It is still Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month. This is a month I acknowledge because I work with this population of children daily. One of the things that affect many of these children and adults is sensory processing issues. Our senses are touch, smell, taste, hearing, and sight/seeing. Technically, there are three more senses being proprioception, vestibular, and interoception. But I won’t speak further on this today. These senses are what we use to help us experience the world and be able to function daily. Sensory processing disorders (SPD) as it’s classified, is when the parts of the brains that are involved with our senses have problems interpreting the information we receive from our environment. This leads to “extreme” reactions you don’t see from someone whose brain can process the information better.
Now let’s take a little test…
Have you ever found yourself in a lecture and you had to leave the room a few times for a break? Yes or No
Have you ever found yourself getting irritated by the tag on your clothing and had to cut it off? Yes or No
Have you ever tried a new food and the texture of it just didn’t sit well on your tongue and you spit it out? Yes or No
Have you ever been blinded by the headlights of a car as you were driving? Yes or No
Have you ever been next to someone speaking loudly next to you and you covered your ears or moved away? Yes or No
Have you ever been in meeting and had to chew gum or eat a mint to help keep you alert? Yes or No
Have you ever been in a rush and bumped into the wall or tripped over an item? Yes or No
Have you ever been on the teacup ride in the amusement park and felt nausea? Yes or No
Have you ever had something sticky touch your hands with nowhere to wash it and felt uncomfortable? Yes or No
Have you ever had someone give you a bear type hug and wanted to escape? Yes or No
If you answered yes to any one of these questions, try to remember that feeling and multiply it by 5. For a child with sensory issues, the feeling can be magnified to a level that leads to behaviors. When you want the feeling to go away but can’t properly communicate it to those around you the reaction can be great. The goal here was a small way to bring awaress, reducing judgement when you see a parent with a small child having a meltdown. This may even help you identify some of the behaviors of children and adults close to you. This is not something that only affects kids with an Autism diagnosis. Let’s continue to educate ourselves and accept those who may have difficulty managing their senses.