Imagine being in a small room with lots of people having multiple conversations, music playing in the background, cars driving by outside, people pouring drinks, and a barking dog. Now imagine processing all of these sounds at the same volume and not having the ability to drown out some of the noises in order to listen to the person standing next to you.
Most people with ASD struggle with the five senses and being able to independently focus on one specific aspect of each sense. Oftentimes, they experience an overwhelming sensation that causes them to physically move their bodies impulsively or scream and yell to try and make everything go away.
When I was a child, I often got horrible ear infections where my ears would be in so much pain that I couldn't focus on anything else but the sensation of my ears pounding. I needed to remove myself from groups of people and lay very still in order to ease the pain and calm myself down. Although I can't know what it is like to feel sensory overloaded, I can truly say that it must be incredibly overwhelming and frustrating when people don't understand and try to make accommodations in order to feel at peace.
In addition to noise and the sense of hearing, people with ASD struggle with touch, smell, sight, and taste. They often have a very limited, specific diet, over-or-under reaction to pain, sensitivity to affectionate touch, and fears of non-harmful objects. It can be difficult to show affection in the form of a hug to children with autism because oftentimes they don't like the sensation of someone wrapping their arms around them. People with autism can also have irrational fears that are hard to overcome, ("Autism Spectrum Disorder").
Whenever people with ASD feel sensory overloaded they sometimes stimulate themselves by flapping their arms, kicking, screaming, or doing something with their body to physically "fight off" the commotion. When other people are more aware of sensory integration, this can be prevented or controlled in a calmer manner, and people with autism can feel more understood and cared for.
Work Cited:
“Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 24 Feb. 2015, www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/treatment.html.
