Section outline

    • Studies estimate that up to 90% of autistic individuals experience under or oversensitivity to sensory stimuli in one or more of the following areas: visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory (sense of smell), gustatory (sense of taste), vestibular (movement and balance), proprioceptive (sensing where your body is in relation to other things) and/or interoceptive (noticing internal sensations, such as knowing that you've broken a bone).

      At best, under or oversensitivity to these things can be annoying; at worst it can be completely overwhelming.   If you suffer from sensory difficulties in any of these areas, you may have found your own ways of minimising the problem, but below are some strategies that have been known to help some people.

      As every person with autism is unique, not every strategy will work for you, but if you see some ideas that you think you would like, then go ahead and try them.

      VISUAL (also known as Scotopic Sensitivity)

      • If you are going to have lectures or seminars in an unfamiliar room, visit it first to determine the best place to sit. If you are sensitive to light you may prefer to sit away from the windows, and not directly under the overheading lighting, as it may reflect on the surface of your desk. If you need a lot of light to be able to write, then the opposite may suit you better.

      • If the desk you use is very reflective, bring something to cover it, such as a cotton placemat that will roll up and fit in your bag.

      • Use your laptop to experiment with powerpoint slides - what combination of background colour and font colour suits you best? Some people prefer high-contrast, such as black and white, while others may be more comfortable with less contrast, such as a dull yellow background with grey writing.

      • Think about what level of light suits you best; if there is enough natural light coming from the windows, you could ask your tutor if the overhead lights could be switched off, or switched on if need an additional light source.

      • If lighting is generally causing you pain or difficulty consider wearing a baseball cap to block light from over head, and/or wear sunglasses.

      • Coloured overlays (as used with dyslexia) can make reading easier, or use coloured paper for writing notes on - the colour that helps most depends on the person, so you will have to look at some different colours to see which feels best.

      • Coloured glasses have been known to provide relief to people with the most serious scotopic sensitivity, but these must be made to the exact shade needed by a qualified optometrist or optician using a device called an Intuitive Colourimeter, and there is a fairly significant cost to this option. 

      • If you find looking at certain lights calming or enjoyable, carry a small light-up object around with you to use in times of stress. For example, on Amazon and a number of specialist websites, you can by glowing egg-shaped lights, or objects that spin and flash - depending on your preference. Find a quiet place to get the object out and look at it if you find this helpful.

      AUDITORY

      • There are a very wide range of earplugs available online, including those that still allow you to hear what is being said to you, whilst cutting down background noise (such as EarClear 20). These are very cheap and can be bought in flesh colours or clear to be less noticeable. You can also buy ones intended for sleeping, which are softer.

      • Wear headphones - either the type that can connect to an mp3 player, or ones that are just sold as ear-defenders (often sold for people who shoot or work in noisy factories). If you need to wear these in class, you will need to explain to your lecturer that you are still listening to the lecture, as it will appear that you are listening to music. DDS can email your lecturer about this is you wish.

      • Plan your routes around the campus to avoid noisy places. There are often stairwells and corridors that are not used as much. Alternatively you may wish to wait and arrive at your lecture last in order to avoid a noisy crowd of people outside the room. Try to arrive just as the last person is entering the room ahead of you, rather than being several minutes late (as lateness will annoy your tutors).

      • Find a quiet place where you can go if you are becoming overwhelmed with noise. The chaplaincy is one such place (people of any religion, or no religion, are allowed to sit quietly in the religious space). You may know of other places around the campus that are usually empty and quiet.

      • There are a number of free apps that you can download for listening to sounds that you find calming or enjoyable. These often include nature and water sounds, and a range of background sounds. You can also get sounds such as 'white noise', 'pink noise' and so on - these can be very useful for desensitising yourself over time. The various 'coloured' noise options make a softer sound, whilst 'white noise' is the harshest.

      • There are also free apps for Binaural Beats. These only work with earphones or headphones and deliver specific frequencies into each ear. Binaural Beats are not a proven technology, but many people report that they provide relief from under or over stimulation. Some apps use just a continuous tone, but if you find this annoying or unpleasant, there are also apps that mask the continuous tone with nature sounds or classical music. Select the frequency according to what you need - 13-26hz (Beta Waves) if you are feeling spaced out and need to be alert and focussed,  8-13hz (Alpha Waves) if you need to be alert and relaxed, 4-7hz (Theta Waves) if you need to become deeply relaxed, and 1-3hz (Delta Waves) if you want to achieve deep sleep. 

      TACTILE

      • Some people find that firm even pressure across the body can increase feelings of calmness and well being. It could help to wear a rash vest and leggings underneath your clothes. You can also buy soft seamless underclothes and socks from Skinnies.

      • If you only require pressure at certain times of day, you can buy a waist support band, that gives you the feeling of a tight hug. Only wear this for short periods, or it will lose its effectiveness.

      • Chewing gum can be a very calming habit because it exerts deep pressure in the mouth.

