Auditory sensitivity

“Toilet refusal can be caused by sensitivity to the sound of bathroom hand dryers. ”

Why does this happen?

• Noise overload in schools is a huge issue for children with autism.
• Children with autism often have an under or over reaction to sensory information. This include auditory information – certain noises only or too much noise.
• Some children find certain noises distracting or irritating. The child might become highly anxious or appear to be in physical pain when exposed to certain sounds.
• Unpredictable sounds, such as a phone ringing or dog barking can cause unusual or fearful reactions.
• Some children make humming noises or squeal in order to mask out a noise that is disturbing them.
• Background noise can be so intrusive and distressing the child cannot concentrate. The child may be unable to filter out this background noise and pay attention to what is being said. Low level noise can also be a problem, eg. air conditioner or computer humming, clock ticking.

What you can do

• Try to keep background noise to a minimum. Some problem noises can be easily fixed, ie. replace rubber tips on chair legs to avoid them scraping on the floor. However other background noises that may cause a problem can be things that most people filter out, such as the hum of flourescent lights, bathroom hand dryers, aeroplanes passing overhead, lawnmowers etc. It will be necessary to gradually desensitise the child to these sounds, increase his ability to cope and act appropriately when this occurs. Consult an occupational therapist for advice.
• Teach parts of the body and emotions to help the child develop an understanding of his senses and feelings. Encourage the child to identify and share his feelings if he is upset – also when he is feeling good!
• Have a quiet area for the child to retreat to when feeling overloaded. See Creating a safe place for more information.
• Play music the child enjoys to mask out background noise or allow him to listen to music through headphones during individual work.
• Some children tolerate wearing ear plugs or industrial-type ear protectors to filter out excessive noise.

Difficulty with physical contact

Why does this happen?

• A child with autism may have a heightened sense of touch. He may overreact to physical contact or have an intense dislike of particular kinds of contact, ie. he may not tolerate someone lightly brushing up against him. Adults with autism have described how a light touch or brush from another person can cause discomfort or pain.
• A child with autism might prefer physical contact and affection to be on his terms. He may find it difficult to cope when another person initiates the contact.
• If a child has a negative reaction to physical contact, remember that he may actually like the person who initiated the contact; it’s just the contact that he dislikes.
• The child may have difficulty understanding what is communicated by physical contact. It might be difficult for him to interpret the meaning of gesture and body language.
• The child may have strong reactions to the perfume or deodorant of other people, leading to avoidance of physical contact.

What you can do

• Allow the child to sit at the edge of the mat at group time, or to eat his lunch at the end of table where there is little through traffic. Some children need this personal space in order to reduce anxiety and cope with group situations.
• The child might enjoy firm, constant pressure, such as the sensation of being sandwiched between two bean bags. This could be incorporated into a 'comfort zone' for the child to retreat to when he is feeling overloaded by the presence of others. See Creating a safe place for more information.
• If the child’s parents agree, talk to other students about the difficulties experienced by the child with autism. Ask them to be tolerant of his difficulties.
• Role play situations to help the child develop more appropriate responses to physical contact.
• Consider that perfume or aftershave worn by teaching staff, parent helpers or aides may be very offputting. The child may refuse to interact and may not verbalise his strong dislike of the offending ‘smell’.
• Games and songs that encourage physical contact with others can help to increase the child’s tolerance to being touched.

Physical setup of the classroom

“Josh loves to draw but suddenly refused to go to Art. The tall stools in the Art room were wobbly and he felt very unsafe when he sat on them.”

Points to note

• Children with autism are particularly vulnerable to distractions and have difficulty filtering out irrelevant information, such as background sounds and visual information.
• Children with autism may be distracted and disturbed by the free movement of other children in the classroom, ie. another child may bump his chair or table when moving about the classroom.
• A child with autism will have difficulty concentrating if he is seated in a position where he is distracted by bright sunlight, reflections or other visual information that could disturb him.

What you can do

• If it is practical, establish a work area in the classroom that is uncluttered, free from distractions and not subject to ‘traffic flow’ by other students. It is important not to exclude the child from the rest of the class, but to establish a work area that takes the child’s special needs into account.
• Organise all work materials that the child will need for an activity before commencing the work.
• Seat the child in a quiet corner of the room where there is little chance of him being distracted by light, reflections, the door opening or closing etc. Ensure there is good ventilation.
• The child may find it easier to focus and work at his desk if his work surface is raised to a 15 degree angle.
• Check for sensory issues concerning chair type, ie. soft or hard. At group time, consider the texture of the carpet. A mat, cushion or fabric square may be useful.
• It can be helpful to stick the child’s daily visual schedule in front of his work space.

Visual stimuli in the classroom

Points to note

• Children with autism may be unable to tolerate bright sunlight or flickering fluorescent lighting. A classroom filled with bright colorful objects can be highly distracting or disturbing.
• A child with autism may have difficulty giving attention to the relevant information when he is in a room full of distracting visual stimuli.
• A child with autism can become disturbed by minor changes in the classroom, such as removing or relocating a picture.
• Some children with autism see words on a blackboard as a meaningless jumble.
• The child may squint at objects, use his peripheral vision or look at things very closely. He may be doing this because he enjoys the sensation he gets from this different perspective.

What you can do

• There is a huge pay-off for teachers who are prepared to familiarise themselves with and understand the child’s particular sensory issues. Remember each child has his/her own set of behaviours. Do not overgeneralise – autism is not like other disabilities.
• Examine the child’s physical environment. Check that he is not affected by sunlight streaming through a window or reflections that might cause a distraction. See also Physical setup of the classroom.
• If the child is being overloaded by visual stimuli, tell him exactly what he needs to focus on. Give short, explicit reminders – you may need to repeat these frequently.
• Worksheets can be enlarged to A3 size; use a highlighter to indicate the space where the answers must go. It might seem like a small thing, but this can be a real problem for children with autism.
• Encourage the child to use a blank sheet of paper when using worksheets, to cover up the other questions. This will help the child focus on one task at a time.
• Stress the importance of having an uncluttered work area. If the child has an aide, they can help them keep his desk tidy and ensure all his belongings are in order. When the child is working on his own, it may help to have his desk facing a blank wall to limit distractions. Or a visual timetable in front of the child’s table may be helpful. Sit the child away from eye contact of other students if he find this distracting.
• Always try to keep the environment tolerable. Ensure he has his‘own space’.