Repetitive movements, sounds, or fidgeting can help people with autism stay calm, relieve stress or block out uncomfortable sensory input. Many autistic people use stimming as a form of sensory seeking to keep their sensory systems in balance. This can be incredibly physically and emotionally draining and can leave the person feeling too exhausted to do other important tasks. For someone who is hypersensitive, it can take a lot of effort to spend all day under LED or fluorescent lights, navigate a crowded space or process conversations in rooms with background noise. Having unique sensitivities to certain types of sensory input can create challenges in everyday situations like school, work or community settings.
For example, people with autism may stimulate their senses by making loud noises, touching people or objects, or rocking back and forth. People who are hyposensitive may engage in sensory seeking to get more sensory input from the environment. This can look like a constant need for movement difficulty recognizing sensations like hunger, illness or pain or attraction to loud noises, bright lights and vibrant colors. Sensory avoidance can look like pulling away from physical touch, covering the ears to avoid loud or unpredictable sounds, or avoiding certain kinds of clothing. This can result in sensory avoidance – trying to get away from stimuli that most people can easily tune out. Certain sounds, smells, textures and tastes can also be overwhelming. Many autistic people experience hypersensitivity to bright lights or certain light wavelengths (e.g., LED or fluorescent lights).
People with autism might have sensitivities to: Each autistic person is unique, and this includes their personal sensory sensitivities.
Sensory issues are common in people with autism and are even included in the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder.
0 kommentar(er)
