Individuals with autistic spectrum disorders often have different sensory experience than the general population does. To address sensory deficits or problems, therapists working with children with autism will commonly seek to provide a so-called sensory diet. A sensory diet uses food or non-foodstuffs to provide enriching sensory experiences and to help to address sensory issues or cravings.
Tactile Experience
Many children with autism have a greater appetite for tactile experience than other children. Some of the behaviors associated with autism may stem, at least in part, from this craving for sensory feedback. For example, behaviors such as arm-flapping, hand-wringing or even punching or slapping other children may represent self-stimulating actions performed for sensory feedback. In work and play with a child with autism, you can provide a varied "diet" of tactile experience ranging from play with sand or jelly-like substances to shaving foam, water or squishy toys.
Physical Activities
Some children with autism have a relatively poor sense of their own place in physical space. Sensory deficits or sensory under-reacting may lead a child to be uncertain, for example, how long her arm is and where her fingers end. Such issues can lead to problems with physical coordination and movement. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that children with autism may be under-responsive to physical touch, or to pain. Physical activities such as swimming provide sensory feedback regarding the shape, size and boundaries of a child's body. Other activities which focus awareness on the child's sense of physical self include moving around in a weighted vest, or appropriate massage.
Food and Sensory Diet
Many children with autism are picky eaters, or may be obsessive about preferred foods. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that some people with autistic spectrum disorders will severely limit their diets to only a very few foods. Other individuals will consume items that are not food, such as rocks or dirt. This behavior may be, in part, sensory seeking. A wide range of food textures can provide sensory feedback and stimulation to a child with autism. Be cautious of certain foods' potential use for self-stimulating behaviors -- for example, "pocketing" food in the cheeks provides tactile sensory feedback but can have negative consequences for dental and oral health. If your child has a tendency to "pocket" preferred foods in the mouth, consider making only soft foods available and avoid sugary, long-lasting foodstuffs such as hard candy.
Auditory Diet
Providing and introducing a varied diet of sounds can help an individual with autism develop a wide range of skills from self-expression to mood regulation and even verbal communication skills. One issue for some individuals with autism is a tendency to over-react to sound in general, or certain sounds in particular. To some people with autism, background sounds can seem much louder than they seem to other people. The sound of a ticking clock, for example, may seem louder than a conversation, perhaps even drowning out the conversation. Be sensitive to potential differences in your child's processing of background noises, and provide a range of options for auditory stimulation and also for quiet. Isolation headphones provide a person a means of escaping distressing noise. Playing a range of musical instruments provides both auditory and tactile experience.
References
- Sensory Smarts.com: What is a Sensory Diet?
- "Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders"; Weighted Vests, Stereotyped Behaviors and Arousal in Children with Autism.; S.Hodgetts et al.; June 2011
- "Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders"; The Use of Weighted Vests with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Disabilities; J. Stevenson, M. Carter; January 2009
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Autistic Spectrum Disorders Signs and Symptoms
- "Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders"; Effects of Background Noise on Cortical Encoding of Speech in Autism Spectrum Disorders; N. Russo et al.; April 2009
