By Doris Rivas


One of the manifestations of autism is often that of sensory processing problems. It can be a matter of being hypersensitive, or may not sensitive enough. Those with lowered sensitivity may bang their head, flap their hands and arms, or possibly even inflict injury in an attempt to determine the boundary of their bodies. Sensory integration therapy autism treatments may bring some level of relief to these persons.

With this disorder, the brain either interprets input too strongly, or too mildly. If it is too strong, the person is hypersensitive. They become nervous and agitated and try to escape the input. This can lead to behavior outbursts. If it is interpreted too mildly, the person is less able to process input. This may lead them to seek stronger sensations.

This condition can be treated in one of two ways. One way is to provide balanced input to the patient. The other is to reprogram the brain to better interpret input. Both approaches have specific methods to follow. A physical therapist is usually in charge of prescribing and performing the procedures. Parents and teachers can also perform them after getting adequate training.

To balance the sensory input to a person's comfort level means changing their surroundings. For those who are hypersensitive, play activities of lesser intensity are offered. Touching, sound, and pressure of physical touch are decreased. For those who have less sensation, they are bounced, swung, and given stronger pressure in touch so and to give them more stimulus. Brushing is often initiated to give increased input.

A person is negatively impacted, often to a great degree. They may have trouble with loud noises such as from a dishwasher or a vacuum cleaner. Children have trouble in school with being unable to concentrate because of the sounds of florescent lights, markers scraping on the board, and pencils writing on paper. These sounds are magnified for them.

With light sensitivity, focus is hampered due to perceiving lights as being much stronger. Florescent lighting makes the condition worse. The concentration of the nervous system in trying to compensate for increased sensitivity makes it difficult to focus on schoolwork. Just the sun shining in a window can be excruciating to them. Even a little light can seem as if floodlights are shining on them.

What is perceived as behavior problems in these people is often just an effort to try and balance their input to a level they can tolerate. They may bite themselves, scratch, or bang their heads to get a heightened sensation. Hypersensitive persons may scream or run wildly around the room, and will often act out to avoid getting touched or hugged. This might involve their biting or scratching another person.

The idea of sensory integration therapy autism treatments has become so popular some attempt to get a minimum of training and then began charging for their services. This treatment is a physical therapy procedure that needs to be attempted by those who are adequately trained. It is a special area that requires additional training and certification. Only those individuals can be assured of properly addressing the issues.




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