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posted by
Taalibah on 30th August 2014
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Balance (vestibular) Situated in the inner ear, our vestibular system helps us maintain our balance and posture, and understand where and how fast our bodies are moving. People with an ASD may experience the following differences. Hypo A need to rock, swing or spin to get some sensory input. Hyper
Sensory Sensitivities Smell Chemical receptors in the nose tell us about smells in our immediate environment. Smell is the first sense we rely upon. People with an ASD may experience the following differences. Hypo Some people have no sense of smell and fail to notice extreme odours (this can include their own body odour). Some people may lick things to get a better sense of what they are.
Sensory Sensitivities -Taste Chemical receptors in the tongue tell us about different tastes - sweet, sour, spicy and so on. People with an ASD may experience the following differences. Hypo Likes very spicy foods. Eats everything - soil, grass, Play-dough. This is known as pica. Hyper
Sensory Sensitivities - Touch Touch is important for social development. It helps us to assess the environment we are in (is an object hot or cold?) and react accordingly. It also allows us to feel pain. People with an ASD may experience the following differences. Hypo Holds others tightly - needs to do so before there is a sensation of having applied any pressure. Has a high pain threshold. May self-harm. Enjoys heavy objects (eg, weighted blankets) on top of them.
Sensory Sensitivities Sound This is the most commonly recognised form of sensory impairment. Hearing impairments can affect someone's ability to communicate and possibly also their balance. People with an ASD may experience the following differences. Hypo May only hear sounds in one ear, the other ear having only partial hearing or none at all. May not acknowledge particular sounds. Might enjoy crowded, noisy places or bang doors and objects.
Sensory sensitivities Sight Situated in the retina of the eye and activated by light, our sight helps us to define objects, people, colours, contrast and spatial boundaries. People with an ASD may experience the following differences. Hypo (under-sensitive) Objects appear quite dark, or lose some of their features. Central vision is blurred but peripheral vision quite sharp.
Sensory Sensitivities Many people with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulty processing everyday sensory information such as sounds, sights and smells. This is usually called having sensory integration difficulties, or sensory sensitivity. It can have a profound effect on a person's life. Here, we look at: How our senses work Our central nervous system (brain) processes all the sensory information we receive and helps us to organise, prioritise and understand the information. We then respond through thoughts, feelings, motor responses (behaviour) or a combination of these.
posted by
Taalibah on 7th April 2014
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I was diagnosed with autism as an adult it's not just children who are affected Johnny Dean Adult autism is little understood and often goes undiagnosed. On World Autism Awareness Day the government's new strategy needs to tackle this. In 2009, MP Cheryl Gillan put forward a bill in parliament. The idea behind it was to ensure more support was available for adults with autistic conditions. Up to this point, children and their families were being given help, but children grow up. Even autistic children. What then? That same year the Autism Act became a reality, and I was diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum. I was 38 years old. As a child of the 70s, autism was practically unheard of. Any withdrawn or "difficult" behaviour on my part was generally seen as naughtiness. My lack of people skills was put down to me being antisocial, mean, or aloof. There must be a multitude of adults out there who have some form of autism but remain undiagnosed. Confused, isolated and quite often suicidal. I know, because for much of my life that is how I felt.
World Autism Awareness Day: Just because a person has a different way of communicating, it does not mean that they are impaired The myriad of difficulties faced by autistic people are not simply as a result of autism, but are often due to the lack of understanding among others By LUKE BEARDON Wednesday 02 April 2014 Autism is possibly one of the most misunderstood cognitive states in modern day society. Over the years the representation (or mis-representation) of individuals within the film industry and within the media has perpetuated many myths associated with the autism population. Films such as Rain Man have certainly raised the awareness of autism, in as much as most people within society will have heard of autism and many will have an opinion as to what it means. Sadly, the reality is that very few have a good understanding of what being autistic actually means to the individual and their families. Autism is still regarded very much within a medical model - diagnostic criteria and texts related to autism are rife with negative terminology such as 'disorder' and 'impairment'. Rarely do we see a celebration of the fascinating way in which the autistic mind processes information, the abilities that are often found within the autistic population, the value that the autistic person can bring to society. Rarely do we see a social model applied to the autism community.
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