HOW BALANCING SENSES CAN IMPROVE
QUALITY OF LIFE IN
AUTISM
Nusrat Hussan
Occupational Therapist
Outline of Lecture
 Sensory system
 How all senses work together
 Altered use of senses/sensory
dysfunction
 Symptoms of sensory dysfunction
 Remediation (or balancing senses)
Sensory System
 We explore or learn about the world
around us through sensory experiences
 Our body get sensory inputs from
sensory systems
Seven Senses
 Visual (we see)
 Auditory(we hear)
 Oral/gustatory(we taste/smell)
 Tactile(we touch)
 Proprioceptive(we use muscle and joints)
 Vestibular (we move against gravity

To learn and respond appropriately in different situations, an
individual depends on these functions
Sensory Responses
 In addition to the core features of autism.
 Children and adolescents with Autism
Spectrum Disorder (ASD) respond to sensory
experiences differently from those without
ASD
 Which can interfere with the individual’s
ability to complete important activities
successfully
How all senses work together
 Sensory
Integration
The process of the brain organizing and
interpreting information from all sensory
systems is called as sensory integrations.
Sensory Integration is …
 The neurological process that organizes
sensation from one’s own body and
from the environment and makes it
possible to use the body effectively
within the environment. (Ayres, 1979)
Sensory Integration
This complex set of interactions between the
brain and the body and can be broken down
into three complementary processes…
 Sensory Modulation
 Sensory Discrimination
 and Motor Planning
Sensory Integrations
Dysfunction
.
Sensory Integrations dysfunction
Sensory modulation
dysfunction
Sensory Avoidance
Sensory discrimination
dysfunction
Sensory Seeking
Functional
dysfunction
Sensory Integrations
Dysfunction
Threshold / Capacity
 Some children have a
very large sensory or
neurological threshold for sensory input
 Some children have a very small sensory
Beaker
.
Some features reported of
people on the spectrum
Differences in auditory processing.
Auditory hypersensitivity as…
 The child being troubled or distracted by
noise
 Not being able to work or focus in the
presence of background noise.
Hypo activity to auditory Stimuli
This has been an early diagnostic
consideration for autism.
 Diminished response to name:
seems to be deaf
 Not responding to certain sounds.
For visual responding
 Avoidance of eye contact
 Inefficient use of eye-gaze seen as early
social feature of autism
 Inspect different objects as their own flapping
hands

other moving objects in an unusual way with their
peripheral vision
Vestibular symptoms
Vestibular hypersensitivity
 Seek Vestibular stimulation (rocking,jumping)
 and are “on the go”
 While
those who are hypersensitive to
Vestibular movement avoid inputs and exhibit
gravitational insecurities. e.g.



avoids going up and down stairs,
fear of heights and falls,
prefers to sit for every activity
Tactile
Tactile hyper-reactivity
 When exposure to different textures of
clothing makes a child extremely
anxious, distracted, or fidgety
 Toe walking,
 Preference for walking bare foot
 Avoiding messy activities
.
On the other hand the hyposensitive
seeks all types of tactile inputs like
touching people and objects.
 Sensitivity to tastes of certain food,
excessive mouthing of objects is also
seen in children with ASD
Dealing with
Sensory Dysfunction
Change in inputs of –
 Tactile,
 Vestibular,
 and Proprioceptive systems
 along with other systems may reduce the
mentioned behaviours and increase
participation and independence in functional
tasks.
Sensory Diet
 These sensory inputs can be provided
as a balanced sensory diet through
“Sensory integration therapy”
 which
uses a planned, controlled
sensory input in accordance with
individual’s specific sensory needs.
Throughout the day
 Our levels of arousal change frequently
 and we develop strategies to improve our
level of alertness which are individualised
based on past experiences
 However, children with a sensory dysfunction
are unable to self-regulate and sustain an
appropriate level of alertness
Purpose of a Sensory Diet
 Is to provide sensory experiences throughout
the day to help the child to maintain a
functional level of arousal.
 Necessary for learning.
 Sensory diet must be individualised for each
child based on his needs and responses to
sensory inputs
Designing a Sensory Diet
 Sensory inputs can be of different intensities.
 May require longer durations and more or
less frequent inputs.
 The outcome of the sensory input is
monitored to determine a calming or alerting
effect on the individual
Activities that can be considered whilst
designing a Sensory Diet
Tactile activities
 Hypersensitive (defensive)
Activities that let the child take support on the
hands, feet, and stomach
 Make child lies on his stomach on the floor, and
a large gymnastic ball is rolled on his/her back
 Expose the child to various textures
(walk,touch with hands or whole body)
 Different kinds of sand and water play

.
Hyposensitive (seeks tactile input)

Climbing up, rolling, jumping, wheel-barrow
walking

Play doh activities as rolling, cutting, making balls
Tracing designs with a fingers on different textures
like sand-paper, fur, etc

Ball pool activities,Obstacle course

Pillow fight
Auditory Activities
 Listening to music or environmental sounds
such as a cooker whistle, a motorcycle revving
(for the hyposensitive )
 Identify and avoid the sound, Barrier such as
ear plugs, Camouflage the perception of the
sound with music - iPod (for the hypersensitive)
Proprioceptive Activities
 Wearing a heavy weighted vest,
carrying weights in a bag, walking with
heavy loads
 Cocooning
 Animal walks
 Jumping activities
 Chair or wall push-ups
Vestibular Activities
Hypersensitive and gravitational insecurities
 Having fun moving around while
experiencing different possibilities of
movement.
 Sitting on a low swing and spinning, turning,
rolling.
 Activities with a large gym ball
 Walking through an obstacle course
.
 Hyposensitive (hyperactive) and seeks
movement

Using the swing in the playground daily
 Spinning, jumping and running along a target
 Physical activities and sports to channelise extra
energy
 Frequent movement breaks
Visual Activities
 Turning lights off (to calm)
 Turning lights on (to alert)
 Using flashlights to focus.
 Use tracking methods with torch in dark
room to improve peripheral and central
vision.
 Working with children at eye level so
they can look directly into the eyes
Olfactory & Gustatory Activities
 Oral motor exercises including sucking,
blowing and chewing
 Providing an oral massage before
meals
 Providing a smell box with smells on
various ranges
Sensory Diet for Adolescents
 Ability to successfully perceive and
integrate sensations also promotes
socialisation and emotional well being.
.
 Teens may engage in sensory seeking
activities, such as impulsivity and
aggression
 In contrast there may be teens that
avoid social situations, limit social
participation and withdraw to the point
of isolation
.
 We need to respect their
 independence and choice,
 teaching them to meet their own sensory needs.
 Done by
 appropriate equipment
 environmental modifications that accommodate
their needs.
.
 Sensory integrative therapy can teach.
 Relaxing and calming activities,
 Gradual desensitisation to stimuli
 And coping strategies, that can help the
adolescent achieve success in daily
activities
Alerting
 Light touch
 Tickling
 Hot or cold food (strong temperature)
 Playing in textures (rice, sand, beans, finger
painting, playdoh)
 Go barefoot, use textured towels/ blankets/
objects
 Chose crafts with touch feedback (gluing, clay
molding, etc)
Calming
 Firm pressure on skin, longer duration
 Hold hand firmly
 Weighted vests, blankets, etc.
 Wilbarger Brushing Program (under OT direction)
 Oral tactile defensiveness strategies
 Queries…
 Thanks 
Nusrat Hussan
Occupational Therapist