Hypersensitivity is when the senses take in too much information. For autistic people this can lead to stress, anxiety and perhaps behaviours that challenge. Autistic people tend to show strengths in processing details from the environment, often at the expense of processing the bigger picture. This may have an impact on sensory processing too.
On the other side of the scale there is hyposensitivity, this is the opposite of hypersensitivity. If someone has this, then they struggle to take in information because their senses are "dulled" compared to a neurotypical person. Hyposensitive children are much more at risk of pica (a persistent craving and compulsive eating of non-food substances) or putting things in their mouths in order to try and stimulate their senses. However, this would only be applicable if the child’s hyposensitivity centres on taste or smell. A child with hyposensitivity in visual processing will not show pica but may flicker their fingers in front of their eyes or keep books very close to their face, for example.
The levels of hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity will always be different for each individual.
The main senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch) can be relatively easy to follow and therefore provide adaptations for. However, there are also three other senses that are less likely to be picked up on.
As an example, if someone is rocking vigorously as their self-stimulatory behaviour, they may need vestibular input.
This can range from picking them up and rocking or spinning the person/child or using a swing to provide a sense of motion. If the person is oversensitive, this may mean they have difficulties with sports where they need to control their movements, they may get car sick easily or have difficulties with any activity where the head is not upright, or the feet are off the ground.
If the person is hyposensitive then they may have issues standing too close to others, this is because they cannot judge personal space. They may bump into people and find it hard to navigate rooms and avoid obstructions.
If the person is hypersensitive, they could have difficulty with fine motor skills like tying their laces, or small buttons. It may be noted that they need to move their whole body to look at things.
Another thing to remember with this is that the person’s body awareness may impede their ability to know when they are hungry or full, and when they need to use the toilet. It may also mean they have a very high pain threshold and therefore struggle to let people know when they are hurt.
This refers to the person’s body awareness which, if impeded, may affect their ability to know when they are hungry or full, or when they need to use the toilet. It may also mean they have a very high pain threshold and therefore struggle to let people know when they are hurt.
A good example of this is the fact we can usually feel our heart if it is racing and therefore can decide on appropriate action for this, an autistic person who struggles with interoception may not notice this.
Sensory overload can happen to anyone; however, autistic people are generally at more risk of it happening because they cannot ‘tune out’ sounds. For example, a neurotypical person will be able to stop listening to the car alarm that is going off around the corner, whereas an autistic person’s sense of hearing may eventually be overloaded to the point of them having a meltdown.
Often there are signs that a person’s senses are being overloaded, it becomes more and more important to spot the signs, not only to help the person either deal with the situation or remove themselves from it, but to also avoid a meltdown. If the person has verbal communication, then something as simple as them asking to ‘;go now’ may be the first sign that they are struggling. Stimming may also indicate an issue, so if the person is pacing, rocking or hand flapping, for example, this may be an attempt to regulate their senses. Keep in mind that these behaviours could also mean the person is excited.
For autistic people, these meltdowns or tantrums are usually cries of distress.