Sensory Integration Disorder
Tuesday, January 25, 2005 9:06One of the big things with Asperger’s Syndrome (and other autistic spectrum disorders) is that it is common to also have a Sensory Integration Disorder. That covers a whole lot of ground but is basically the way a person percieves sensation and their reaction to that mode of perception.
I have a sensory integration disorder… my proprioceptive senses are hypo-receptive. That should be my new blog tagline. :) In any case, I have a lifetime of habits which can be explained by my sensory integration profile. For instance, being under a heavy blanket is very soothing to me. When I am unconfortable, I curl up very tightly and when and I am too wound up, I stretch in a way that releases pressure from certain joints and muscles. I can be very graceful - in an odd sort of way. My body placement is usually a little like modern art. Nice.. but different.
My tactile senses are hyper receptive. I am very very sensitive to touch. When I was a kid, I hated to be hugged. Now, I am very particular about what I will touch and what I wont. Touching something I don’t like can cause my system to freak out. I don’t like wet or cold or slimy… ie: my tub is spotless and I wont touch the edge of a wet sink. :) This hyper-sensitive tactile sense has caused some complexity for me sexually because sometimes touch can be SO intense for me, that my brain shuts it off altogether. I have to refocus, ask for less intense touch and make my brain turn it back on. But at the same time, I like very rough, jarring sensations. (more yummy descriptors in private posts later)
anyhoo.. below the fold is some basic SED info.
People with a sensory integration disorder (SID) might have odd mannerisms like standing too close or too far from others, having an odd gait, being very uncoordinated or speaking very loudly or softly. These are symptoms of their sensory profiles. They might also exibit obvious actions like flapping (flapping their hands as though to shake water off), spinning (in place or walking in circles), rocking (back and forth while they sit or stand) or banging (their head, hands or feet on objects or themselves). These activities are called ’stimming’ in the SED world. They are done to compensate for sensory feats or famines, so to speak :).
They might also enjoy very strong sensory experiences or be very disturbed over seemingly mild sensory experiences. Because of this, people with an SID, might have rituals or habits that fulfil these needs - like spending time in a completely dark room to calm down after having their vision overly stimulated or lying under a heavy blanket to calm down after feeling too overly exposed.
In the SED world, most traits are described as either hypo or hyper. For example hypo-sensitive or hyper-sensitive. Overly or underly as compared to a typical individual.
The first five senses are pretty straight forward. Touch, sight, smell, sound and taste. We’ve all known people who were sensitive to one or the other. That’s familiar enough. For instance, they either smell things others cant smell or they cant smell things others can smell. In either case, they will either be disturbed by strong smells or enjoy strong smells, depending upon what their sense of smell needs and their personal taste.
The other less familiar ’senses’ though are proprioceptive which is based in the muscles, ligaments and joints and relates to information on where the body is in space and thevestibular are related to the inner ear and balance.
The sensory world of the autistic spectrum goes further in depth to each of these senses as well as giving example activities for the proper therapy of each.
Aside from a person’s ‘mode’ of perception, there are also conditions that can sum up a person’s reaction to those modes. Vestibular-Bilateral is an inability to use both sides of the body together to maintain balance. Gravitational Insecurity is extreme anxiety and fear that one will fall when one’s head position changes. Sensory Defensiveness is when the person’s body prepares for fight or flight based upon their senses without distinguishing between dangerous and non-dangerous input.
Adults with Sensory Defensiveness does a great job of explaining as well as offering a brief test to show the possibility of having this condition.
Sensory Integration Workshop is a great site that details every step of understanind Sensory Integration Disorder.
Also may have been crossposted to my Asperger's Syndrome blog on Trusera.com, a site where people show health related stories. Check it out!
R Whitman says:
February 8th, 2006 at 8:08 pm
Just wanted to say that your comments are very interesting and very telling. My son was diagnosed with SI last year. he has many of the characteristics that you write about. Also, he can tell me about them, which is very helpful. He knows what behaviors comfort him and when he needs to do them. i find this very helpful since I am all for what makes him feel more integrated and normal. For example, he knows that spinning makes him feel better and more focused. It is very nice to hear these things from an adult who has lived with sensory integration. Most people don’t want to hear about it or they think I am making up these things, especially teachers. When I was in education school, no professor ever mentioned this, but it affects more children than we know. I think teachers are quick to point to ADD, but I just knew that wasn’t what my son had. In hind sight, so many things he did or didn’t do were indicators, but without knowing, they didn’t point to anything then. It is good that you are making people aware. Most of the time, a child’s perspective is discounted by society. An adult can make someone take notice.