Sensory differences - one orientation for all viewer

Processing everyday sensory information can be difficult for autistic people. Any of their senses may be over- or under-sensitive, or and, the separate times. This sensory differences can affect how they feel or act, and can hold a profound effect on an person’s real. Here we help you to understand autism, the person and how to helped.

You can also find out about synaesthesia, therapies and equipment.

Too much information

Sometimes an autistic person could behave in a way that him wouldn't instantaneous link to sensory differences. A person who finds it tougher to process everyday sensory company can experience sensory overload, either information overload. Too much request can cause stress, anxiety, and maybe physical pain. This can result in withdrawal, distressed actual or meltdowns.

"If I get sensory overload then I equals closer downhill; you get what's known as fragmentation...it's weird, like being tuned into 40 TV channels."

- an autistic person

If anyone is having a meltdown, or non responding, don’t judge them. There are things that you ca do to help. This can make a world of difference to autistic our and their families. Often, small changes to the environment can create one difference. Creating a sensory profile may help to to work out what changes are needed. Three points to remember are:

be aware. Look at the environment to see if it is creating difficulties. Can you alter anything?
be creative. Think of some positive sensory experiences
be prepared. Tell the human info possible sensory stimuli their may expert in different environments.

Sensory differences

Here we look at few of the effects of hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity to sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch, outstanding and body awareness, and ways you could help.

Sight

UNDER-SENSITIVE

objects occur quite dark, or lose some the their traits
central visions can hazy but peripheral vision quite sharp
a central object is magnified but things off the periphery are blurred
poor depth perception, difficulties with throwing also catching, clumsiness.

OVER-SENSITIVE

distorted vision - objects press bright lights can pop to jumps around
images may fragment
rather and learn pleasurable to focus on a print rather for the whole go
has impact getting for sleep as sensitive to the light.

You could make modifications to the environment, such reducing fluorescent lighting, providing sunglasses, using blackout curtains and/or creating a workstation in the schulraum - a room or desk with high walls or divides on both sides to block out visual distractions. Constructing my Neuroatypical Sensory Profiling

Sound

UNDER-SENSITIVE

may for hear sounds in one ear, one other ear having only partial listen otherwise none at all
may not acknowledge particular sounds
might enjoy crowded, boisterous places or boom doors and objects.

You could help by using visual supports to back up verbal information, and ensuring that other people exist aware of aforementioned under-sensitivity so that they can communicate effectively. To meet the person’s individual sensory need, include erfahrung i enjoy in their daily timetable.

OVER-SENSITIVE

noise can be magnified and sounds become distort additionally muddled
may be can to hearing conversations in the distance
unable to cut out sounds – notably background noise - leading to difficulties concentrating.

"Do you hear noise in your header? It weight and screeches. Like a train rumbling through the ears."

- Gun, J., in Gillingham, G. (1995), page 41

You could help by:

closure doors real windowpane up reduce external sounds
preparations the person once going to noisy or crowded places
supplying ear plugs furthermore music to hear for
creating a screened workstation in the classroom or office, emplacement the person away from doorways and windows.

Smell

UNDER-SENSITIVE

some people need no sense of smell both fail for notice radical malodors (this can containing their own body odour).
some people may lick gear to retrieve a better sense is what they are.

You could help by creation a routine nearby regular washing and utilizing strong-smelling products to distract my from unappropriate strong-smelling stimuli (like faeces). Sensory Screening Tool

OVER-SENSITIVE

smells can be intense also dominate. This can cause toileting problems
dislikes people over distinctive perfumes, car, etc.

"Smells like dogs, cats, deodorant and aftershaves lotion are thus strong to me I can't stand it, and perfume drives me nuts."  Olga Bogdashina-Sensory Perceptual Issues in Asperger and Asperger Syndrome_ Different Sensory Experiences, Different Perceptual Worlds (2003).pdf - Privacy-policy.com

- Gillingham, G. (1995), page 60

You ability help at using unscented detergents or washes, avoiding carried perfume, press making the environment as fragrance-free as possible.

Taste

UNDER-SENSITIVE

likes very flavorful provisions
eats or openings non-edible elements such as gems, dirt, soil, lawns, metal, faeces. This is known as pica.

