Module III - Behaviors That May Reflect Poor Sensory Processing

Module III: Intervention of Sensory and Motor Issues in Individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome

Behaviors That May Reflect Poor Sensory Processing

The following table shows some of the behaviors that person’s with Aspergers Syndrome may exhibit due to decreased ability to modulate and discriminate various sensory input. There are both sensory seeking and sensory avoiding behaviors depending on the issues. For example, one child might seek out messy play as a way to keep his or her system alert and to learn new skills while another child might avoid messy play at all costs because he or she is “defensive” to tactile input. That is, the person has an emotional or behavioral response to a stimulus that is out of proportion to the stimulus itself. These examples both describe tactile dysfunction, however are representative of two different types of dysfunction. Most commonly, person’s with sensory defensiveness exhibit the avoidance behaviors in the chart below. The seeking behaviors listed below can help improve overall arousal level and help try to better organize the nervous system. The seeking behaviors can also improve sensory discrimination for improved body scheme awareness, tactile skill development, and auditory and visual attention and processing. These are only some behaviors and there are certain to be others not mentioned here.

Sensory System	Seeking Behaviors	Avoiding Behaviors
Tactile	Constantly touching or mouthing non-food objects Oblivious to food on hands or around face Seeks out messy play Oblivious to injuries to self such as bruises Constantly poking, pushing, or touching other people	Adverse reaction to light touch experiences May dislike or avoid many daily hygiene activities such as tooth brushing, washing, and dressing Exhibits picky eating habits Aggressive with other people Avoids busy places
Auditory	Seeks out loud music or noises Oblivious to loud noises	Easily distracted by noise Grinds teeth or hums especially in busy or noisy environments Covers ears around loud noises such as toilets flushing, sirens, music, vacuum, etc Distracted by subtle background noises such as the hum of fluorescent lights or the refrigerator Pulls at ears even though no ear infection Displays sensitivity to high-pitched noises
Visual	Visually stimulates on objects such as lights, patterns, etc Very drawn to certain colors Very drawn to television Hyperfocuses on Visual input	Blinks at bright lights or appears sensitive to sunlight Prefers to play in the dark Squints when doing puzzles or other highly visual tasks Easily distracted by visual input Makes poor eye contact Rubs eyes often
Vestibular	Constantly in motion Loves go-fast carnival or amusement park rides Loves swinging and finds it hard to stop Jumps much of the time on beds or other surfaces Spins self around a lot Loves being tipped upside down	Fear of heights, elevators, and escalators Gets carsick easily Fear of lifting feet off of the ground Avoids swings or playground equipment Does not like to have head tipped backward Does not like the feeling of falling or doing forward rolls
Gustatory/Olfactory	Seeks out very spicy or very sour foods Smells everything Licks everything	Reacts defensively to food in mouth – especially with certain textures Reacts defensively to the smell of certain substances Avoids any new foods with new colors, textures, or tastes Avoids foods with mixed textures – such as smooth foods with lumps Prefers only crunchy foods Has a very limited diet Displays a very strong preference for temperature of food or drink
Proprioceptive	Crashes constantly onto ground May masturbate frequently Likes to squeeze objects Seeks out a lot of rough and tumble play Enjoys activities that provide heavy work such as hanging, pushing, pulling May flap hands a lot, crack knuckles, press hands together, or otherwise stimulate self	*People do not generally avoid proprioceptive input as it tends to be an overall “organizing" or pleasing input to the sensory system.

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The Asperger's C-o-n-n-e-c-t-i-o-n

Module III: Intervention of Sensory and Motor Issues in Individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome

Behaviors That May Reflect Poor Sensory Processing

The Asperger's
C-o-n-n-e-c-t-i-o-n