Autistic individuals experience pain at a higher intensity than general population, study finds. A new study has examined the pain perception among people with autism and found that they experience pain at a higher intensity than the general population and are less adaptable to the sensation.
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often exhibit differences in pain responsivity. This altered responsivity could be related to ASD-related social communication difficulties, sensory differences, or altered processing of pain stimuli.
The results of our study indicate that in most cases, the sensitivity to pain of people with autism is actually higher than that of most of the population, while at the same time they are unsuccessful at effectively suppressing painful stimuli,” Bar-Shalita said.
Up to 90 percent of people with autism are either overly sensitive to sound, sight, taste, smell or touch, or barely notice them at all. Some seek out sensations by, for example, spinning in circles or stroking items with particular textures.
Furthermore, individuals with ASD-ID are often reported to express their pain in “atypical” ways such as through self-injurious behavior (eg, head-banging and biting), aggression and changes in behavior such as irritability, low mood, reduced activity, appetite change, changes in sleep, or crying.
People with autism have normal pain thresholds but increased sensitivity to painful stimuli, concludes a study in PAIN®, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP).
A new study has examined the pain perception among people with autism and found that they experience pain at a higher intensity than the general population and are less adaptable to the sensation. This finding is contrary to the prevalent belief that people with autism are supposedly 'indifferent to pain'.
Autistic children commonly avoid social touch more than non-autistic peers. It is generally thought that this is due to autistic individuals experiencing hyper- or hyposensitivity of touch.
posturing – holding hands or fingers out at an angle or arching the back while sitting. visual stimulation – looking at something sideways, watching an object spin or fluttering fingers near the eyes. repetitive behaviour like opening and closing doors or flicking switches.
Autistic people may act in a different way to other people
find it hard to understand how other people think or feel. find things like bright lights or loud noises overwhelming, stressful or uncomfortable. get anxious or upset about unfamiliar situations and social events. take longer to understand information.
In children and teenagers with high-functioning autism, this can present as a limited social circle, difficulty completing group work, or problems sharing toys and materials. Many people with ASD have sensory difficulties. Certain tastes, noises, smells, or feelings can be intolerable.
Past experiences, as well as trauma, can influence a person's sensitivity and perception of pain. Pain researchers believe regular exposure to painful stimuli can increase one's pain tolerance. Some individuals learn to handle pain by becoming more conditioned to it.
Many autistic people experience hypersensitivity to bright lights or certain light wavelengths (e.g., LED or fluorescent lights). Certain sounds, smells, textures and tastes can also be overwhelming. This can result in sensory avoidance – trying to get away from stimuli that most people can easily tune out.
Clinical studies have reported a high prevalence of pain among adults with ADHD, suggesting an increased risk of pain disorder in patients with ADHD [75], [76], [77], [78], [79].
Research on autism and pain
Studies conducted with people with high-functioning ASD tend to use a pain scale of 0-10. On this scale, patients tend to respond with lower numbers, but other methods of rating pain have shown varying results.
Stimming behaviour is almost always present in people on the autism spectrum but does not, on its own, necessarily indicate the diagnosis. The biggest difference between autistic and non-autistic stimming is the type of stim and the quantity of stimming.
About stimming and autism
Stimming might include: hand and finger mannerisms – for example, finger-flicking and hand-flapping. unusual body movements – for example, rocking back and forth while sitting or standing. posturing – for example, holding hands or fingers out at an angle or arching the back while sitting.
Children with ASD have a diminished perception of their body movement and postural orientation; as a result, they often sit, stand, and walk with postural impairment.
Why Children With Autism May Not Like Being Hugged. Many children with autism may have sensory processing disorder which makes them very sensitive to certain senses, including touch. This is why some children with autism simply do not like being touched in any manner.
People with autism may get easily attached to people, leading them to become over-friendly. It can be difficult to understand other people's perceptions of situations, therefore what they feel is appropriate, may be considered as socially unacceptable.
Children on the autism spectrum often keep crying as long as it seems to work for them. When it doesn't, they eventually quit. If they are upset about something, we want them to learn to handle their feelings in more powerful ways.
Difficulty reading non-verbal cues. This can be why autistics don't always understand riddles, jokes, or abstract figures of speech.
Autism crying or any kind of problem behavior can be an indication of the child being in some kind of pain.