Sensory Differences

UNDER-SENSITIVE

• objects may appear dim, or missing some features
• central vision is blurry and hazy but peripheral or side vision appears sharp and clear
• object in the central vision is magnified but those on the periphery are blurry and hazy
• poor depth perception, difficulties with motor skills such as throwing and catching, and motor clumsiness.

OVER-SENSITIVE

• images, objects and bright lights can appear distorted, flicker and jump around
• images and objects may fragment
• focus on a detail rather than the whole object
• sensitivity to lights may make it difficult to fall asleep

Coping strategies:

• reduce fluorescent lighting,
• wear sunglasses,
• use blackout curtains,
• create a workstation with a partition to block out unwanted distractions

UNDER-SENSITIVE

• may experience partial or reduced hearing in one ear
• may not react or respond to particular sounds
• may enjoy loud places or making noises such as bang doors and objects.

Coping strategies:

• use of visual supports to back up verbal information,
• create or include positive experiences that meet the individual’s sensory needs in their daily timetable.

OVER-SENSITIVE

• May show reduced tolerance to noise, sounds may seem louder than they should
• Sounds may appear distorted and muddled, confused or even painful
• May hear conversations in the distance
• May be easily distracted due to difficulty with filtering or blocking out background noise.

“Do you hear noise in your head? It pounds and screeches. Like a train rumbling through your ears.”

– Powell, J., in Gillingham, G. (1995), page 41

Coping strategies:

• soundproof or closing doors and windows in a room to reduce external noise
• put on earplugs and music in advance or when going to noisy and loud places
• create a screened workstation in the classroom or office, allowing the individual to position themselves away from the source of the noise such as doors and windows.

UNDER-SENSITIVE

• may have no sense of smell or may not notice strong extreme odours, such as faeces and body odour including their own body odour.
• may lick things to get a better sense of the object.

Coping strategies:

• create a routine around regular washing
• may use strong-smelling products to mask or distract the individual from inappropriate or unpleasant strong-smelling stimuli.

OVER-SENSITIVE

• smells may appear intense and overpowering, for example, the individual may avoid contact with people whose perfumes and shampoos smell are too strong, or they may refuse to use the toilet because of unpleasant smells

“Smells like dogs, cats, deodorant and aftershave lotion are so strong to me I can’t stand it, and perfume drives me nuts.” 

– Gillingham, G. (1995), page 60

Coping strategies:

• may use unscented products, detergents or shampoos,
• avoid wearing perfume.

UNDER-SENSITIVE

• may enjoy food with strong taste such as spicy foods
• may chew or mouth non-edible things such as stones, dirt, soil, grass, metal, faeces. This is known as pica.

OVER-SENSITIVE

• may refuse food with strong flavour because of sensitive taste buds
• may refuse food with certain textures that may cause discomfort for example, may only eat smooth textured or pureed food such as mashed potatoes or ice-cream.

Some autistic people may have a restricted diet – limiting themselves to bland food or craving
strong-tasting food. This isn’t necessarily a problem so long as there is some dietary variety.

UNDER-SENSITIVE

• may seek out deep pressure touch or hold others tightly
• may have a high pain threshold
• may not feel food in the mouth
• may engage in self-harm
• may enjoy heavy objects (eg weighted blankets) on top of them
• may find it pleasant to touch and smear faeces
• may chew on things, including clothing and inedible objects.

Coping strategies:

• offer substitutes for smearing such as jelly, or cornflour and water
• offer latex-free tubes or straws to chew.

OVER-SENSITIVE

• may find certain touches painful and uncomfortable, for example, hugging may be experienced as painful and discomforting –
• may dislike the touch or sensation of anything on hands or feet
• may dislike brushing teeth or washing hair
• may find certain food textures uncomfortable
• may only tolerate certain types of textiles or textures.

“Every time I am touched it hurts; it feels like fire running through my body.” 

– Gillingham, G. (1995), page 3

Coping strategies:

• always ask and seek consent first before touching the individual or giving them a hug
• change the texture of food (eg purée it)
• introduce different textures slowly and one at a time, for example, keep a box of different textured materials handy
• allow the individual to choose and complete tasks at their own pace (eg hair brushing and washing)
• buy seamless clothes or turn clothes inside out so there is no seam, and remove all tags or labels from clothing
• allow the individual to wear clothes they’re comfortable in.

UNDER-SENSITIVE

• may need to rock, swing or spin to get some sensory input.

Coping strategies:
encourage activities that help to develop the vestibular system such as rocking horses, swings, roundabouts, seesaws, catching a ball or practising walking smoothly up steps or curbs.

OVER-SENSITIVE

• may find activities or sports that require motor control and coordination difficult
• may find it difficult to suddenly stop motion
• may experience car sickness
• may have difficulties with activities where the head is not kept upright or feet are off the ground.

Coping strategies:

break down activities into small, manageable steps and make use of visual cues such as a finishing line.

UNDER-SENSITIVE

• may find it difficult to measure and judge personal space and boundaries, and as a result, may stand too close to others
• may find it hard to navigate rooms and avoid obstructions
• may bump into people.

Coping strategies:

• place furniture around the edge of a room to make navigation easier
• use weighted blankets to provide deep pressure
• put coloured tape on the floor to indicate boundaries
• use the ‘arm’s-length rule’ (stand at an arm’s length away from other people) to judge proximity.

OVER-SENSITIVE

• may have difficulties with fine motor skills, eg manipulating small objects like buttons or shoe laces
• may move the whole body to look at something.

Coping strategies:
train ‘fine motor’ skills with activities like lacing boards.

Some autistic people will experience synaesthesia. This is a rare condition whereby the stimulation of one sensory experience evokes other senses, for example, a person might hear a sound and see the colour ‘blue’.

Therapies and equipment

We can’t make recommendations as to the effectiveness of individual therapies and interventions or equipment. 

• Music therapists use instruments and sound to develop people’s sensory systems, usually their auditory (hearing) systems.
• Occupational therapists design programmes and often make changes to the environment so that people with sensory differences can live as independently as possible.
• Speech and language therapists often use sensory stimuli to encourage and support the development of language and interaction.
• Some people say they find coloured filters helpful, although there is only very limited research evidence. Find out more from UK Irlen Centres.
• Sensory integrative therapy and Sensory Integration Network.
• The Brain in Hand digital self-management support system.

Further reading and resources

Network Autism links
Sensory Challenges for autistic pupils – by Phoebe Caldwell
Top 5 tips for professionals – by Dr Olga Bogdashina

Books

• Laurie, C. (2014) Sensory Strategies London: The National Autistic Society
• Higashida, Naoki (2014) The Reason I Jump: One boy’s voice from the silence of autism. Sceptre
• Grandin, T. (2006) Thinking in Pictures. Bloomsbury Publishing

Resources
Managing sensory problems - University of Leicester video in English (also in Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi and Bengali).