’t just a film about the neurodivergent spectrum, it’s about the spectrum of human experience.