Hi – while I am not a clinician in any way, shape, or form, I do recognise that sensory issues are a huge part of life for most autistic people, and over the years have spoken to hundreds of individuals and families about sensory experiences. From this, and with a huge nod to the work of Olga Bogdashina, I have set out some questions around sensory experiences that some may find useful. Getting a good sensory profile to take needs into account at school, home, in the workplace – wherever – can have the potential to be of massive benefit. The questions are not exhaustive, of course, and some may be inapplicable – but, it’s a start, at the very least. If you wanted me to add to the questions with your own suggestions please free to comment, or email me – l.beardon@shu.ac.uk<\/p>\n
Sensory Questionnaire<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Please fill in comments on how you are affected in the following sensory areas. If you do not see any sensory issues under a particular heading simply leave blank. Please give as many examples as you can possibly think of. This can be filled in by an autistic individual, a parent, or both!<\/p>\n Touch<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Do you show sensory sensitivity with touch? For example how do you react to the following?:<\/p>\n Is there an apparent lack of ability to dress appropriate to the weather?<\/span><\/p>\n Hugs – do you like them or not? Do they need to be a certain way?<\/span><\/p>\n Soft touches vs firm – is there a preference?<\/span><\/p>\n Are there any issues with the following?:<\/p>\n Do you show extreme hypersensitivity, for example with touching of:<\/p>\n Do you resist:<\/p>\n Auditory<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Do you show intense hypersensitivity to a specific noise, e.g.:<\/p>\n Do you have an inability to separate sounds, e.g.:<\/p>\n Do you hear noises that others cannot?<\/span><\/p>\n Do you love certain noises and seek them out?<\/span><\/p>\n Do you tune into certain noises and then appear not to hear anything else?<\/span><\/p>\n Will you listen to the same noise over and over again?<\/span><\/p>\n Do you ever cover ears in response to a noise – and, if so, what was the noise?<\/span><\/p>\n Olfactory<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Do you use smell to recognise objects\/people?<\/span><\/p>\n Is there extreme hypersensitivity – e.g. the ability to pick up smells that others cannot?<\/span><\/p>\n Are some smells overpowering?<\/span><\/p>\n Are certain smells greatly offensive?<\/span><\/p>\n Are certain smells sought out?<\/span><\/p>\n Taste<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Do you use taste to recognise objects\/people?<\/span><\/p>\n Does the texture of food matter?<\/span><\/p>\n Does the colour of food matter?<\/span><\/p>\n Are you a ‘fussy’ eater?<\/span><\/p>\n Does food need to be prepared in a certain way?<\/span><\/p>\n Do you insist on eating certain brands?<\/span><\/p>\n Can you differentiate between brands by taste (i.e. without seeing the packaging)?<\/span><\/p>\n Visual<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Do you notice patterns in the surroundings?<\/span><\/p>\n Do you notice detail that others do not?<\/span><\/p>\n Do you like order – e.g. straight edges.<\/span><\/p>\n Will you rearrange the environment to suit his\/her needs?<\/span><\/p>\n Do you get absorbed in looking at certain things?<\/span><\/p>\n Do flickering lights or screens bother you?<\/span><\/p>\n Vestibular<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Do you rock\/engage in rhythmical movements?<\/span><\/p>\n Do you flap? If so, when?<\/span><\/p>\n Do you love jumping up and down?<\/span><\/p>\n Do you ‘fear’ movements such as going down a slide?<\/span><\/p>\n Do you easily lose their balance?<\/span><\/p>\n Do you have difficulty in sitting still?<\/span><\/p>\n Proprioception<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Will you misinterpret how much to flex or extend muscles when doing tasks?<\/span><\/p>\n Do you struggle with handwriting?<\/span><\/p>\n Do you frequently (accidentally) break things?<\/span><\/p>\n Do you miscalculate weight?<\/span><\/p>\n Do you use too much force, e.g. slamming doors or banging objects onto the table?<\/span><\/p>\n Do you tend to bump into people when walking, or veer off from a straight line?<\/span><\/p>\n Do you love deep pressure, e.g. strong hugs?<\/span><\/p>\n Do you seek small, enclosed spaces?<\/span><\/p>\n Do you walk on tip toes?<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hi – while I am not a clinician in any way, shape, or form, I do recognise that sensory issues are a huge part of life for most autistic people, and over the years have spoken to hundreds of individuals and families about sensory experiences. From this, and with a huge nod to the work … Continue reading Sensory Framework<\/span> \n
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