      • Some people may find that it helps to sleep under a weighted blanket. This can also be used to help you relax after an overwhelming day. Weighted blankets are available online but can be expensive - for a free alternative, you can try tucking your duvet under the mattress on one side, and then down between the bed and the wall on the other, so it feels tight.

      • If you are under sensitive to tactile stimuli, you may find yourself wanting to fidget in class. Buy some stick on Velcro from a stationery shop (the rough kind) and attached pieces to things you carry around, such as your pencil case, so you can run your fingers over it when you need to fidget. You may find other textured objects that you like to fidget with; try to find things that will not cause a lot of noise or movement that will distract others.

      OLFACTORY

      • If certain smells are overwhelming to you, there are steps you can take to minimise them. One strategy is to carry a scent that you find pleasant, which you can use to block unpleasant smells. For example, essential oils come in small bottles that can fit in your pocket or bag.

      • If the scent you like comes in large container, such as a bottle of shampoo, you can buy small empty bottles and decant some into these, to make it more portable.

      • You could rub some of the scent you like into a handkerchief or a sweatband that you wear on your wrist.

      • You may like the smell of scented putty, which you use to fidget with in the classroom.

      • If bathroom and cleaning products are overwhelming to you, look for unscented versions, or see if natural products are more pleasant than chemical ones.

      • If you live with flatmates who create strong cooking smells that you dislike, buy a nose clip (intended for swimming) to wear for short periods at home, until the smells have reduced.

      • If you need a solution that you can wear discreetly in public, try Woody Knows nasal filters, which you can buy on Amazon. You can add a drop of the scent you like onto the filters to help block other smells.

      GUSTATORY

      • If you find the taste of toothpaste overwhelming, you can buy OraNurse Unflavoured Toothpaste from Amazon and many online pharmacies.

      • If you find yourself avoiding lots of foods that you know you need to be healthy, do take vitamin supplements, but remember that these are not a substitute for a healthy diet and you could still suffer health problems later in life as a result of poor diet. It is therefore better in the long term to find strategies for changing the flavours and textures of foods so that you can tolerate them.

      • If the taste and/or texture of healthy foods like fruit and vegetables are unpleasant to you, try blending them into smoothies so that you can still get the nutrition you need. You can also buy these, although it is cheaper to make your own. Get recipes from the internet or books - smoothies normally require a sweet ingredient such as apple to mask the flavour of the vegetables.

      • Find sauces you like an use them to mask the flavour of healthy foods.

      • Contrasting textures can make an unpleasant sensation worse, so if you need to eat the parts of your meal one at a time, then go ahead.

      • You may find that foods are easier to eat at room temperature (neither hot, nor cold). Remember that if you have cooked food and let it cool, it should be eaten that day, as bacteria will start to multiply over time. If you wish to keep the food for the next day, it must be stored in the refrigerator. Cooked foods should only be reheated once, then they must be eaten or discarded. It is not just meat/fish/poultry that can be dangerous if left too long; rice and pasta are also high risk foods once they are cooked and cooled.

      • Feeling relaxed while you're eating is important - find things that help you, such as lighting levels, listening to music, or having weight on your lap.

      PROPRIOCEPTIVE & VESTIBULAR

      • Problems in these areas can sometimes be labelled as 'clumsiness', or even 'dyspraxia'. People who are under sensitive in these areas may enjoy 'thrill seeking' activities such as fairground rides, where they can spin, swing or fall quickly from height, whereas people who are oversensitive would find these activities very unpleasant.

      • Wearing a tight rash vest and leggings under your clothes can help you to sense where your body - you can wear these one size too small if necessary.

      • Take frequent breaks where you get up and move around.

      • Consider activities like swimming or using the resistance (weights) machines at the student gym to develop greater body awareness. Note - if you feel you lack body awareness, make sure that you are not lifting so much weight that you are damaging your muscles. The gym staff could help you or you could Google the average weight a person of your height and weight should be working with.

      • Buy a large gym ball for your room and use it as a chair for studying. These require you to keep making small movements to stay balanced and also help people who like to fidget.

      • Take small items to fidget with in class, such as putty or blutack. You can also buy hand exercisers which are squeezy balls or hinged devices to develop greater fine motor control.

      INTEROCEPTIVE

      • Do you find that you have lots of bruises that you can't remember getting? Ever had a more serious injury that you were unaware of initially? You may have a poorly developed interoceptive sense. This can be dangerous, because you may not notice an injury or illness that requires medical attention, so be aware of the possibility.

      • If you lack sensitively to heat, make a conscious decision to stand away from heat sources, especially open fires.

      • If you see an unusual injury on yourself, such as a burn, redness/discolouration or swelling, go to a doctor even if it doesn't hurt.

      • It is possible for a person to experience pain in the 'wrong place'; for example, a broken ankle could be experienced as a stomach ache, with no pain at the site of the break. If you think you experience this is in any way when you are injured or ill, be sure to let medical professionals know, so that they can examine you more thoroughly - otherwise the true cause of your pain could be missed.