Often, sensory sensitivities in children with autism cause very young children to protect themselves from what they, because of their heightened sensory sensitivity, perceive as excessive stimulation. This is especially true when that perceived excessive stimulation comes from other people, even if those other people are the autistic child’s parents or caregivers.
Maybe the child on the autism spectrum turns away from touch, sound, bold colors or patterns, strong smells or tastes. Maybe it’s only interpersonal intimacy that the child turns away from. On page 14 of Engaging Autism: Using the Floortime Approach to Help Children Relate, Communicate, and Think, Dr. Greenspan writes that “studies are showing that many children with autism can be very emotional but become so overwhelmed by their feelings that they avoid contact.”
Many children with autism can be very emotional but become so overwhelmed by their feelings that they avoid contact.
Dr. Greenspan
Children on the autism spectrum with sensory sensitivities close off their potential ability for expressive action and meaningful language as they deal with this perceived onslaught of the sensory environment around them and the chaos of their inner world. But, and this should give hope to parents of children with autism, they can and have been persuaded to join their parents’ people world when they feel understood and protected.
Children with autism have sensory sensitivities. Dr. Stanley Greenspan’s Floortime Approach can help.
Parents, please remember that your child’s autism diagnosis is dynamic not static! There is hope!
Greenspan Floortime is a comprehensive, evidence-based approach developed by Dr. Stanley I. Greenspan that uses emotionally meaningful play interactions to support children’s social-emotional, cognitive, and communication development. It is the foundation of the DIR™ model.
Sensory sensitivities in autism refer to heightened or reduced responsiveness to sensory input — sounds, textures, lights, tastes, or movement. Many children with autism experience sensory processing differences that affect their behavior, attention, and ability to engage with others and the environment.
The Greenspan/DIR™ model places individual sensory processing differences at the core of understanding each child. Rather than treating sensory sensitivities as behaviors to eliminate, Greenspan Floortime works with the child’s unique sensory profile to support regulation and engagement.
Sensory sensitivities can make it harder for children with autism to stay regulated, engage socially, and focus on interaction. By understanding and accommodating a child’s sensory needs, caregivers and therapists create the conditions in which Floortime and developmental progress can occur.