Sensory Processing Evaluation in the Treatment of Autism

Sensory processing is the very core by which we evaluate our environment. To see, taste, smell, hear and feel, information is processed in an effort to reach conclusions about our situation, our assessment of people and objects around us. For individuals with autism, these sensory processes may be distorted.

For every event, object and person we come in contact with, there is a subconscious approach, either passive or active, that is managed by our sensory thresh holds. Because our thresh holds and passive or active approaches vary, we may experience an event or perceive and object or person differently than someone else. It is upon these perceptions that we learn how to function on a daily basis.

For individuals who live with autism, the sensory thresh holds are often not in sync with the general population, creating for a unique perception of life and life experiences. With fewer life experiences and interactions, younger children with autism have been found to be slightly more at-risk for abnormal sensory processing, often becoming quite overwhelmed by specific events or experiences. When overwhelmed, children with autism tend to become more introverted and attempts at improving verbal and non-verbal expression can be even more challenging.

With age, however, these life events and experiences begin to expand. In adults who live with autism, there is an improvement in levels of thresh hold and the passive versus active interaction. With some maturity to the neurological system, many adults with autism are found to process life events and experiences with a lesser degree of distress, indicating there may be some natural improvement to autism with age.

Without proper therapy early in life, some autistic children will grow and mature and never lose the rigidity of their autistic symptoms. For these adults, the childhood sensory processing most likely led to very high levels of sensory defensiveness, expressions of abnormal physical behavior, and a tendency to repeat sounds or words at nauseam. In this extreme case of autism, without proper intervention, the child will grow into an adult that continues to be very rigid and unable to adapt to societal norms.

As the parent of a child who may be living with autism, it is important to ask your child's therapist about the sensory evaluations conducted. To determine the extent to which your child manages sensory processing, either passively or actively, coupled with the information on their sensory thresh holds, you can design a therapy program specifically to your child's needs. Autism is a childhood developmental disorder that continues to be on the cutting edge of research and discovery. With many facets to your child's care, sensory processing may hold the key to your child's management of daily life experiences.