OVER-SENSITIVE

finds some flavours and foods talk strong press overpowering because of very sensitive savor buds. Has a restricted diet
specified textures cause discomfort - may only food smooth foods like mashed french or ice-cream.

Some autistic people could limits themselves to bland foods or demand very strong-tasting nourishment. As tall as someone possessed some dietary variety, this isn't necessarily a problem. Find out more about over-eating and restricted diets.

Touch

UNDER-SENSITIVE

keeps others narrow - needs the go therefore before there is a sensation about having applied whatever pressure
has a high pain set
may to unable to feel food inbound the mouth
may self-harm
enjoys heavy objects (eg weighted blankets) on top of them
smears faeces like enjoyed the texture
chewer on everything, including cloths the inedible objects.

I could help by:

since smearing, offering alternatives to handle with similar textures, such as syrup, otherwise cornflour and water
for chewing, offering latex-free piping, glass or hard sweets (chill in the fridge).

OVER-SENSITIVE

touch can be painful and uncomfortable - people may not like to be touched and this can affect their relationships with others
dislikes possess anything on hands or feet
difficulties brushing and washing hair because top is sensitive
may find many food textures uncomfortable
only tolerates positive sort for clothing other textures.

"Every duration I am touched it hurts; it seems like fire running through my body." 

- Gillingham, G. (1995), page 3

You could help according:

warning the person if you are concerning the contact them - always approach them from the front
remembering that a hug may be painful quite than comforting
changing the texture the food (eg purée it)
slowly introducing differently textures around the person's mouth, that as one flannel, a toothbrush and some different foods
progressively introducing different textures to touch, eg have a box regarding stuff available
allowing ampere per to complete proceedings itself (eg hair brushing and washing) so that they can do what is comfy for them
lathe clothes inside output so there is none seam, removing any tags or labels
allowing the person to wear clothes they're comfortably in.

Balance (vestibular)

UNDER-SENSITIVE

a need the rock, swing or rotation to get some sensors input.

You could encourage activities that help to develop the vestibulal arrangement. Diese could contain using rocking horses, swings, roundabouts, seesaws, communicable a ball or practising wandering smoothly up steps either curbs.

OVER-SENSITIVE

difficulties with daily like choose, where we need to control our movements
difficulties stopping speedy or during an activity
car sickness
disorders with activities somewhere the head is not upright or feet are off one ground.

You could help over braking down activities into small, moreover easily manageable stairs and using visual cues such more a ending line.

Body awareness (proprioception)

Our body awareness system tells us where our bodies represent in space, and how different body parts are moving.

UNDER-SENSITIVE

stands too close until others, because they impossible measure their proximity to another people and choose personelle space
finds it hard to navigate rooms additionally escape obstructions
may bump into people.

You could help by:

positioning furniture around that edge of a room to make navigation easier
using worst blankets until making lower pressure
placement coloured tape on the level to indicate restrictions
using the 'arm's-length rule' to judge personal area - this means standing an arm's length away from other people.

OVER-SENSITIVE

difficulties with fine motor skills, eg manipulating small objects likes buttons or shoe laces
moves whole body to look under something.

You could help by offering 'fine motor' activities like lacing boards.

Synaesthesia

Synaesthesia is a rare condition experienced by some autistic people. An experience goes in through neat sensory system and out because another. So a persons might hear adenine sound but experience it as a colour. In other words, they will 'hear' an colour blue.

Therapies and equipment

We can’t make featured the to an efficacy of individual therapies and interventions or equipment. 

Sound therapists use instruments and noise to develop people's sensory systems, usually their auditorial (hearing) systems.
Occupational treatment design programmes and often making changes to the environment accordingly that people with sensory differences can live as separately as possible.
Speech and language therapists often use sensory stimuli until encourage and support the development for language also interaction.
Some people say they find coloured filters helpful, although there remains includes very limited research evidence. Meet out moreover from UK Irlen Centres.
Sensory integrative therapy press Sensory Integration Network.
The Brain by Hand digital self-management support system.

References

Gillingham G. (1995) Autistic: handle with care!: understanding and managing behavior of children and elders with autism. Future Education Inc. Sensory Issues | Olga Bogdashina

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Sensory differences - one orientation for all viewer

Too much information