I have been thinking of writing a post about this for a while. I get asked a lot about it and thought I would share my insight. Having a child on the spectrum and working in the area of special needs with kids on the spectrum brings me into this world of sensory integration every single day.
I have to plan my day. I have to plan the tasks I set, I have to plan the food I provide my child, I have to plan just to get out the door. Its all a matter of planning for success really once you know what you are facing.....and that's the hard part; learning what triggers a child into a complete sensory meltdown.
Imagine being in a room where all you hear is the screeching of the children's pencils on the desk or the ticking of the clock or the lawn mower outside the window and it is enough to make you want to pull your ears off, or imagine looking at a bowl of food and you are frightened of the colour yellow...or all you like to eat is food that is yellow....or that you cant stand the sloppy texture of some foods and so when you put it in your mouth you are forced to vomit, or that your food can't touch and has to be separated. IMAGINE THAT FOR A MOMENT.
Don't you think that it would be hard to live like that?, that when walking down the street you think that when you walk on the lines in the pavement that they may swallow you whole or that when you try to go to sleep at night you need to put the fan on in the middle of winter just to drown out any of the sounds in the house, or that you can't stand certain underwear or seams in clothing, or clothing in general, or teeth washing, or hair brushing or you need to move around and around just to stay calm. IMAGINE THAT FOR A MOMENT.
This is what it is like for some people on the Autism Spectrum and if reading this is frustrating and upsetting you, then IMAGINE what it is like for them!
Whether they are on the severe or the mild end of the spectrum, all of them have some sort of sensory integration issues and it can set them off on a good day. Some people think that they are just being plain naughty, but really they just can't cope with the noise in the other classroom, or he is not being rude for not eating your spaghetti and meatballs, but if he did he would gag and vomit it all over your table.
People on the spectrum learn to cope with these sensory sensitivities and things can be put in place to help them cope or even overcome some of them, but being AWARE that they are not acting out or misbehaving is the most important thing.
Imagine life where something as simple as a bell ringing could make you feel like screaming and curling into a ball. Imagine that for a second.
Do you know anyone with sensory integration issues?
How do they deal with them?
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