A person with autism may experience difficulties interpreting and organising input from what they see, taste, touch, hear and smell. Sensory perceptions can become frightening or even painful and can lead to high anxiety and meltdowns. “Picture yourself calm and relaxed.
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.
In addition to sensory triggers, certain chemicals found in everyday household products like cleaning supplies or air fresheners can also aggravate symptoms of autism. These chemicals include phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA), which have been shown to disrupt hormones and affect behavior in animal studies.
Amazingly, many of the fears reported in our sample were described in children with autism 70 years ago by Kanner, including fear of vacuum cleaners, elevators, mechanical toys, swings, and the wind. Children with autism perceive, experience, and react to the world differently than children without autism.
Sensory Issues
Many people with autism experience sensory processing disorder. This is more commonly known as sensory overload. Noise, crowds, bright lights, strong tastes, smells, and being touched can feel unbearable to someone with HFA. This makes going to restaurants, movies, and shopping malls difficult.
Many autistic people enjoy spending time alone and consider it important for their wellbeing.
Autistic individuals prefer predictability, routines, and patterns, making sudden changes difficult. It bothers them greatly when unexpected changes occur, and they become very upset about it. For instance, HFA individuals may stick with routines developed for them by other people or themselves.
A healthy diet for people with autism means eating foods like grass-fed meat, pasture-raised eggs, organs, and fresh fruit. Make sure to avoid any processed foods with added sugar and vegetable/seed oils completely if you want to thrive. Avoid drinking anything with caffeine or added sugars or artificial sweeteners.
Research also tells us that many individuals with autism tend to have strong preferences for carbohydrates and processed foods, while rejecting fruits and vegetables. This, too, may reflect an aversion to strong tastes and textures.
Every child is different, but some common triggers include: Sensory overload or understimulation. This is when a child is sensitive to sound, touch, taste, smell, visuals or movements. Changes in routine or dealing with an unexpected change.
Difficult social situations and sensory environments can increase stress and increase anxiety for autistic people. Another significant cause of anxiety is a sense of being misunderstood and/or not accepted by non-autistic people. To 'fit in' and not be seen as different, autistic people might mask or camouflage.
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).
Strategies to consider include distraction, diversion, helping the person use calming strategies such as fiddle toys or listening to music, removing any potential triggers, and staying calm yourself.
These interests are extremely common among people with autism: 75 to 95 percent have them. An interest may involve collecting items such as postcards or dolls, listening to or playing music in a repetitive way, or focusing intensely on a narrow topic, such as insects fighting.
Can Autism Get Worse With Stress? Stress can be a significant factor in exacerbating the symptoms of autism. Research has shown that stress can increase repetitive behaviors, anxiety levels, and sensory sensitivities in individuals with autism.
Naturally, a blast of sweetness provides a powerful sensory input that many of us crave. This craving can be particularly powerful for an individual affected by autism. To encourage your child to expand out of the sweet-food realm, I suggest exploring healthier ways to provide the sensory input she craves.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. People with ASD often have problems with social communication and interaction, and restricted or repetitive behaviors or interests.
difficulties with high-level language skills such as verbal reasoning, problem solving, making inferences and predictions. problems with understanding another person's point of view. difficulties initiating social interactions and maintaining an interaction.
The Triad of Impairments:
People with significant difficulties in all 3 areas (social interaction, communication and imagination) may have ASD. However, there can be other reasons for difficulties in these areas.
They may avoid interactions or eye contact or even resist parental attention, hugs, or cuddling. There has been more research into the reasoning behind this, but many times it results in people with autism being defensive against touch.
The popular image of a person with autism is a quiet, isolated individual who prefers solitude to social interaction. This is often true, but by no means always the case. While autistic people, by definition, have challenges with social communication, many enjoy social interaction, group activities, and friendships.
Autistic people are generally honest and like clarity in communication. This can be seen negatively as blunt and rude, or positively as clear and honest, depending on your viewpoint.
Create A Structured Environment
Children with autism feel much more comfortable and connected when they have a set routine with clear structures, and minimal alterations from their predicted schedule.