One of the baffling features of autistic people is their inconsistent perception of sensory stimuli.

Although we could address hyper- and hyposensitivities by desensitising a child and/or providing the aids to help them cope (in the case of hypersensitivity), and by providing more stimulation to ‘open’ the affected channel (in the case of hyposensitivity), these methods do not always lead to the solution of the problem. The matter is, the ‘volume’ (intensity) of the child’s perception is not stable; the disturbance of sensory modulation can involve all sensory modalities. They can respond differently (with pleasure – indifference – distress) to the same visual/auditory/olfactory/gustatory/tactile stimuli, movement activities (swings, slides, spinning, etc.).

Autistic people may be tossed in a sensory maelstrom, so that the sensations may be unbearable one minute and yet completely unfelt next (Blackman). The inconsistency of perceiving information, when the sensation (hence, interpretation of what is going on) are changing day to day, hour to hour, sometimes even minute to minute (McKean), does not help the learning of social and emotional cues from people.

There are several types of this inconsistency can be distinguished, for example, fluctuation between hyper- and hypo-; and fluctuation between hyper-/hypo- and ‘normal’ (‘in’ and ‘out’).

Fluctuation between hyper- and hyposensitivity is quite common. For example, a child who appears to be deaf on one occasion may react to an everyday sound on another occasion as if it is causing acute pain; visual stimuli that may appear so bright on one occasion will on another occasion appear very dim.

Fluctuation between hyper-/hypo- and ‘normal’ (‘in’ and ‘out’): People with autism contribute to the explanation of this phenomenon. Donna Williams compares autism with a seesaw: when it is up or down she cannot see a whole life; when it is passing through in the middle she gets to see a glimpse of the life she would have if she were not autistic.

VanDalen terms it as ‘suddenly falling out of autism’ and describes his personal experience of this process as follows: ‘the stay in the non-autistic condition lasts only a few minutes…the exit-procedure occurs instantaneously, the return is gradual’. Interestingly, it is these experiences that have brought VanDalen to the conclusions that:

• Autism is primarily a perceptual deficit, as during these short periods when his ‘perception was normalized’ he ‘noticed above all the diffused fear (he constantly experienced) was completely vanished…the habitual occupation with inanimate physical objects disappeared in favour of all the (warm) feelings that belonged to normal relationships’.
• ‘The degree of autism within an individual can vary considerably even to the point of ‘suddenly falling out of it’.’

The fluctuation depends on many factors, such as developmental level, physical state, severity of autistic disorder and the degree of familiarity with the environment and situations. It will also vary depending on the age and circumstances of each person, e.g.:

“When I was little, the fluctuation of sound was continual… Other people learn to make social decisions from ongoing and consistent stimuli. I have not been able to make instinctive social judgements based on prior experience in a reliable way, because the incoming signals were switched often enough that I did not learn to untangle those shadowed moving faces and their inconsistent voices. Real and extraordinary fluctuations in all sensation were a part of daily life” (Blackman).

The impact of environmental factors (both positive and negative) will vary with the age and circumstances of each child. At times it may appear that everything goes well, at other times the child may exhibit challenging behaviours under similar environmental conditions.

Frequent physical exercises (at least, once a day) are good for both hyper- and hyposensitivities.

Another phenomenon of inconsistent perception is fluctuation between different ‘wholes’ – when a tiny change makes the environment unrecognisable, confusing and dangerous, and the learned skills inapplicable to these ‘new’ surroundings. For example, it’s a huge problem not only for autistic children but also for adults with autism as well (typically those with Asperger syndrome) who are described as ‘lacking sense of direction’. Often they cannot recognise their own house if they approach it from a different direction, or are unable to find their room in the hotel each time they’ve spent a day out. (Wouldn’t you panic if you went to bed in London and woke up in Manchester?)

When everything around them is unstable/fragmented, etc. it’s no wonder they seek structure, predictability, rituals and routines. Many autistic children are strongly attached to certain objects: a toy, a spoon, a wrapper, a twig… The list is endless. They may insist on taking the object with them wherever they go, the reason being, they feel safe when they carry it – whatever is happening around them, the object is unchanging – stable and comforting.

References

Blackman, L. (2001) Lucy’s Story. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

McKean T. (1999) Articles www.geocites.com

VanDalen, J.G.T. (1995)’Autism from within.’ Link, 17, 11-16.

Williams, D. (1999) Nobody Nowhere. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Written by Olga Bogdashina on behalf of Integrated Treatment Services