What are sensory particularities?IN BRIEF
Our brain allows us to feel touch, temperature, hear sounds, perceive light, and process a vast amount of sensory information. In autism, the way the brain processes sensory input is often different. It may amplify sensations, making a person hypersensitive, or diminish them, making them hyposensitive. Being hypersensitive to sensory input doesn’t mean having superhuman senses—it simply means that sensory information takes up a lot of space in the brain. Similarly, hyposensitive individuals aren’t “numb” to their senses, but they receive sensory input less effectively. A person may be hyposensitive to one sense and hypersensitive to another, or even experience both within the same sense. For example, someone might be hyposensitive to deep pressure but hypersensitive to light touch.
How is sensory perception affected in autistic people?
The way sensory information is processed is often different for autistic individuals. It can be challenging to process and interpret sensory input.
An Analogy to Understand Sensory Processing in Autism
Sensory processing works like a hockey team. Normally, a player who isn’t well-positioned will pass the puck to a teammate in a better position. In autistic individuals, the player with the puck might try to score a goal even if that’s not their role.
For example, in a meeting, the dominant senses are typically sight and hearing, while other sensations (such as the pressure of clothing on the skin) take a backseat. But for autistic people, it’s impossible to control which sense takes priority. If touch “takes over,” it becomes difficult—if not impossible—to follow the meeting.
Autistic individuals often experience an overwhelming presence of sensory input. — Analogy by Mathieu Boily
Important
The distress caused by sensory stimuli should never be minimized or dismissed, as it can have a serious impact on an autistic person’s well-being. Fortunately, there are simple strategies and tools to help prevent sensory overload. Learning about sensory particularities and appropriate solutions is essential.
Sensory Hypersensitivity
Autistic individuals may have difficulty filtering sensory input and can be highly sensitive to stimuli such as noise, light, or textures. This can be difficult to manage and even painful.
Sensory hypersensitivity, or excessive sensory sensitivity, doesn’t mean having superhuman senses—it means that sensory information is perceived as overwhelmingly important. It’s an excessive or inappropriate reaction to sensory stimuli, which can lead to irritability, frustration, and often distress.
Intrusive sounds make me suffer—I feel like they devour my intelligence and my ability to regulate myself, leaving me drained. Often, they make me cry or prevent me from participating in certain activities.
Attention
This is not a matter of willpower, attitude, or habit. Blaming someone for their sensory hypersensitivity only adds more stress to an already challenging situation.
Sensory Hyposensitivity
Sensory hyposensitivity can be described as receiving sensory input partially or with a delay. It’s an insufficient or inadequate response to sensory stimuli. It’s not a lack of sensory perception—it’s simply that the message doesn’t get through effectively.
For some people, this can make it difficult to coordinate movements or perceive their own body, affecting their ability to perform certain tasks or engage in activities that require specific sensory input.
Fun fact
A person can experience both sensory hypersensitivity and hyposensitivity—and even both within different aspects of the same sense.
Sensory Overload
Autistic individuals are at a much higher risk of experiencing sensory overload. When sensory input is too intense, too frequent, or lasts too long, it can cause significant distress because the brain can no longer process the continuous influx of sensory information.
This can lead to a breakdown in sensory processing, resulting in reactions such as withdrawal from the environment, crying, panic, or even meltdowns.
Important
Some "sorcerer's apprentices" improvise forced exposure of the person to the stimulus that is causing them pain. Such a method is barbaric, and risks causing considerable harm to the autistic person. It is imperative to call on professionals who will rigorously follow a gradual and controlled exposure process, which will be respectful of the autistic person and his or her abilities and desires. In many cases, the person will also be accompanied by a multidisciplinary team in which a mental health professional may occasionally intervene, to ensure that things are going well for someone taking part in this type of therapy or sensory rehabilitation.
Références
- Rimland, 1990
