Coursera - Autism Spectrum Disorder - Week 4 - January 3, 2020

Understanding Sensory Regulation Differences

Video: What are the Diagnostic Features of Autism?

• Part of the diagnostic features of autism spectrum disorders include restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interest. 
• Restricted repetitive patterns of behavior and interest: This I recognize in myself and I try to combat it by differing my routine sometimes and what I say and do in social situations. Matt even pointed this out to me and his comments have made me realize I need to keep practicing this.
• Hyper and hypo reactivity to sensory input, or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the environment is described.
• individuals on the autism spectrum have differences in their ability to process and tolerate sensory experiences.
• hypersensitivity or an overreaction to certain types of sensory input. 
• adverse reaction or response as they attempt to try to escape or avoid a situation that physically makes them uncomfortable. 
• hyposensitivity, or an underreaction to sensory experiences. 
• long delay in reacting to certain types of input. 
• delayed response to pain, or they may require high intensity of certain types of input in order to register or react to that particular experience.
• tactile difficulties. Tactile defensiveness is an adverse or exaggerated response to light touch or certain avoidance of certain types of clothing, certain fabrics, tags, seams, wearing shoes, may all bother or be troublesome 
• An individual with tactile defensiveness may also refuse certain types of foods or textures.
• They may refuse to touch certain types of objects, and they may act out in attempts to escape or avoid certain tactile sensations or experiences.

Video: What are Sensory Regulation Differences?

• Dr. Temple Grandin as she describes her sensory issues. 
• Elizabeth Morgan as she describes her child's sensory challenges and how her family has learned to deal with them. 
• Temple Grandin shares personal insights and information about visual and tactile sensory issues. One of the things that are really big problem for people on the autism spectrum is sensory problems. We need to be doing research in sensory problems. And I talked to a whole bunch of people at the Mind Institute today about working on sensory problems. 
• This picture's actually from Oliver Sacks' book Migraine, and the images break up and how can they see.
• People who have severe visually processing problems.
• Because the visual system's goofed up, and they can't get that information on the hard drive. People that have this problem are often helped by things like Irlen colored lenses, where they may have problems with fluorescent lights, with a rapid flickering that drives them crazy. And they may find a laptop screen a whole lot easier to use.
• When they go to read, the print may jiggle on the page. 
• The problem with autism is, is it's so variable. One person will have this problem, another person doesn't have it. 
• Elizabeth Morgan describes some of her son's sensory experiences and how her family helps him to adapt and regulate his sensory issues.
• the sensory experience was, in his sensory needs had to be one of the besides language was the second most greatest factor for him. sensory seeking type of behaviors that he will engage in. 
• really be mindful of what could be a trigger for him and what could set him off. 
• do some changing and I think really doing a lot of priming and thinking about how to prepare him for new situations that might not be easy for him.
• loud sounds were something that could really be a trigger for him. 
• And so those are things you can't predict, and you can't avoid. 
• social stories and giving him type of calming affirmations when those things happened. 
• To try to get him down where he could self-regulate, so it was, for us, I think it was changing of our minds, cuz we understood that he had a certain need. 
• be very sensitive to the environments 
• anticipate anything, try to support it on that area, but then if it was things that were unavoidable, try to give him supports to overcome them.

Video: What Senses Relate to Body Awareness and Balance?

• sensory experiences actually extend beyond the five basics senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. 
• proprioceptive and vestibular components of our sensory nervous system and how they relate to both body awareness and balance. 
• two aspects of our sensory nervous system outside of the five basic senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste, that may also be impacted in individuals on the autism spectrum. 
• two aspects of our sensory nervous system include proprioception and vestibular types of input. Proprioception is the internal feedback that we get from our muscles and joints. It gives us information about force and pressure, how much resistance there is, the weight of objects, and it's also important in our body awareness. 
• The vestibular components of our sensory nervous system include the internal feedback detected when we move, and is primarily based on the position of our head. Our inner ear, as well as our peripheral vision, give us information that's registered in our vestibular system. Our vestibular system is important in helping us with balance and determining where our body is in space. 
• When an individual is experiencing difficulties with their proprioceptive system, they may have problems with judging the amount of force or pressure to apply
• They may demonstrate motor clumsiness, or they may be very awkward. 
• They may have difficulty manipulating small objects. 
• They may have an abnormal body posture, or may seek out input into their muscles and joints more frequently by pushing down on objects or engaging in unusual postures in their seat or chair. 
• They may have a difficult time with motor planning, and they may frequently seek out deep pressure input or joint compressions or joint contractions. 
• Some of the problematic behaviors that may be expressed include squeezing others, pushing or pulling others or objects, dropping, bumping or slamming into things. 
• And certain types of self injurious behavior, such as biting themselves, or hitting themselves, or odd or unusual body postures in desks or chairs, which may create problems in the classroom. 
• Some vestibular difficulties include a high tolerance for certain types of vestibular input. 
• When an individual has a high tolerance for vestibular input, you may see them seeking out intense input, such as jumping, spinning, climbing, tipping back in their chairs, swinging or rocking excessively. 
• Individuals who have an intolerance for a high degree of vestibular input may avoid certain playground equipment. 
• They may not like to be picked up. 
• They may difficulties on stairs or any kind of uneven terrain. 
• This type of input may create a flight or fight reaction or response from them, so you may see aggression or other forms of behavior as they attempt to escape and avoid this type of experience or input.

Video: How do Sensory Difficulties Relate to Emotional and Behavioral Reactions?

• overt reactions to sensory experiences should be treated as learning opportunities, to help an individual with autism. 
• Learn to self advocate, and to develop coping strategies related to their sensory needs. 
• The relationship between sensory problems and emotional regulation challenges is well noted. Certain types of stimulation can cause a Fight or Flight reaction or response. 
• A fight, reaction or response may look like some form of Aggression. 
• A Flight reaction response may look like some kind of Escape or anxiety reaction. 
• These types of responses to the sensory environment are reflexive in nature. 
• In other words, when an individual is experiencing some kind of sensory aversion, physical discomfort, and they react emotionally and behaviorally, these behaviors are not learned behaviors, but are more reflexive in nature. 
• It's important that we recognize these sensory differences in individuals with autism, and that we use these as opportunities to teach. 
• Some of the things that an individual may need to learn is how to identify the sensory triggers in the environment. And communicate or express to others when they are feeling uncomfortable or when they feel anxious about the threat of a sensory experience creating discomfort. 
• Individual needs to learn how to self advocate to minimize the triggers they may need to learn to ask for a break or an alternate environment to be in whenever there's a high degree of sensory distraction going on. 
• They may need to learn different strategies for coping with sensory experiences. It's important for those who work with individuals on the autism spectrum not to view these behaviors as something willful, that needs to be punished. 
• Punitive consequences during a heightened level of escalation will only result in further escalation. 
• The goal when someone's experiencing a Fight or Flight reaction should be to help them to regulate and calm down. And then identify what the trigger was so that it can be prevented, or so that the individual can learn an appropriate coping strategy in the future.

Quiz

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