Sensory Integration and ASD
Lorraine Ringland
Clinical Specialist in Autism,
Occupational Therapy
This Talk Aims to Explain
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What is Sensory Integration?
What is Sensory Integration Difficulties?
What have they to do with Autism?
How do Sensory Integration Difficulties
present and what parents can do?
The Concept of Sensory Integration
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Sensory Integration is the ability to take in,
sort out, process and make use of
information from the world around us.
Ineffective Sensory Processing
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Can effect one or more of sensory systems.
Impacts upon ability to:
– Learning
– Cope with daily demands and stress
– Direct behaviour effectively
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A comparison can be drawn to indigestion…
Sensory Processing Disorder and
Autism
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Literature indicates that 42% to 88% of children diagnosed
with Autism will also experience sensory processing
difficulties.
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These children often have difficulty regulating responses to
sensations and specific stimuli and may use selfstimulation to compensate for limited sensory input or to
avoid overstimulation.
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(Baranek, 2002).
(Roberts, King-Thomas, & Boccia, 2007; Schaaf & Nightlinger, 2007; Smith, Press, Koenig, &
Kinnealey, 2005).
Behaviours such as stereotypic motor movements, aimless
running, aggression, and self-injurious behaviours have
been correlated with these sensory processing difficulties.
–
(Case-Smith & Bryan, 1999; Dawson & Watling, 2000; Linderman & Stewart, 1999; Watling &
Dietz, 2007).
• 7 Sensory Systems
• How Difficulties
Present
• Tips for Parents
7 Sensory Systems
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Body Position
(Proprioception)
Movement
(Vestibular)
Touch (Tactile)
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Sight (Visual)
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Taste (Gustatory)
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Sound (Auditory)
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Smell (Olfactory)
PROPRIOCEPTION
(Body awareness)
Location: receptors located
in muscles and joints and is
activated by muscle
contraction
Function: provides
information about where a
body part is and how it is
moving. Has a calming
effect on the sensory
system.
Proprioception – exhibiting
behaviours
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Heavy handed or footed
Poor judgement and grading of movement
Poor posture, frequently props head on
hands/table
Bumps into things, falls frequently
Tip toe walking
Drops things frequently
Tires easily
Poor body awareness
May chew on non-food objects or grinds teeth
Proprioceptive Strategies
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Tug of war games
Heavy loads: encourage child to carry the shopping bags
Wheelbarrow walking
Arm/foot wrestling
Trampolining
Climbing frames
Monkey bars
Please Note, when a child is overwhelmed / overactive,
engaging them in activities which activate the
Proprioceptive sense should help them to become more
calm.
Over Sensitive – Low Thresholds
Under Sensitive - High Thresholds
VESTIBULAR
(Movement and balance)
Location: receptors in the inner
ear, stimulated by head
movements and input from
other senses
Function: Provides information
about where our body is in
space, whether we are moving
standing still and what speed
and direction we are going
Vestibular – exhibiting behaviours
Overly Sensitive
 Poor tolerance to movement
 Easily become dizzy when
changing body position
 Dislike tipping their head
back
 Overly fearful of heights
 May experience motion
sickness
 May move quite rigidly
Under Registering
 Seeks fast moving
activities
 Spins, rocks, bounces
and jumps excessively
 Always ‘on the go’
 Enjoys being upside
down
 Slouches and leans,
unable to sit upright for
long
Tips for Parents - Vestibular
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Extra proprioception or pressure helps a child feel more
secure.
Encourage active child propelled movements rather than
passive movement.
Fast movements with changes in direction are alerting,
slow rhythmical movements tend to be calming and
soothing
Try having your child complete some activities in different
positions, e.g. lying on stomach to read.
Take small steps towards more challenging activities, break
them down so that movement is minimalised.
TACTILE
(Touch)
Location: receptors under the
skin
Function: Provide information
to the brain regarding the
environment or object (touch,
pressure, texture, hard, soft,
sharp, dull, heat, cold and
pain)
Tactile – exhibiting behaviours
Overly Sensitive
 Fussy
 Sensitive to textures
 Dislikes and avoids likes
messy play
 Can react aggressively to
another’s touch
 Feels pain excessively
 Very sensitive to temperature
changes.
