People with autism may experience some form of sensory sensitivity. Find out more about this and the strategies that can help from The National Autistic Society.
Autistic individuals experience their senses differently. This experience may be a deprivation (hyposensitivity) or an overwhelm feeling (hypersensitivity) of senses. Sensory bafflement as this is what results in autistic individuals feeling anxiety, stress, and possibly physical pain.
I will be concerning myself with two sensory conditions: sight and balance. These are the following effects one may experience:
Objects appear quite dark, or lose some of their features.
Central vision is blurred but peripheral vision quite sharp.
A central object is magnified but things on the periphery are blurred.
Poor depth perception, problems with throwing and catching, clumsiness.
Ways you might help include the use of visual supports or coloured lenses, although there is only very limited research evidence for such lenses.
Distorted vision - objects and bright lights can appear to jump around.
Easier and more pleasurable to focus on a detail rather than the whole object.
Has difficulty getting to sleep as sensitive to the light.
A need to rock, swing or spin to get some sensory input.
You could encourage activities that help to develop the vestibular system. This could include using rocking horses, swings, roundabouts, seesaws, catching a ball or practising walking smoothly up steps or curbs.
Difficulties with activities like sport, where we need to control our movements.
Difficulties stopping quickly or during an activity.
Difficulties with activities where the head is not upright or feet are off the ground.
You could help by breaking down activities into small, more easily manageable steps and using visual cues such as a finish line.
"Sensory Differences." The National Autistic Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
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