# Navigating Cancer Treatment When Your Brain Works Differently ### A practical guide to stabilising, orienting, framing, and transitioning through cancer care --- *Based on the SOFT (TM) Wellbeing Framework* *Sensory Justice - sensoryjustice.co.uk* --- ## What This Guide Is For If your brain works differently - if you are autistic, have ADHD, sensory processing differences, anxiety, or any neurodivergent condition - then cancer treatment can feel like navigating a system that was not designed for you. This guide gives you four practical steps to take control of your sensory environment during treatment. You do not have to adapt to the system. You have the right to ask the system to adapt to you. **Disclaimer:** This guide is for information and awareness only. It does not constitute medical advice and should not replace the guidance of a qualified healthcare professional. Always consult your care team about your individual needs. --- ## The SOFT (TM) Framework ### S - Stabilise **Calm your nervous system before you arrive.** Cancer appointments are sensory storms. Bright lights, beeping machines, cold rooms, strong smells, waiting areas full of distressed people. Your nervous system needs to be regulated before you walk through the door. **What you can do:** - Arrive early so you are not rushing. Rushing adds sensory load. - Bring noise-cancelling headphones or earplugs for the waiting area. - Ask for a quiet space to wait. Most hospitals have side rooms - you just have to ask. - Wear comfortable clothing you can layer. Hospitals are cold. - Bring a sensory comfort item - a textured object, a familiar scent on a tissue, anything grounding. - Tell reception you are neurodivergent and need reasonable adjustments. This is your right under the Equality Act 2010. **Key message for staff:** A dysregulated patient cannot process information. Calm before content. --- ### O - Orient **Know where you are and what is happening.** Uncertainty is a sensory trigger. Not knowing the layout, the order of events, or what a room looks like creates anxiety that compounds every other sensory input. **What you can do:** - Ask for a photo of the room where your treatment will happen. Email the department beforehand. - Request a step-by-step written plan of what will happen during your appointment, from arrival to leaving. - Ask someone to walk you through the department before your appointment day if possible. - Write down your questions in advance. Hand them to the practitioner on paper. - Take the "How to Work With Me" template (available free at sensoryjustice.co.uk/resources) and fill it in before your appointment. **Key message for staff:** Orientation reduces no-shows, anxiety, and appointment overruns. A patient who knows what to expect engages better with treatment. --- ### F - Frame **Control how information reaches you.** The NHS often delivers information in ways that overwhelm neurodivergent patients - long videos, dense leaflets, rushed verbal explanations during appointments. You have the right to receive information in a format your brain can process. **What you can do:** - Tell your team: "I need information in short written steps, not a long video." - Ask for information in advance - not in the room, not rushed. - If a video has been prescribed as preparation, ask for a written summary instead. - Request that information be offered in stages, not all at once. - Ask practitioners to face you when speaking and give one question at a time. - Bring a support person to take notes if you need one. **Key message for staff:** Information format is an accessibility issue, not a preference. If a patient did not watch the video, the format was wrong, not the patient. --- ### T - Transition **Move between stages safely.** Cancer treatment involves constant transitions - waiting room to consultation room, consultation to treatment, treatment to recovery, hospital to home. Each transition is a sensory and cognitive shift. **What you can do:** - Ask for clear signals before transitions: "We are going to move to another room now." - Request extra time. Say: "I need a few minutes to process before we move on." - Ask for a written summary of what was discussed before you leave each appointment. - Plan your transition home: who is picking you up, what you will do to decompress. - Bring earplugs or headphones for the journey home if you are sensory-depleted. **Key message for staff:** Transitions are where information is lost and anxiety peaks. Build in time and clear communication at every stage change. --- ## Your Rights Under the Equality Act 2010, healthcare providers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, including neurodivergent people. This includes: - Providing information in accessible formats - Allowing extra time for appointments - Providing quiet waiting areas - Adjusting communication style - Allowing a support person You do not need a formal diagnosis to request reasonable adjustments. You can ask for them at any point. --- ## The "How to Work With Me" Template This guide works best alongside the "How to Work With Me" template - a one-page document you fill in and hand to any healthcare professional. It covers: - How you communicate best - How much time you need to process information - Your sensory triggers (a checklist) - What helps you before, during, and after appointments - What staff need to know about you Download it free at: **sensoryjustice.co.uk/resources** --- ## About Sensory Justice Sensory Justice is a campaigning organisation fighting for mandatory sensory awareness training across the NHS. We believe that sensory needs are not preferences - they are access needs. Visit us at **sensoryjustice.co.uk** Email us at **hello@sensoryjustice.co.uk** Sign our petition at **sensoryjustice.co.uk/see-us** --- *(c) 2026 Sensory Justice. This guide is free to use, print, adapt, and share. Based on the SOFT (TM) Wellbeing Framework.*