Category: autism and sensory issues

Now that we’ve covered all of the senses, I want to talk about why it is so important that you understand how these sensory needs truly affect a person with autism. Every day, our bodies (and brains!) are constantly dealing with noises, tastes, smells, etc. Some days, it’s exhausting – think how tired you might be after being in a noisy room for a long period of time.

Now imagine this. You are in a crowded room with several people wearing different lotions, perfumes or colognes. The lights are flickering (maybe only you notice this!) and your shirt is itchy. One of your socks is slightly twisted, so the seam is across your foot and it hurts. The noise of people who are constantly shifting in their seats or tapping their fingers or swinging their feet is enough to drive you crazy. Then, the fire alarm goes off and the pain from that sound is excruciating. To top it all off – you are hungry and you can’t tell anyone what you need.

How would you react? Would you be able to sit calmly and listen to the teacher read a story? Could you focus on a test where the letters seemed to be dancing on the page? Would you be able to color a picture when you aren’t sure how to hold the crayon because your fine motor skills are so affected by autism?

And this is just a very small thing that people with autism deal with every day. This, on top of the desperate need for routine – the need for things to be in the “right” place – the need for kind people to be around you.

No wonder so many people with autism have meltdowns. (Not tantrums – we’ll talk about the difference in meltdowns and tantrums another day) Their bodies are so overwhelmed by the sights, sounds and smells that are always bombarded them that it’s hard for them to stay calm. Imagine trying to sleep when all you can hear is a faucet dripping or the strong smell of fabric softener?

It took me a long time to truly understand Casey and Rob’s sensory needs. I finally happened to hear about sensory issues at a conference I attended and it was like a slap in the face to me. So many things started to click! How Casey was terrified to be in the bathtub when the water starting draining out. How Rob had to wear the same type of shirt (this was in elementary school – had to be a certain brand from Wal-mart). How he squeezed his jaw when he was getting overwhelmed. How neither could eat in certain restaurants (the noise of the HVAC).

Why stores were so hard for them. Why he refused to eat certain foods and why neither of them could sleep. Why he never noticed things that were hot and why she refused to go in the gym at school.

Once I knew why things were happening, it made a huge difference in our lives. It took a long time (and things change – we are constantly on alert for what may cause either of them pain or discomfort) to really understand that they weren’t just being little turkeys when they avoided something. They were truly in pain. Noises are still hard for both of them. Last night, we went to a parade my niece was in and Casey and Rob both got tense when they saw the fire truck coming. She put her fingers in her ears as soon as she saw it and he followed her lead. (My mom covered his ears for him, too – he loves the trucks, but their air horns are extremely painful to him.)

When you start noticing behaviors with your person with autism, think outside the box. Consider any new laundry soap or shampoo (for them and you!) – anything with a scent that they might find too strong. Think about the lighting in the room – is it flickering? Consider the temperature – you may be comfortable, but they might be too hot or too cold. Really notice the noise level – and remember that the noises may not be ones that you can hear clearly, but the person with autism can. They might be loud noises or very low, like HVAC systems.

The best way to discover what might be going on is to start a journal. When a behavior happens, note where/when/who was around. What clothes they were wearing. The activity they were doing. Do this for a few days and you may see a pattern. Maybe they are frustrated because they can’t hold their pencil. Maybe they are hungry. Maybe the person next to them smells funny (I don’t mean this to be mean – the person may use a different soap or maybe they smell like the French fries they had for lunch. Just because a scent doesn’t bother you, doesn’t mean it won’t bother your child!)

Many behaviors we see with autism could be sensory needs. A child who runs away. A child who won’t eat. A person who can’t sleep. A person who avoids a certain room. It takes a lot of work to discover the reasons behind behaviors if your child can’t tell you. Sometimes, they can – Casey and Rob couldn’t and still won’t. We have just learned what issues they have, avoid as many as possible and are ready to help when sensory needs pose problems.

