Hi everyone, I'm Amythest, and welcome to "Ask an Autistic".
(Upbeat music) I want to write a song
to shine a light, be the change we want something's right...
We've been waiting in the dark for so long
Today I'm going to be talking about Sensory Processing Disorder.
Sensory Processing Disorder is a neurological condition in which the brain
does not interpret sensory input from the environment correctly.
A person with Sensory Processing Disorder may be over or under sensitive to input
from their environment, such as lights, colors, noises, music, people talking,
smells, textures, and tastes.
Every autistic person will have some kind of Sensory Integration Issues.
This is just part of our neurotype and part of what makes us autistic.
But, Sensory Processing Disorder, as a neurological diagnosis can exist
on its own, in non-autistic children.
Sensory Processing Disorder really can affect and encompass all of the senses.
Now, human beings actually have more than five senses, we have something like
eighteen to twenty-two, depending on who you ask.
But, I think that there are the seven basic senses that are important
to know about to understand Sensory Processing Disorder.
So you have the basic five, which I think everybody has heard of.
That's taste, touch, smell, sight, sound. Yeah, I think I got that right.
And then there are two senses that most people haven't heard of.
And that is the Proprioceptive Sense and the Vestibular Sense.
Proprioceptive Sense is the sense of where your body is in space.
It allows for you to know where your limbs are, how much force you're
exerting on things.
And also, where you are spatially in your environment, and how to interact
with objects in your environment.
The Vestibular Sense is the sense that is all about motion and movement.
It is a sense that tells you if you are in motion or standing still.
If you are up or down, swinging, spinning, upside down,
all of that is informed by the Vestibular Sense.
So, as I'm sure you can imagine, when a person is under or over sensitive
to any of the sensory input they may receive from their environment,
their experience is going to be a lot different than a neuro-typical person's.
And their life is going to be very different because of the things they
have to deal with.
For example, a child who is undersensitive to proprioceptive input may have trouble
knowing where his body is in space, he may have trouble knowing how much
pressure to exert on things.
So he may either be too gentle, and be, you know,
consistently dropping small objects.
Or, he may be too rough in play, and be constantly seeking out really rough
activities to give him a lot of deep pressure input on his joints.
Like wrestling, jumping around, jumping on a trampoline.
A person with sensory integration issues who is very sensitive to noise may have
a lot of trouble with auditory processing issues when they're in a space where there
is background noise, like music, or a lot of people talking, like in a restaurant.
So while they can hear the person who is sitting across from them and speaking,
they may not be able to interpret what the person is saying.
They know that they're speaking, their brain just can't filter out all of the
auditory information.
So like I said, sensory processing issues can encompass and incorporate all of the
senses. And everybody who has sensory integration
issues, autistic or non-autistic will have their own set of triggers,
negative sensory input that causes them discomfort or pain.
And many people who have sensory integration issues, will have
some sensory input that they actively seek out and they crave, often because they are
undersensitive to it.
So, an autistic person who seeks out Vestibular input because they are
under-sensitive to vestibular input may really enjoy activities like
swinging on a swing, or spinning on a tire swing, or on a computer chair.
Something that comes up a lot, and I get questions about this a lot, comes down to
Sensory Defensiveness and food.
Many autistic people have a very limited diet. And this is both due to
love of routine and resistance to change, but also to sensory defensiveness.
Sadly, children who are struggling with sensory integration issues may have their
sensory defensiveness toward a certain texture or taste of food, interpreted
by their parents as just picky eating or even outward defiance,
when this isn't the case. When you have sensory integration issues,
you know that you're different, and you wish that you weren't.
Sensory integration issues and Sensory Processing Disorder can cause
a lot of grief in our daily life, because this world isn't really built for us.
It is so loud, and so fast, and so bright, and all the clothes are too tight,
and everything's too itchy and it can be exhausting just trying to get some sleep
at night with all these sounds all around.
