One of the key features of ASD is sensory difficulties. Just as neurotypical people tend to have more difficulty with certain things (such as focus, for example), one of the difficulties of those with autism tends to be dealing with what is going on around them.
Some psychologists predict that the sensory issues autistic individuals have, while intrinsic to autism, might develop so severely in some cases as a result of increased anxiety in people with ASD, as is expected when we live in a world that is not constructed for our neurotype. The theory is, since anxiety and sensory difficulties are part of a very unfortunate negative feedback loop, the sensory difficulties an autistic person experiences are not likely to improve unless either the anxiety or initial sensory problems can be treated. While some types of therapy have been shown to help these symptoms, it is still the case that many people with ASD simply cannot process their senses in a neurotypical society. Thus, sensory differences will probably continue to be a problem for those with ASD for a long time, if not forever, depending on how much societal change can really affect an autistic individual’s natural, biological sensory differences.
Even if autistics are bound to always be a little more troubled in regards to certain sounds, bright lights, etc., that does not mean that progress for these individuals cannot be made. In my mind, the first step to making the world a more accepting place for anybody is awareness, which is why I would like to discuss what exactly sensory difficulties can entail, and how exactly those with autism should be allowed to cope with those difficulties, in the open, without shame or harassment.
First of all, let’s discuss some examples of what an autistic person may experience. If someone has hyper sensitives, their body essentially overreacts to things. For instance, the lights in a classroom may be too bright for the person to focus on anything or even look anywhere without pain, or maybe the sound of someone tapping their pencil is too loud for them, causing a breakdown. On the other hand, someone who is hypo sensitive might need more stimulation than they are receiving. This could include, for example, having a very poor sense of smell or taste, or even needing to feel certain textures/amounts of pressure to regulate emotions. For every autistic person, both of these types of sensory difficulties can be mild or extreme, and can vary depending on the situation. Someone can even have both hypo and hyper sensitivities, such as needing to eat strong, spicy foods, yet being sensitive to touch.
One of the main things autistics do to tame these sensory problems is something called stimming, or self-stimulation. Everybody stims sometimes, such as with the common act of bouncing your leg to ease anxiety, or perhaps just because it is uncomfortable sitting still. With autistic people, stimming can look a lot different or be a lot more intense, which is why it is such an important topic in the ASD community. However, I will not get into the specifics of autistic stimming until my next entry, so make sure to check that out next week.