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 can have an under- or over-reaction to sound. This might be too much noise or just some noises in particular.
• The child might find certain noises distracting or irritating. He may 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.
• The child might make humming noises or squeal in order to mask out a noise that is disturbing him.
• Background noise can be so intrusive and distressing that the student 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.
• The acoustics in a gymnasium or large hall can be unbearable to a child with autism.
  

What you can do

• There is a huge pay-off for teachers who are prepared to familiarise themselves with and understand the student’s particular sensory issues. Remember each child has his/her own set of behaviours. Do not overgeneralise – autism is not like other disabilities.
• 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, electric hand dryers, aeroplanes passing overhead, lawnmowers etc. It will be necessary to gradually desensitise the child to these sounds, increasing his ability to cope and act appropriately when they occur. Consult an occupational therapist for advice.
• Learning about human development and emotions will help the child develop an understanding of his senses and feelings. Encourage the child to identify and share his feelings if he is upset – and when he is feeling good!
• Have a quiet area for the student to retreat to when feeling overloaded. See Creating a home base for more information.
• If appropriate, play music in the classroom to mask out background noise or allow the student to listen to music through headphones during individual work.
• In physical education classes, the student may not cope well with the sound of a whistle. It may be helpful for the teacher to clap as a warning prior to blowing the whistle, if one must be used.
• Some children tolerate wearing ear plugs to filter out excessive noise. This may be an option if the student is unable to cope in situations like assembly or physical education classes. Industrial-type ear protectors may be appropriate in some classes, such as woodwork.
  

Difficulty with physical contact

"Riley hits out at his peers as they walk past him. He is tactile defensive and wants others to get out of his space."

Why does this happen?

• The child 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.
• The child might prefer physical contact and affection only on his own terms. He may find it difficult to cope when another person initiates the contact.
• If the student 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. A child with autism may be unable to tolerate another child accidentally bumping into him. He might react with anger because of his difficulty interpreting the actions of others.
• The child might have trouble understanding what is communicated by physical contact. This is due to his poor ability to interpret the meaning of gesture and body language.
• Some children with autism have strong reactions to the perfume or deodorant of other people, leading to avoidance of physical contact. In some cases, this has lead to a student walking out of class.
  

What you can do

• There is a huge pay-off for teachers who are prepared to familiarise themselves with and understand the student’s particular sensory issues. Remember each child has his/her own set of behaviours. Do not overgeneralise – autism is not like other disabilities.
• Allow the student to sit at a table where there is little or no through traffic. Some children need this personal space in order to reduce anxiety and cope with group situations.
• The child may enjoy firm, constant pressure, such as the sensation of being sandwiched between two bean bags or snuggled underneath one. This could be incorporated into a timeout space for the student to retreat to when he is feeling overloaded by the presence of others. See also Creating a home base.
• 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 and to respect his personal space.
• The student may resist lining up with his peers because he dislikes the tactile stimulation. Get him to stand at the back or front of the line. Another strategy would be to reduce the time you require the student to stand in line and slowly increase it.
• Role play situations can 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 overwhelming to the student. This may prevent him from interacting in class and he may not verbalise his strong dislike of the offending ‘smell’.
• Games and songs that encourage physical contact with others can help to increase the student’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.
• The child may be distracted and disturbed by the free movement of other children in the classroom, ie. other children may bump into him, his chair or table when they move about the classroom. The child may be unable to understand this contact is accidental. He needs his personal space.
• The child may be very sensitive to light and will have difficulty concentrating if seated in a position where bright sunlight or reflections hurt his eyes.
• The child might have difficulty with activities requiring balancing skills, he might have a poor sense of equilibrium and lack awareness of his position in space.
  

What you can do

• There is a huge pay-off for teachers who are prepared to familiarise themselves with and understand the student’s particular sensory issues. Remember each child has his/her own set of behaviours. Do not overgeneralise – autism is not like other disabilities.
• 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. Make sure the child has a clear and easy path to the teacher for help.
• Organise all work materials that the child will need for an activity before commencing the work. Label tubs or trays with words, pictures or symbols to help the child organise his work and supplies. Remember to draw on the child’s visual learning strengths.
• Position the child in a quiet corner of the room where there is little chance of him being distracted by light, reflections, the door opening and closing etc. Ensure there is good ventilation. The student might perform better when facing a wall or window providing the view is not too distracting if he is distracted by other students.
• The child might 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. If the students are sitting on the floor, consider the texture of the carpet. A mat, cushion or fabric square may be useful if the student finds the texture of the carpet particularly unpleasant.
• It can be helpful to have the child’s daily visual schedule in front of his work space. Secondary students should have their timetable stuck inside their folders or school diary. Colour coding for different subjects is very helpful, particularly if this is combined with colour coded books and folders.

Visual stimuli in the classroom

"Josh is a voracious reader who loves books, but he suddenly refused to go to the library. He is hypersensitive to a flouro light in the corner that constantly flickers."

Points to note

• Some children with autism are unable to tolerate bright sunlight or flickering fluorescent lighting. A classroom filled with bright colorful objects can be highly distracting or disturbing.
• The child may have difficulty giving attention to the relevant information when he is in a room full of distracting visual stimuli.
• The child may become disturbed by minor changes in the classroom, such as relocating a picture. He may ask questions repeatedly about this because he feels anxious when his sense of order is disturbed.
• Some children see words on a whiteboard as a meaningless jumble.
• Some children squint at objects, use their peripheral vision or look at things very closely. They may be doing this because they enjoy the sensation they get 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 student’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 whether he is affected by sunlight streaming through a window or reflections that might cause a distraction. See also Physical setup of the classroom.
• If the student seems overloaded by visual stimuli, tell him exactly what he needs to focus on. Give short, explicit reminders – you may need to repeat these frequently.
• Check whether the student has difficulty reading the white board. Some students find it hard to distinguish certain colors.
• 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 student to use a blank sheet of paper to cover up the other questions on a worksheet. 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 him 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. A visual timetable in front of the child’s table may also be helpful.
• Sit the child away from eye contact of other students if he finds this distracting.
• Always try to keep the environment tolerable. Ensure he has his ‘own space’.