Autism and Sensory Issues

I am writing this backward. I’m starting with the conclusion:

If you deal with autistic people it would be a good idea to compile a sensory profile for each person you deal with who is autistic.

I am an autistic adult. I have several sensory issues:

Light: 

I get dazzled by bright light, wearing green sunglasses to deal with sunlight and bright indoor light. No, I am not trying to look like a rock star, I’m just trying to stop it from hurting. In low light. I also have difficulty distinguishing between dark shades. If you put something dark green on a maroon background it is hidden from me. I also find reading text over pictures very difficult. Catering for autistic people with light sensitivity is awkward, we need the opposite of what partially sighted people need. If you want a one thing fits all approach to dealing with different disabilities I am sorry, they do not exist.

Touch: 

I am sensitive to touch. Please do not touch me without asking, I find sudden touch painful. Like many autistic people, I am sensitive to pain. Please ask before touching an autistic person. That is good advice for non-autistics too – never touch without permission.

Taste: 

For me, it is about texture not taste, I dislike anything slimy in my mouth and the dryness of dry leaves such as coriander or parsley garnish is unpleasant to me too. Yes, that does make me a fussy eater. 

Noise: 

I can meltdown from being in a room with several conversations going on at once. It is not about the volume of the background noise, I am unable to turn the background sounds off, and I am trying to process several conversations at once. The result is I cannot concentrate on the conversation I am in. However in a theatre for a film or a jazz or even metal concert, where all the sound comes from the stage.

Other sensory issues in autistic people which do not affect me include smell, body awareness, balance, movement and interoception (knowing what is going on inside your body).

Sensory issues in autistic and some other neurodiverse conditions are examples of our spiky skill sets. One person can find loud noises distressing and another may seek out loud music. Some may prefer bland food, while others, like me, seek out the spice in good Indian, Thai and Mexican food, and similar cuisine. 

One size fits all autism support does not exist. This is why I stress the need for autism profiles, with permission of the individual users, for those who support us. We are a very mixed bag.

Support for autistic people with sensory issues

  • Be aware of each person’s sensory issues and adapt your approach. Completing a sensory profile can help.
  • Keep things simple to avoid over-stimulation.
  • Modify the environment to suit the person’s sensory needs if possible. For example you could avoid fluorescent lighting and replace it with subdued lighting, spotlights and uplighters; introduce carpets, curtains and soft furnishings to large rooms to muffle harsh sounds and echoes; and use screens or partitions to divide up large rooms.
  • If it is necessary for an autistic person to de-sensitise themselves to a particular sensory issue, introduce this very gradually, always keeping the person’s wellbeing as a top priority.
  • Provide different textures to handle or apply light touch followed by firm pressure for tactile seekers.
  • Use weighted jackets and blankets for short periods of time for autistic people who seek pressure.
  • Give items to mouth, suck, bite, blow and chew and opportunities for pushing, pulling, carrying and jumping.
  • Provide opportunities for rhythmical movement – jogging, swimming, trampolining, climbing, dancing.
  • If certain behaviour seems unexplainable, look at the person’s sensory profile and ask yourself what they could be getting from the behaviour.
  • Provide visual supports to back up verbal information e.g picture/photo cards. These can also be used to prepare a person or be used by the autistic person to communicate a difficulty with the sensory environment.

Acknowledgement:

By Steve Pape, Kirklees Autism group.
https://autismkirklees.org.uk 

Information checked and the list of how to support autistic people with sensory issues is from website of Autism West Midlands https://autismwestmidlands.org.uk.