 Distressed at grooming
activities, e.g. brushing
hair/teeth, cutting nails
Under Registering
 Responds only to firm touch
 Can invade space / be
overly tactile
 Can be heavy handed
 Grips objects too firmly
 Has difficulty responding to
pain/temperature.
 May be unaware of food left
in his mouth
 Frequently seeks the feel of
objects in his/her
environment
Tips for Parents - Tactile
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If your child is seeking out tactile experiences, feed them.
If the child avoids tactile experiences, incorporate
proprioceptive tasks and consider the texture of toys,
clothes, towels, etc.
Light touch can be irritating, firm and constant pressure
organising
Remember self-initiated touch produces a less defensive
reaction to the sensory system.
Avoid situations of close proximity to others
Always watch for signs of overstimulation and discomfort,
remember that tactile experiences can be painful for some
children.
AUDITORY
(Sound)
Location: inner ear stimulated by
sound/air waves
Function: Provides information
about sounds in the
environment (loud, soft, high,
low, near or far)
Hearing – exhibiting behaviours
Overly Sensitive
 Reacts as though noise
levels are magnified
 Dislikes loud noise
 Is easily startled
 Engages in unusual
behaviours in noisy
environments
 Is anxious before expected
noises (school bell)
 Holds hands over ears
 Highly aware of all
environmental noises
Under Registering
 Enjoys really loud noise
 Fails to pick up expected
cues.
 Makes unusual noises
themselves
 Seek out irritable noises,
e.g. white noise
 May become more
engaged in noisier
environments
Tips for Parents
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Prepare the child for noisy environments.
Use headphones or ear defenders to ‘dampen
down’ the level of noise for the child.
Teach your child strategies within noisy
environments, e.g. standing close to the door.
Agree methods for your child to tell you there is
too much noise, e.g. token exchange, loud gauges
or happy/sad faces.
Encourage the child to attend to sounds by playing
games based on auditory cues, e.g. Simon Says.
VISUAL
(Sight)
Location: retina in the eye which
is stimulated by light
Function: provides information
about what we see in the
environment and helps us
define boundaries as move in
space
Visual – exhibiting behaviours
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Difficulty finding what they are looking for
unless the item is strongly motivating
Difficulty concentrating in a very bright,
visually stimulating room
May become overly focused on visual detail
Advanced drawing skills
String visual memory
Tips for Parents
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Reduce lighting, particularly when the child
appears overwhelmed
Reduce the amount of visual distractions
Be aware of visual challenges, e.g. copying from a
board, reading text
Present work in visual blocks
Remember it may be difficult for the child to look at
you and listen to you simultaneously
OLFACTORY and GUSTATORY
(Smell)
Location: chemical
receptors in the nose
(closely linked to the taste
sense)
Function: Provides
information about different
types of smell (musty,
acrid, putrid, flowery and
pungent)
(Taste)
Location: Chemical
receptors in the tongue
(closely linked with the smell
sense)
Function: Provides
information about different
types of taste (sweet, sour,
bitter, salty, spicy)
Taste and Smell – presenting
behaviours
Overly Sensitive
 Dislikes strong tastes
prefers bland
 Tastes or smells objects,
clothes etc
 Likes consistent
temperature of food
 Over-reacts to common
smells
 Gags easily at subtle
smells
Under Registers
 Mouths and or smells nonfood items
 Craves strong tastes and
flavours
 Under-reacts to strong
smell, may seek them.
Tips for Parents
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Incorporate foods into messy play
Introduce tastes in a fun way and expand on established
tastes
Use calming scents or scents the child prefers, in small
amounts e.g. lavender etc
Use scented stickers to assist in desensitising
Allow the child to chew gum/suck hard sweet
In environments with distinctive smells, e.g. canteen or
dentist, have the child’s favoured scent on cotton wool /
sleeve to help calm
Use calming activities when the child is overwhelmed, i.e.
proprioceptive activities
IMPORTANT POINTS
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When a child displays unacceptable behaviour
consider an underlying sensory processing cause.
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Acknowledge the difficulties children with sensory
processing experience across contexts and how
this affects their life skill development and
academic readiness
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Accentuate the positive and always offer
understanding and support
Thank you for your Attention
Any Questions?