Autism: Sensory perception and sensory integration

Autistic children perceive the world differently. Sensory impressions, such as seeing, hearing, and feeling, are processed differently by them. Due to the intensity of the impressions affecting them, some children may exhibit behavioral issues and often encounter misunderstanding in their environment. What can be done to make life more pleasant for autistic children in an overstimulated world?

 The sensory perception of autistic children

Our sensory perception accompanies us every day. We see, hear, taste, and touch. Additionally, we have a sense of balance and proprioception (self-perception). The processing of information runs smoothly and causes us no difficulties.

Children on the autism spectrum have the same tools with which the brain collects and processes important information about its environment. However, the difference from non-autistic children lies in the tolerance and self-perception of stimuli. There is either hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity. The brain has difficulty collecting, filtering, and processing stimuli. The impulses reaching the brain are either too strong and numerous or too weak to be recognized at all. As a result, the children's reactions are often misunderstood, and their behavior is classified as irrational.

How do autistic children perceive external impulses?

Sounds – The hearing sense of autistics can be either hypersensitive or hyposensitive. Those who hear very well often flee from acoustic stimuli by, for example, covering their ears or humming to drown out the noise. With weak hearing, it can happen that the child seeks acoustic stimuli, for example by slamming doors or shouting.

Images – According to scientists, children on the autism spectrum may have a particularly developed sense of sight and can see objects from three times the distance compared to non-autistic children. They also have the ability to clearly recognize objects placed against backgrounds with complicated patterns. Autistics often focus their gaze on lines, corners, and patterns. They find it more difficult to recognize and focus on the faces of their fellow human beings. Studies conducted in the past century concluded that even the sight of family members' faces in children on the autism spectrum can trigger a feeling comparable to fear and anger.

Tastes – Children on the autism spectrum often have difficulties with eating. Either certain foods are completely rejected, or the child likes to eat everything, often spicy. Two reasons are often given for the rejection of some dishes: 1. the consistency 2. the taste. Professor Temple Grandin warns against such simplifications in her book "The Autistic Brain.” It is not a sign of autism to be disgusted by raw egg white, dislike stale water, or find the smell of fish unpleasant, according to Grandin.

Smells – Atypical behavior of autistics can also stem from an over- or underdeveloped sense of smell. Children who have no sense of smell may deliberately seek olfactory stimuli. Children with a hypersensitive sense of smell have a harder time. It may not be noticeable in everyday life, but each of us carries countless smells on us (soap, shampoo, food, moisture, detergent, perfume, leather smell from clothes and shoes). Added to this are the smells from the environment: flowers, smoke, dust, exhaust fumes, cleaning agents, etc. For children on the autism spectrum, these are strong stimuli that bombard their system.

Touch – It happens that children on the autism spectrum do not like to be touched or hugged, often change clothes, comb their hair, and wash themselves. Touch is often perceived as unpleasant to painful. With weakly developed perception, some children may generate the stimulus themselves by, for example, biting, hitting, or scratching.

There are two other senses that we are usually not aware of: balance and self-perception. These senses can also be affected by dysfunction.

Self-perception/body perception (proprioception) – Children on the autism spectrum who have disturbed self-perception usually enjoy feeling their body, for example when they are held, lie under a weighted blanket, or crawl through a narrow play tunnel. They also enjoy chewing, biting, clapping, and jumping. This is an attempt to get a sense of their own body.

Children on the autism spectrum can have balance disorders that manifest differently: insecurity when walking, frequent falls, shaky legs, aversion to walking on curbs or riding a bike. With hypersensitivity, it can also happen that the child does not want to turn or lower their head. With hyposensitivity, the child seeks stimulation by rocking, jumping, or spinning.

Consequences of sensory disorders

Children on the autism spectrum often encounter misunderstanding from other children or adults with their behavior. They themselves often wonder why other children laugh, cry, and perform certain gestures or activities. This creates a distance and a noticeable wall between the children, and the autistic child often withdraws into their world. As a solution, new games are avoided, challenges and new tasks are rejected. The child desires routine, security, and no unforeseen or unplanned events. Such withdrawal hinders further development.

Sensory integration therapy

There are various ways in which we as a society and as parents can draw children on the autism spectrum out of isolation and promote their development. A first step could be to create better understanding of autism through campaigns. Kindergartens and schools would also benefit from an integration program for children with autism. On an individual level, sensory integration therapy can support the child's further development.

In therapy, each child is carefully observed. To create a good therapy plan, the therapist will conduct tests and give various tasks. This allows the source and extent of the disorder to be determined. The progress of therapy can be observed based on the child's behavior. Are some stimuli avoided or sought?

Sensory integration therapy works with various means: mattresses, swings, skateboards, climbing bars, weighted vests, weighted blankets, etc. The child thus learns to receive and properly process stimuli.

The exercises are adapted to the child's needs. They should not over- or under-challenge him. Sufficient variety is provided so that the child can expand his skills.

The therapy must not be exhausting, and it is very important that the therapist selects the exercises correctly and is able to build a rapport with his patients. The more open the interaction between therapist and patient, the more accurate the diagnosis and the greater the progress in therapy.

More and more therapists and patients report the positive effects of sensory integration therapy. The flagship figure for the effectiveness of this approach is Mrs. Temple Grandin. She herself is affected by autism, holds a professorship from Colorado State University, and is the author of several books. In 2010, she was named one of the most influential people of the year by Time Magazine. Professor Grandin describes in her books life from the perspective of a person with autism and discusses, among other things, the significance of deep pressure on the nervous system.

Zbigniew Przyrowski, a Polish specialist in the field of sensory integration therapy, works with weights and was able to observe positive changes in 31 patients affected by autism or ADHD.