Sensory Issues in children with Autism.

Children with Autism have a lot of sensory needs. Aarian had lots of sensory issues. He had difficulty focusing and was not able to sit for more than a minute. He demonstrated lots of visual stims in which he used to tilt his head to one side and had a peripheral vision, meaning he looked through the corner of his eyes. 

He was a toe walker right from the beginning and he used to wear bilateral ankle-foot orthotics also called AFOs to address this. He had poor motor skills. He used to have difficulty in walking, balance, and appeared clumsy at times. Fine Motor skills were another area Aarian struggled with.

He used to have sleep issues. It was difficult for him to sleep throughout the night and used to wake up in the middle of the night. It used to take hours sometimes putting him back to sleep. It was stressful for the whole family to deal with this issue practically every night.

The Sensory Profile Caregiver Questionnaire was administered as part of the assessment to determine whether aspects of sensory processing might be contributing to Aarian's performance challenges in daily life. 

The results of the assessment showed Aarian had difficulty with auditory, visual,  vestibular, touch, multi-sensory, and oral information

These difficulties with sensory input can interfere with a child's ability to complete important activities successfully as other children do. He was an extremely picky eater and would dislike certain textures in foods.

He used to show lots of self-stimulatory behaviors like chewing clothes, rocking, and flapping hands. Some of these issues have gotten better with age but there are some behaviors Aarian struggles with till today. These issues are responsible for difficulties in self-regulation and attending skills in children with Autism.

We were given a variety of strategies in order to help Aarian like using deep pressure vest as deep pressure instantly used to calm Aarian down, engaging in gross motor activities, sensory play, and a sensory Diet was prescribed for Aarian. 

 We were given a series of activities in his sensory diet. It was recommended we complete a series of activities when he first arrived at school and then intermittently throughout the day to keep his arousal levels regulated and maximize his ability to concentrate. It was also recommended to implement a sensory diet at home.

Over time lots of improvements were noted in Aarian around sensory issues but there are some issues he struggles with even today.