Please – when your child starts a new behavior, consider sensory needs as a possible cause. Of course, sensory needs won’t always be the cause, but in a majority of cases, I bet they are at least a small part of the problem.

I also bet that you have some sensory needs yourself. I know there are certain materials I won’t wear and scents that make me gag. Think about it – I bet you have learned what bothers you and you just avoid it. But what if the adults around you make you do things or go places that are painful and you can’t tell anyone? It’s meltdown time!

I saved the sense of smell until last because it seems to be the sense that Casey and Rob have the least issue with. Maybe that’s because their sense is hypo-sensitive and they don’t know what they are missing. I have rarely seen Rob bending closer to something to smell it better, but Casey does. Rob is more concerned with how things look, feel and sound.

For a long time, Casey would smell her food before she would eat it, but I don’t see her doing that much anymore. She eats almost anything so maybe she really does have a hypo-sensitive sense of smell. Taste and smell go hand in hand when we eat and her ability to eat a wide variety of foods might be a sign that she doesn’t notice the smells of some foods.

Rob never smelled his food, but he also won’t smell a flower if I asked him to. He might bend down to it, but he won’t really smell it. It’s almost like he isn’t sure what is expected when I ask him to do it. Casey will smell shampoo, deodorants, toothpaste. He just uses what he is given.

She also used her sense of smell to get back at me for telling her something she didn’t want to hear. It drives me crazy when she leans into my hair and takes a deep breath to smell it. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of telling her not to do that and now, if I have made her mad, she will lean on me and smell my hair. (Yeah, I know having your hair sniffed isn’t that big of a deal, but it drives me nuts the way she does it! 🙂 ) More proof that people with autism do have a sense of humor – she will lean in for a sniff and just grin her ornery grin as she knows she has gotten my goat again.

Casey will tell me if something smells good or bad. Rob just looks at me like he has no idea why any smell would be good or bad. I know he can smell, to some degree, but he is definitely hypo-sensitive in that area. I think Casey is, too, as things that smell bad never get her attention. I’ve driven by skunks on the road and made comments about the terrible smell and they both look at me like they have no idea what I’m talking about. I’ve never seen either one of them wrinkle their nose at something that stinks. Nor do they seem to enjoy smelling flowers or fresh cookies.

For people with hyper-sensitive senses of smell, the world can be a rough place. Ladies with a lot of perfume on – fires burning – lit candles – even shampoo or soap can be extremely painful for them and can cause them to feel sick. Think about times you have smelled something and felt nauseous from it – imagine that 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Is it any wonder that sensory issues can cause meltdowns? I’m not sure I would make it an entire day dealing with what Casey and Rob handle every day. They are stronger than me.

If you notice your child avoiding certain foods, people or places, think about what they may be smelling. Is there someone wearing heavy perfume? Does the food have a strong odor? Even bath time can be difficult if the scents of shampoo or soap you are using are too strong. Try unscented items for a while and see if that helps. (But remember – our kids have amazing memories and an inability to generalize, so it may take several tries before you have a calm bath time with new shampoo!)

You should be able to discover how your child’s sense of smell is affected fairly easily, if they are willing to try. Gather several items with different scents and see if your child is willing to sniff everything. If they avoid it all, I would guess they have a hyper-sensitive sense of smell and will avoid anyone or anything that has much of an odor. (remember – they can smell things we don’t – if they avoid it, they can smell it, even if you can’t!) If they will smell the items without much reaction, my guess is they have a hyposensitive sense of smell and aren’t able to notice the odors.

Keep in mind that, just like everyone else, their bodies change as they grow up and the way their senses are affected may change, too. Very few things in autism are permanent. 🙂

First off, please remember that what I share on this blog is our life. I’m not a doctor or therapist or any other professional. I’m sharing ideas that might work for your child – but you need to decide what to try and what to ignore. As I’ve said before, what works for Casey may not work for Rob and vice versa.