Sensory integration issues can be really hard to deal with, and it's
important to remember that
if you're having a showdown with your kid over dinner,
they're not trying to be defiant to you, they're not just being a picky eater
if they have sensory processing issues.
That is a real neurological condition and a valid disability.
And a child with sensory processing issues doesn't need to be shamed in any situation
and they don't need to be coerced to do things that cause them pain.
Because, really, sensory processing disorder, when you have a negative sensory
input as a trigger, it isn't just uncomfortable or a little annoying.
It's often very painful, and it is important to remember that, you know,
there are some children who are just picky. But when it comes to children with
with sensory integration issues, they have a disability. And so accommodation and
understanding can go a long way.
When you have a neurological or developmental disability, you start off
with less brain energy, call it, in the morning than
neuro-typical people do.
And then, throughout the day, as a person with sensory processing issues
is triggered again and again, that takes up more and more of their
brain energy that they would be otherwise be putting towards learning,
or socializing, communicating and self-regulating.
Sensory overload is one of the, I think, biggest, and most frequent
causes of autistic meltdown.
That's why it is so important to allow any person or child
with sensory integration issues - autistic, or not -
to stim in whatever ways that they need to.
Because stimming isn't just a meaningless activity, or
you know, or a repetitive motion just because.
While stimming is often an expression of self in autistic people,
in people of all neuro-types with sensory integration issues
stimming is THE best and most important way to self-regulate.
By stimming in whatever way that feels natural, or comfortable
to that person, the person with sensory integration issues
is able to block out negative input with good input.
For example, a person with sensory integration issues
may vocally stim to block out a negative auditory stimulus
in their environment. Stimming can also allow
and enable a person with sensory processing issues to
engage in social situations and to be out in public longer,
and more often because they have a way to deal with all of the anxiety,
and the pain, and the stress that comes from negative sensory input.
So, when it comes to helping your child, or loved one, or yourself
deal with sensory integration issues, stimming is a very important part of that.
Allowing stimming, even encouraging stimming,
and exploring, if you are a person with sensory integration issues, what stims
can you do in w-, in certain situations to help yourself, and to lessen
the pain, and the mental burden of- of- dealing with negative sensory input.
And then of course, because the world isn't made for us, there are going
to be times when we have to accommodate for ourselves.
For myself, I always carry with me, in my bag, or my purse,
a pair of earplugs, some wet-wipes, um, ya know, to deal with any stickiness
I might accidentally come across.
Some gum, which provides really good uh, deep sensory input in your jaw.
And I, I don't have sunglasses right now, but I know that to combat
bright sunlight, or the flickering of fluorescent lights, which is just awful
a combination of sunglasses, and a hat with a brim, or just one or the other
can lessen the pain from bright or flickering, or bad-colored light
sources a lot. So I'm currently looking for a pair of sunglasses
that feel comfy enough for me to wear, and that I like the look of.
But when I find a pair that I do like, I will definitely include them in my
little kit of sensory things to help me deal with negative sensory input.
The important thing to remember, is that Sensory Processing Disorder
and sensory integration issues in autistic people
are a real and valid neurological condition.
And that, without accommodation or understanding, they can really
inhibit your life, and be super hard to deal with.
And in remembering that Sensory Processing Disorder is a real disability,
you can also remember that, with accommodation, you can
lead a happy and healthy and successful life. And that having
sensory integration issues, or being autistic, doesn't mean that you can't
live a rich and fulfilling and joyful life. It just might
require some accommodation, a little bit of foresight, or planning
and some understanding from the people around you.
So, this has been my video on Sensory Processing Disorder.
Just a brief overview (claps):
If you have questions about this topic or would like to discuss anything
I said in this video, feel free to post in the comments section because
I would love to foster some discussion out of this topic, and hear from all of you.
Do you have Sensory Processing Disorder?
Do you love somebody who does?
And if you have a question that you would like answered via video
feel free to post your autism-related question in the comments section below
or message it to me if you would like it to be anonymous.
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Thanks for watching my video! (reprise of song from beginning)