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