FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT IS AUTISM?

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition which is usually diagnosed in the first 3 years of life. Generally parents become concerned when their child has delays in speech development, limited social relatedness, and restricted interests and activities. The child may avoid direct eye contact and exhibit odd behaviors such as focusing on parts of objects (e.g. the spinning wheel of a toy car). There may be unusual motor movements such as hand flapping, self stimulation or walking on toes. 

Although the cause of autism is unknown, it is generally believed that etiology may be due to multiple factors. Many genetic, environmental, metabolic and neurological conditions that affect the normal functioning of the brain are being researched. The diagnosis of autism requires disturbances in each of three domains: (1) social relatedness, (2) communication/play, and (3) restricted interests and activities. 

• Social relatedness includes marked impairment in non-verbal communication, peer relationships and social-emotional reciprocity. 

• Communication/play includes either a delay or total lack of spoken language and lack of developmentally-appropriate make-believe or social play. 

• Restricted interests and activities includes encompassing preoccupations, adherence to non-functional routines or rituals, stereotypes and motor mannerisms. 

Treatment planning is complex since each child has different strengths and deficits. Evidence that earlier detection and provision of services improves long term prognosis makes early diagnosis particularly important to improve the child’s adaptive skills and future functioning. The diverse expression of these disorders both across and within individuals presents particular challenges for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

However, ASD is not only characterised by difficulties in social interaction and communication, restrictive and repetitive behaviours but also sensory processing integration. There are a vast number of ways that Autism manifests, as a result, it is referred to as a spectrum. Many people with ASD have difficulty processing everyday sensory input or information, such as sounds, tastes, sights, smells and movements. 

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There are 8 sensory systems and ASD individuals can be hyper or hypo sensitive in any or all of these areas. This can have a profound impact on the individuals life. Individuals who struggle to deal with all this information are likely to become stressed or highly anxious in a given situation, resulting in what may appear as a tantrum or meltdown.  This is what it may look like when any of these 8 sensory systems are affected:

Visual - Sight

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• Avoids eye contact​

• Peripheral gazing (looks out the corner of the eye)

• Closes eyes 

• Stares at bright lights

• Seeks out flashing lights

• Watches videos or objects repetitively 

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Auditory- Sound/Hearing 

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• Does not respond to their name 

• Holds objects up to their ear 

• Talks really loud or really soft

• Turns up volume really high

• Becomes upset by loud noises

• Anxiety in crowds and noisy environments 

• Makes noises or sounds like humming etc. 

Tactile- Touch​

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• Touches everything ​

• Unaware of pain, temperature, pressure and their own strength 

• Self injurious behaviour related to seeking touch

• May like being wrapped really tight or tries to fit into small spaces

• Dislikes getting their hair cut

• Does not like being touched

• Sensitive to clothing, tags, socks, shoes etc.

• Upset by face or hands becoming dirty or touching certain substances or textures when eating

Gustatory- Taste

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• Likes highly flavoured foods​

• Has poor oral control

• Stuffs food into mouth or eats really fast

• Known as a picky eater

• Struggles with brushing teeth

• Dislikes dirty face or hands

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Olfactory- Smell

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• Smells objects/people​

• Gags or vomits around certain scents

• Sensitive to scents

• Prefers strong scents whether good or bad

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Proprioceptive-The awareness sense

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This is the sensory system which tells us where our body parts are, in relation to each other. It gives us information of how much force to use, allowing us to do something like cracking an egg without crushing it. When this sense is affected, the individual or child:

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• May have difficulty maintaining body posture, even when sitting on a chair, they may appear clumsy, rough or too forceful.

• They often seek oral input, like grinding teeth, biting or chewing on objects. 

• Unwilling to jump on trampolines, swing or play on playground equipment.

• Paces

• Jumps

• Rocks

• Flaps hands

• Holds onto objects throughout the day 

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Vestibular- Movement

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The movement or balance system which gives information about ​where our head or body are in the space around us. This sense helps us to stay upright when we sit, stand or walk. An individual or child sensitive to this system may appear to:

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• Lose balance easily

• Have a poor sense of rhythm

• Avoid playground equipment

• Engages in swinging, rocking or spinning

• Gets motion sickness easily 

• Move 'stiffly'

• Move head and/or body repetitively  

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Interoceptive- Internal sense

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This is sometimes referred to as the 'hidden' sense, the interoceptive system gives us the ability to feel what is happening inside our body. It plays a role in influencing emotions and a sense of well-being. It is also responsible for detecting changes in our internal state. These include hunger and fullness, thirst, temperature, heart and breathing rate, touch, muscle tension, itch, nausea, sleepiness and more. This can present as:

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• Difficulty noticing when you are hungry, thirsty or need the bathroom

• Unaware of when your body is overheating

• Becoming upset if you are hungry, thirsty or need the bathroom

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