We often associate hypersensitivity with autism, which is understandable given how common it is among autistic individuals. Yet hyposensitivity – an under-responsivity to one or more stimuli – can also be associated with autism. Properly accommodating the needs of people with autism requires us to understand that each person’s reaction to sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch, balance and body awareness sits somewhere within a remarkably broad range.
Recognizing hypersensitive students
If an autistic student is hypersensitive to one or more stimuli, their environment will feel unpredictable and overwhelming. They will be:
- Frightened by sudden, unpredictable sounds.
- Sensitive to light.
- Uncomfortable with certain textures or clothing.
- Have an aversion to certain smells or tastes.
- Have an irrational fear of heights.
- Avoid balancing activities.
- Be easily startled.
Six strategies for hypersensitive students
- Maintain a visually well-organized environment.
- Create a quiet space (e.g., a corner with a bean bag chair and some pillows, a small tent or canopy or a desk with a privacy partition).
- Provide earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones.
- Minimize visual distractions on papers you hand out – a minimalist approach limits visual stimuli on the page.
- Respect personal space and be mindful of hands-on support or prompting.
- Reduce the amount of sensory input in the environment:
- Limit exposure to bright lights by using natural light or fluorescent lighting covers.
- Reduce the number of additional sounds by covering chair legs with tennis balls.
- Provide a scent-free environment.
Recognizing hyposensitive students
Hyposensitivity causes autistic students to require additional information to feel regulated or calm. They will:
- Tend to listen to loud music.
- Appear to not feel temperature or pain, which can make them prone to self-injuries.
- Chew, mouth/lick or smell everything.
- Tend not to exhibit a startle response.
- Lack attention to their environment, people or things.
- Engage in spinning, jumping or other gross motor movements.
- Exhibit delayed responses.
Seven strategies for hyposensitive students
- Schedule times in the day to present visually stimulating activities.
- Create tactile bins or booklets (e.g., fill bins with dry rice, beans or sand and let students run their hands through it or create a booklet of different textures such as sandpaper, silk, corduroy, etc.).
- Allow the student to listen to music during breaks or while working to keep focused and regulated.
- Prepare and provide access to smelly jars with a variety of strong smells (e.g., spices, flavourings).
- Attach a chewable item to the end of a pencil or provide access to something to chew (e.g., chewelry).
- Schedule opportunities for gross motor movements.
- Consult with an occupational therapist regarding pressure activities (weighted blankets, compression garments, etc.).