26 Results in Sensory

Understanding sensory discomfort in autistic people

Autistic people can have over-sensitive senses. This can cause them to feel distressed by ‘ordinary’ sensations. If you are an autistic person who has over-sensitivity, or if you know an autistic person who has over-sensitivity, it can be useful to understand the following factors: Peace and quiet is very important Most autistic people really need… Join The Curly Hair Project Community Today This article and our podcasts are available only to members of ou…

7 Suggestions for how to improve your physical health

Autistic people can have particular difficulties when trying to achieve good physical health. Here are some of the barriers they may encounter and suggestions on how to overcome them: 1. A healthy diet Autistic people can find it difficult to have a healthy diet. One reason for this may be their hyper-sensitivity to the taste,… Join The Curly Hair Project Community Today This article and our podcasts are available only to members of our community. If you would like to contin…

How do autistic people experience physical pain?

Pain is defined as an unpleasant physical sensation and emotional experience caused by illness or injury. Individuals on the autism spectrum often exhibit differences in the way they experience pain. These altered experiences could be because of: autism-related communication difficulties, sensory differences or an altered way in which they process pain stimuli. Our ability to… Join The Curly Hair Project Community Today This article and our podcasts are available…

10 winter to summer transitions that can affect autistic people

Autistic people can feel uncomfortable when things change. One big change that we all have to go through is the winter to summer transition. Here are 10 changes that occur when the seasons shift, that might affect autistic people: 1. Change of time Every spring in the UK, the clocks move forward by one hour…. Join The Curly Hair Project Community Today This article and our podcasts are available only to members of our community. If you would like to continue to read this article…

The importance of being aware of your own body

It is important to be aware of your own body experiences and needs (this is the skill of ‘listening to your body’). Autistic people may have trouble with this. Here are some reasons why autistic people might benefit from becoming more physically aware…. Join The Curly Hair Project Community Today This article and our podcasts are available only to members of our community. If you would like to continue to read this article, along with receiving access to our exclusive animat…

Smells (animation)

Autistic people can be hypersensitive (oversensitive) to smell. This can make usual day to day experiences very uncomfortable. Watch our awesome animation to find out more:… Join The Curly Hair Project Community Today This article and our podcasts are available only to members of our community. If you would like to continue to read this article, along with receiving access to our exclusive animations, podcasts and special offers – please click the Subscribe toda…

The 6 Golden Rules of Managing Sensations (animation)

The majority of situations can cause an autistic person to feel a degree of uncertainty. Even very common situations, such as going on the train or going to a GP appointment, can contain many unpredictable factors, leading to feelings of uncertainty. Neurotypical people don’t tend to worry to the same degree about uncertainty. They might not even feel that situations can have an uncertain outcome. This might be because they naturally have the flexible thinking skills to know what to do should something unexpected happen.

Understanding ‘input’ and the importance of managing it

Autistic people can have trouble processing 'input'. Input is incoming information, for example sensory information from the environment such as a scent or a noise. Too much input can make an autistic person feel stressed and overwhelmed. Too much input can increase the chances that an autistic person has a meltdown or a shutdown. If you understand input then you will be able to have better control of your life. Read this article for a clear description of the 4 main types of input and for helpful suggestions on ways to manage this input, so that ultimately you will feel less overloaded!

The Sensory Buckets

The Sensory Buckets is an idea I came up with to describe how autistic people and neurotypical people manage sensory input (such as smell, sound and light). It is a good way to see how different people compare. Watch our amazing video to see an example of what exactly this means when applied to a real life situation:

The Filter

The Filter is an idea I came up with to describe how autistic people process information in everyday life. The purpose of the Filter is to control input so that a person is comfortable and engaged. Whatever a person is doing, they are always exposed to three inputs: Unimportant Irrelevant Unpleasant Watch our amazing video to see an example of what exactly this means when applied to a real life situation: