Sensory difference

Our senses help us to understand and make sense of the world. Many children with autism have sensory difficulties which can mean that they find it hard to tolerate certain sensations or situations. This section considers what sensory processing is, the common difficulties that children may experience and ways to help.

Sensory processing refers to how we use information provided by all of the senses within our body and from our environments. There are seven senses to consider:

• Touch
• Taste
• Smell
• Sight
• Sound
• Proprioception
• Vestibular

All of the information is received, processed and integrated to give us an understanding of who we are, where we are and what is happening around us.

When our senses are integrated correctly we are able to respond appropriately to the sensation. For example, we will take off an itchy woollen jumper or we may take a deep breath to smell the flowers.