I commonly hear things like, "My child's problem behaviors are caused by sensory issues, so
I don't want to treat them like behavior issues."
So, I feel like there's a lot of confusion as to whether a behavior is caused by something
sensory, or if it should be treated like any other behavior.
So, today I'm going to talk all about sensory issues, and how they can be treated in kids
with autism.
Hi, I'm Dr. Mary Barbera, autism mom, board certified behavior analyst, best-selling author,
and online course creator.
Each week I provide you with some of my ideas about turning autism around.
So, if you haven't subscribed to my YouTube Channel, you can do that now.
Kids with autism have sensory issues, but the fact is, is that we all have sensory issues,
because we live in a world full of stimuli.
But kids with autism often have different reactions to those sensory issues.
Different reactions to noises, to smell, to touch.
And parents and professionals often ask, "Is it sensory or behavior?"
Kind of a weird question as a behavior analyst.
Occupational therapists may say kids are over reactive, or under reactive to stimuli, especially
kids with autism.
I do agree with this.
Here are some examples of when kids are over or under reactive to things.
So, some kids with autism have aversion to bright lights, and they overreact to the sense
of sight.
Some kids are bothered by noise, like my son Lucas, he wears headphones a lot, because
he's bothered by loud noises, especially loud noises that come on suddenly.
Yet some kids often can be under responsive to language and to noise.
For example, they don't respond to their name.
And that is an under reactive to some noise.
Some kids can't stand being touched.
They get over reactive just by the tags in clothing, which most of us won't even notice.
While other kids are under reactive to touch, and they need heavy pressure.
They often jump, or seek input by running into walls, or being squished inside the sofa
cushions.
Some kids have reactivity issues surrounding feeding to.
To the sight of food, and to the taste, and texture.
The flavors, the temperature of the food.
Even the way food looks, like the color of foods, or brands.
The way macaroni cheese looks with different brands, they may be over reactive to that,
and they are then refusing food.
So, no matter if there's over reactivity or under reactivity, or which sensory system
is most affected, I'm going to cover some things that you can do.
The first step when we want to reduce any kind of problem behavior, and in some situations,
their over reactivity or under reactivity does involve ... is a problem behavior.
So, the first step to solving any problem behavior is of course assessment.
And this needs to be a full assessment, not just looking at the sensory issues, which
are operating all the time.
So, we want to do a full evaluation.
It doesn't have to be a full complex multi-disciplinary evaluation.
In fact, I have methods, I have a free one page assessment that can be done pretty quickly,
that takes a quick look at the whole system.
So, we want to look at the systems.
And also, when we're talking about sensory issues, look at the sensory systems that seem
to be moss affected.
Then we want to make a plan.
That's the second step.
We want to prevent problem behaviors related to sensory overwhelm, or being sensory under
reactive.
For example, we might want to invest in some noise canceling headphones, or we may need
to pair up headphones, because the child may be over reactive to sounds, but they don't
like the way the headphones feel.
So, that involves a pairing and desensitization program.
We might want to look at cutting the tags out, or getting special softer clothing.
We may want to have a trampoline if the child is often seeking that sensory input, or offer
less offensive foods.
I recently did a video blog on solving picky eaters, so you may want to look back at that
one.
The key is we can't solve all sensory issues, especially all at once.
Sensory issues must be part of an overall assessment and plan.
And special clothing, and modified diets for life is not the goal.
We want to get the child more and more comfortable, and slowly desensitize them to tolerate more
typical sensory input that we all face every day.
In summary, sensory issues are common in many children and adults, especially when there's
a diagnosis of autism.
And before treating any sensory issue, I'd recommend an assessment of the whole child,
include the language, social skills, behavior problems, safety awareness, leisure skills,
and sensory issues.
Once an assessment is completed, making a plan of action, and putting antecedent
strategies in place to help the child be more comfortable is key.
Wherever you're watching his video, I'd love it if you would leave me a comment.
Give me a thumbs up, share this video with others who might benefit.
And to learn more about how to help children with autism, you can sign up to our free online
workshop today at Marybarbera.com/workshops.
Thanks for watching, and I'll see you right here next week.