The sound moments of the school day

The whole Sound Sanctuary: stories, affirmations and soundscapes, built from the ground up for neurodivergent children. Reach it two ways: by library, or by the needs of the school day, so staff never have to know whether they want a story, an affirmation or a soundscape.

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Four children wearing headphones, enjoying their sound moment

Two ways in

By library

Browse the whole Sound Sanctuary the way families do at home.

Day Time stories
Night Time stories
Affirmations
The Sound Garden

By need

Go from a moment to the right sound in a few taps.

Settling In and Transitions
Big Feelings and Meltdowns
Worries and Anxiety
Focus and Learning
Friendships and Belonging
Getting Ready to Go Home

Settling In and Transitions

Moving from home to school, or between lessons, asks a lot of a child’s senses and attention. A child who arrives already overloaded and is asked to comply straight away can tip into fight or flight. A low-demand, instruction-free sound moment puts sensory readiness before compliance.

Big Feelings and Meltdowns

A meltdown is not a tantrum. It is the nervous system becoming completely overwhelmed, and in that moment the thinking, language part of the brain is hard to reach. So we lead with soundscapes, Solfeggio frequencies and binaural beats rather than words, so calm can land when talking cannot.

Worries and Anxiety

Emotionally based school avoidance is driven by fear, not defiance. A mind stuck in a “what if” loop keeps the body on alert, so the classroom feels unsafe and learning gets harder. Familiar, gentle sound gives the child a safe place to come back to.

Focus and Learning

Regulation comes before learning, not alongside it. A child overwhelmed by noise and light, or flat and exhausted, cannot reach their best thinking. ASMR-informed audio and steady frequencies soften the sensory noise of the room so attention can settle.

Friendships and Belonging

Masking, feeling left out and the pressure to fit in all drain a child’s social battery, and a drained child finds it harder to read cues and join in. Affirmations and a predictable sound routine help restore that energy and the self-esteem belonging depends on.

Getting Ready to Go Home

Many children hold it together all day, then fall apart at the gate, often called after-school restraint collapse. A quiet, low-stimulation wind-down at the end of the day acts as a bridge, easing the nervous system down before home time.

Every child, every stage

Made for every child

Speaker, not headphones

Played softly through a classroom speaker to the whole class or group, so no child is singled out. Safe-listening guidance comes with every account.

Developmental age, not birth age

The language is gentle and simple enough for the youngest children, which also suits older children whose developmental age is younger than their years.

Sounds with no age limit

Soundscapes, Solfeggio frequencies and binaural beats have no words, so they work at any age, from the nursery room to Year 6.

For neurotypical children too

Worries, poor sleep and big transitions affect every child at some point. HushAway® supports those moments for the whole class.

Early years

Routine before rescue

Nap time

For the two and three year olds, the afternoon nap becomes a sound moment of its own. Night Time stories and the Sound Garden, played softly through a speaker, so the body learns what resting feels like.

Settling in

Separation at the door, new rooms, the move from play to group time. The same sound at the same moment each day tells a young child what is coming next, before any words are needed.

Big feelings

Gentle stories and affirmations give young children rhythm and words for big feelings, with no instructions to follow. Supports Personal, Social and Emotional Development, the EYFS prime area that includes the Self-Regulation Early Learning Goal.

The science, in plain words

The same sound, easier to find

Each moment draws on the same evidence-informed sound: ASMR soundscapes, binaural beats and Solfeggio frequencies. The science does not change between home and school, it is simply easier to find. In a study led by HushAway® consultant Dr Giulia Poerio, adults who experience ASMR saw their heart rate fall by an average of 3.14 beats per minute while listening (University of Sheffield, 2018).

ASMR soundscapes
Soft, close, repetitive sounds such as rain, gentle tapping or a quiet voice. Many children find them settling, and research with adults has linked ASMR to a lower heart rate. For neurodivergent children, the sounds are predictable and ask nothing back, which can help a busy nervous system find a steadier pace.

Binaural beats
Two slightly different tones, one in each ear, that the brain hears as a single gentle pulse. They are used to encourage a calmer or more focused state, and work best through headphones. For neurodivergent children, a steady, low-level rhythm can make it easier to tune out background noise and settle into the moment.

Solfeggio frequencies
Tones tuned to specific frequencies, such as 528 Hz, layered softly beneath the soundscape. They give the sound a warm, even quality that many children find soothing. For neurodivergent children, the even tone avoids sudden peaks and changes, which can make listening feel safer.