On to their sense of sight…

Since they can’t tell me exactly what they see, I rely on what they draw to tell me how well they see. They both have hyper-sensitive sight, meaning they see much better and more details than most of us.

Casey can color and paint the smallest details on her projects – but only if she sees the need to do that. 🙂 Often, she is in such a hurry to move on to the next project or fun thing to do that she rushes through her art. I have only a few examples of the details she sees in things.

Rob, on the other hand, can use his iPad to draw amazing pictures with details in the cars and characters that I’ve never noticed. The little things that tend to blend into the bigger picture, he sees. He used to use the “paint” program on my old computer to draw characters from the Wizard of Oz – and every one would have little details. Dorothy’s shoes had sparkles, her basket had weave, her dress was perfectly spaced blue and white checks. The lion had a puff of long hair at the end of his tail and the scarecrow had hay sticking out in different places. I so wish more of those pictures had gotten saved and printed. But, when Rob is done with his drawing, he immediately erased it. I only have a few of them. 🙁

His drawings of trucks and cars include the smallest details of the hub caps of each car. He knows the license plate numbers of several vehicles. He can tell from several blocks away if a car coming towards us is someone we know. I’m lucky to notice as we pass!

When he uses sidewalk chalk, he draws each letter in calligraphy. He can write beautifully – again, when he wants to. Most of the time, he seems to think what I’d like him to do is pointless, so he is fast. But, when he writes thank you notes or signs cards, he carefully and perfectly signs his name. He can make elaborate creations with his Legos, but often sticks to his trees and power poles. (He still stares at power poles with a fascination I don’t understand. I’ve wondered if he hears a hum from them.) Wind turbines are especially fascinate him – he could watch for hours.

Rob loves running water – ocean waves, waterfalls, creeks. I know it is incredibly relaxing to him, but I’ve also discovered that he loves them because of the patterns he sees in each. He sees colors and designs where I see running water. I love waterfalls for the beauty I see, but he sees a much deeper beauty in each. No matter how small, he has to stop and stare at running water. A few summers ago, he actually went wading with us (it had been years since he did that!) and he just stood and stared at his feet.

When I got closer, I could hear him talking. He was naming all of the colors of small pebbles he saw by his feet. Again, I saw some colors, but to me, they were mostly brown or tan. Rob saw so many more colors than I did, until I finally slowed down and really looked. He will stare at a fire – flowers blowing – blades of grass. He is in his element in nature.

Something else I’ve learned. For Casey and Rob, looking into someone eyes is very distracting. They have both told me that eyes move. I couldn’t understand what they meant until I really studied how the eye works and understood that they were seeing the pupil constantly move. They also see the different colors in people’s eyes. You may think your eyes are blue or brown, but to Casey and Rob, there are lots of colors in them and those colors are distracting.

I’ve often heard people with autism say “I can listen to you or I can look you in the eye.” That is definitely Casey and Rob. That is one of the first things I try to explain to new people they meet – they are always listening, no matter what they are doing. Please be aware of this when you talk around your child. Even when they are completely occupied with something, they are listening!

One thing does surprise me with their eye sight. I know they are both very sensitive, but sunlight doesn’t bother either of them. They have sun glasses and might wear them, but they don’t insist on it. I would think that if they see so many details, that sunlight would be hard to handle, but they don’t seem to care.

I do know a few people with autism who choose to wear dark glasses as much as possible to try and block out some of the constant details that are always around them. Rob had a really hard time in stores as a little guy because he saw the lights constantly flickering. Casey would have meltdowns because the flickering lights were making her feel sick. If your child has a hard time in stores, try putting sunglasses on or letting them wear a hat they can pull low over their face. Movies theaters are also difficult because of the flashing lights in the dark room.

When your child has a meltdown, try to write down where you are, what is around you – you may discover their problem is too much visual stimulation and they can’t get away from it. This may also be the cause of your child wanting to walk with their eyes closed. Bumping into things is easier than dealing with the constant stimulation of colors and shapes around them.