26 Results in Sensory

How to cope with unpredictability

Most autistic people benefit from feeling that their world is predictable. By predictable I mean: knowing what is going to happen next and fully understanding what any situation entails. Due to the nature of being human and daily living however, no matter what measures people take, there is still going to be a degree of everyday unpredictability. I will look at some of these unpredictabilities and suggest strategies on how to manage:

How reactive are you?

Someone who is unreactive might never say or do anything at all. Someone who is very reactive might talk too much, might talk inappropriately, might stand too close to people, be too "touchy-feely", or they might attempt to 'take over' an activity being done. The former is what you probably understand to be an autistic introvert, the latter an autistic extrovert.

Autism – a difference or disability?

In the UK autism is a recognised disability. I have noticed that some autistic people don't consider their autism to be a disability. This interests me as I feel strongly that my autism is a disability, however I can also see why people might think otherwise. What is meant by a disability? A disability is an impairment that affects a person's life.

Autism and strange diets

People with ASD may have strange diets and atypical attitudes towards eating. A serious complication of this can be a person having an eating disorder illness. Sometimes though, these habits are just normal and make sense if you remember that the person has ASD. Here is some insight into strange diets, problematic consequences and potential strategies to these. I'll also note some of the possible positives of atypical eating habits.

What can we learn from dogs about sensory overstimulation?

I have learned a lot about sensory overstimulation from learning about my dog. I think that we can learn about ASD from dogs.

Sensitivity and reactivity

I've been pondering about sensitivity and reactivity, wondering what their link is, or are they the same thing? What are sensitivity and reactivity like in people with ASD?

Interoception (brain to body signals)

I've been learning about interoception recently. Interoception is the signalling and perception of our own internal bodily sensations. I think of it very simply as the brain to body connection. Some examples might be recognising when you are hungry, when you need to go to the toilet, or when you are in pain.

Person with ASD and exercise – things to consider

Exercise, for me, has been the number one treatment for managing my depression. I have found a sport that I truly enjoy and am very good at. I believe that one of the easiest most natural ways you can help yourself or your loved one to improve their mental (and physical) well being, is to move more. It doesn't have to be a sport, or even a particular exercise - indeed, you don't even have to think of whatever it is as 'exercise' - but rather just increasing the amount of physical activity you do. Here are my thoughts on the things to consider about ASD and exercise:

Autistic responses to pain

Pain is a common cause of challenging behaviour in people with ASD. People on the autistic spectrum may have difficulty communicating that they are in pain, and instead show this by becoming agitated or challenging in their behaviour. People around them may be completely unaware of their pain, instead assuming that they are being difficult or naughty. There are 3 aspects to pain response I'd like to discuss: Pain experience Pain response Pain communication

8 reasons why being in a public environment is so hard

Here are 8 reasons why being in a public environment might be so hard, anxiety-provoking or tiring for people on the autistic spectrum. 1. Increased sensory input Human beings create a lot of sensory information! Every single person has a unique smell, they might create noise (for example: talking, shoe shuffling, coughing, music coming from their earphones, them typing on their laptop...), they might generate visual input (for example: their bright coloured or patterned clothes, their motion...). The more people there are, the greater the amount of sensory input there will be. This sensory input will be absorbed and manually processed by the person with ASD, in comparison to neurotypical people who appear to automatically process this input. Basically, the person will experience greater discomfort and has to make significantly more effort.