People with autism may have one or more sensory sensitivities. They may be hypo – or hypersensitive to certain stimuli. They may be affected by a dog barking but not bothered by loud music. They may find all loud sounds aversive but seek out interesting smells.
Autistic children and teenagers are sometimes oversensitive to things like noise, crowds or temperature. They try to avoid sensory experiences.
Sound sensitivity — also known as hyperacusis — is common in autistic people. Some noises might make you uncomfortable, especially loud or shrill noises, but many people are sensitive to quieter sounds, too. While some noises annoy everyone, some autistic people may react very strongly to certain sounds.
The scientists found that children with autism had stronger autonomic reactions than typically-developing children when they heard noises – but also when they didn't. The stronger physiological response in ASD may trigger greater behavioral responses to sound, they concluded.
Music therapy for autistic people is often improvisational. This means the music is spontaneous and matches the temperament of the person playing. Music therapists say music with a strong beat, simple structure, and easy lyrics do best.
Some people with autism have an exceptional talent for music, math, art or language.
Many autistic people experience hypersensitivity to bright lights or certain light wavelengths (e.g., LED or fluorescent lights). Certain sounds, smells, textures and tastes can also be overwhelming. This can result in sensory avoidance – trying to get away from stimuli that most people can easily tune out.
Hyperacusis (say it with me: HY-per-uh-CUE-sis), is an increased sensitivity to sound that is commonly found among people with autism. This means that certain noises, such as classroom bells, the radio or the TV, may be uncomfortable for your child to hear.
Many autistic people enjoy spending time alone and consider it important for their wellbeing. Loneliness is different though. You might feel lonely if you don't have opportunities to socialise, or find this difficult. You might have friends/colleagues but feel misunderstood, or like you cannot be yourself around them.
Main signs of autism
finding it hard to understand what others are thinking or feeling. getting very anxious about social situations. finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on your own. seeming blunt, rude or not interested in others without meaning to.
Children with autism are often clumsy, physically awkward or uncoordinated.
Some autistic people have: problems with reading, writing and spelling (dyslexia) clumsy movements and problems with organisation and following instructions (developmental co-ordination disorder, or dyspraxia)
Social anxiety, or the fear of new people and social situations. While social anxiety is very common in children with autism, in the case of high functioning autism, it may increase as the child ages and becomes more aware of their own difficulties surrounding social interaction.
Up to 90 percent of people with autism are either overly sensitive to sound, sight, taste, smell or touch, or barely notice them at all. Some seek out sensations by, for example, spinning in circles or stroking items with particular textures.
Mild autism is level 1 autism spectrum disorder. It means a person does not have severe symptoms and needs a lower level of support than someone else with autism. People with mild autism still have a hard time communicating and interacting with others.
Reacting to high pitched sounds. Most daily high-pitched sounds shouldn't cause discomfort. While many children are over-sensitive to low humming noises, other ASD children find high-pitched noises the most irritating.
Children with autism spectrum disorder have good vocabularies but unusual ways of expressing themselves. They may talk in a monotone voice and do not recognize the need to control the volume of their voice, speaking loudly in libraries or movie theaters, for example.
In addition to enhanced abilities and differing levels of processing, autistic individuals also have been found to have difficulties with regard to auditory processing.
People with autism spectrum disorder are sometimes said to lack empathy (the ability to feel along with others) and/or sympathy (the ability to feel for others). While this stereotype is often used to describe all people with autism, these challenges are not experienced by everyone on the spectrum.
Autistic children commonly avoid social touch more than non-autistic peers. It is generally thought that this is due to autistic individuals experiencing hyper- or hyposensitivity of touch.
While children with autism may experience sensory overload in relation to the five core senses (taste, touch, hearing, sight, and smell), they may also overreact or underreact to two additional senses: the proprioceptive and vestibular senses.
Autistic children typically have difficulties processing words and expressing how they feel. Music helps autistic children communicate better as it's non-verbal, and it eliminates verbal expression barriers. Thus, music allows autistic children to express themselves without the use of words.
Humming or Singing
It can be a way for individuals with ASD to regulate their sensory input and cope with the overwhelming environment around them. They may hum or sing a favorite song repeatedly, or create their own tunes.