Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesRelated ConditionsIn ChildrenCopingWhen to See a ProviderFAQ
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Related Conditions
In Children
Coping
When to See a Provider
FAQ
Sensory overloadoccurs when one or more of the body’s senses is overstimulated to a point where a person is unable to cope. It happens when your brain gets more information from your senses than it can process. People who are experiencing sensory overload may feel irritable, anxious, or emotional. Often, sensory overload causes distress.
Sensory overload is a term commonly associated withautismbut can also be applied to other disorders likepost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)andobsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
This article explores the traits associated with sensory overload and its causes. It also covers what can be done to ensure the right level of stimulation for someone who experiences sensory overload.
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Traits Associated With SPD
Sensory overload is a type ofsensory processing disorder (SPD). SPDs are conditions in which a person is either over-responsive (sensory hypersensitivity) or under-responsive (sensory hyposensitivity) to environmental stimuli.
In some cases, the hypersensitivity may be so intense that a person will react to sensations that others may not even recognize (such as a smell or the fluttering sound of a fan).
Sensory overload can lead to certain traits, including:
In some cases, sensory overload can cause self-harming behavior like head banging, ear-clapping, self-scratching, or self-hitting.
Traits of Autism With High Support Needs
Other Possible Responses
People who witness a sensory overload meltdown will often regard it as a “tantrum” or assume that it came out of nowhere. This is because the responses are not always the same and can differ from one situation to the next.
For example, a child who experiences sensory overload may respond differently to flickering lights at school than to flickering lights at home. Or, they may be hypersensitive to high-pitched noises but completely oblivious to booming, low-pitched sounds.
Possible reactions an autistic child may have include:
How Autism Meltdowns Differ From Tantrums
What Causes Sensory Overload?
The causes of SPDs are poorly understood and can differ based on a diagnosis of autism, ADHD, PTSD, or other developmental or psychiatric disorders.
The types of stimuli that trigger sensory overload can also vary from one person to the next. They may include:
Other Types of Sensory Overload
Sensory overload is not limited to the five main senses. A person may also overreact to three additional senses that impact balance, motor skills, and body awareness.
The additional senses are referred to as:
These senses can be overloaded in the same way that sound, sight, touch, smell, and taste can. This can lead to balance and coordination problems in addition to the more common traits of sensory overload.
Understanding Anxiety in Autistic People
Sensory overload is most common in autistic children andattention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It can also affect autistic adults, including those withlow support needs.
Autism
People diagnosed with anautism spectrumdisorder (ASD) can be sensitive to their environments and have unusually delicate sensory systems. This means that their senses—sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste—can be easily overloaded.
They also have challenges in understanding social cues and may be hyperattentive to objects or environmental stimuli that others either filter out or fail to notice. This imbalance in attention and the inability to shift focus between the larger environment and smaller details may account for why 95.8% of autistic children experience SPDs.
Unlikeneurotypicalpeople (people without autism), autistic people are often unable to selectively filter out environmental stimuli like car alarms or the clamor of a crowd. This can lead to behaviors such as “stimming” that help autistic people better cope with stress and sensory overload.
Sensory Overload and StimmingIn autistic people, one of the classic responses to sensory overload is stimming (self-stimulatory behaviors). These arerepetitive behaviorsthat are both distracting and self-soothing. Examples include hand-flapping, rocking, repeating words or phrases, or sitting on the floor and spinning.
Sensory Overload and Stimming
In autistic people, one of the classic responses to sensory overload is stimming (self-stimulatory behaviors). These arerepetitive behaviorsthat are both distracting and self-soothing. Examples include hand-flapping, rocking, repeating words or phrases, or sitting on the floor and spinning.
ADHD
ADHD is associated with difficulty regulating emotions, trouble with change, and a lack of awareness of physical surroundings. All of these things can contribute to sensory overload.
Anxiety
People with anxiety disorder commonly experience sensory overload. Anxiety causes a stress response in the body, which can trigger a fight-or-flight reaction. When this happens, a person becomes more sensitive to external stimuli.
Sensory overload can happen alongside other anxiety symptoms or independently. Sensory overload can also trigger feelings of anxiety.
Fibromyalgia
Sensory overload is common in people withfibromyalgia. The root cause of fibromyalgia isn’t well understood, but it’s believed to be related to hypersensitivity to external stimuli.
People with fibromyalgia experience pain sensations more strongly than people who do not have the condition. They can also be hypersensitive to other types of stimuli such as noise and heat.
Multiple Sclerosis
People withmultiple sclerosis(MS) may experience confusion, fatigue, or even pain in the presence of stimuli such as noise or chaotic environments.
PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops after a traumatic event. It causes intense anxiety, stress, and oversensitivity to surroundings.
People with this condition are typically hypervigilant, which means they’re over-aware of what is happening around them. This can cause sensory overload in the presence of loud sounds, flashing lights, crowded rooms, or other sensory-rich situations.
When the sensory stimuli are similar to those experienced during the traumatic event that triggered the condition, it can cause an intense emotional response.
Sensory Overload in Children
Small children often have difficulty processing sensory information, especially when they are tired oroverwhelmed. This is normal when it happens occasionally, especially in toddlers.
Sometimes, however, it becomes clear that a child has an outsized reaction to sensory stimuli. The child may be unusually sensitive to things like bright light, water, loud noises, and irritating sensations such as certain fabrics. These kids may also seem clumsy and have a low or high pain threshold.
Sometimes, SPD can exist in children independently. Often, however, sensory processing problems are a symptom of another condition such as autism or ADHD. If you think your child may have a sensory processing problem, speak to your pediatrician.
Coping With Sensory Overload
Ensuring the right amount of sensory input—not too much and not too little—is important to the physical and emotional well-being of a child or adult who experiences sensory overload.
Adults
People who experience sensory overload can learn to anticipate and cope with triggers. If you experience sensory overload, try the following strategies:
Children
As a parent, guardian, or caregiver, it is important to recognize traits associated with sensory overload. That way, you can act swiftly or appropriately when it occurs.
How to Calm an Autistic Child
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Sensory overload can cause considerable stress to people who experience it as well as their loved ones. In general, meltdowns and stimming behaviors are often more distressing than dangerous and, as such, don’t require immediate medical care.
However, medical treatment may be needed if behaviors are causing undue disruption, or any risk of self-harm or harm to others.
Speak with your loved one’s healthcare provider to understand the benefits and risks of treatment so you can make an informed choice as a parent or guardian.
Summary
It is not uncommon for autistic people (and those with other conditions such as ADHD and PTSD) to be abnormally sensitive to certain sights, sounds, tastes, or textures.
Coping skills include avoiding triggers and recognizing the signs of overload before it occurs. Occupational therapists can help you find ways to avoid sensory overload.
Medication may be used to minimize the triggers that contribute to meltdowns in people who experience intense sensory overload.
Assistive Technology for Autism
Frequently Asked QuestionsSensory overload occurs when an intense or persistent sensation overwhelms a person’s ability to cope.With autism, the stimulus is often environmental, such as an offputting sound, smell, sight, taste, or texture. The stimuli can vary from one person to the next and even from one situation to the next.There are no medications that treat sensory overload. However, there are some that may help control the triggers that fuel sensory overload in autistic people.These include atypical antipsychotics like Risperdal (risperidone) andADHD medicationslike Ritalin (methylphenidate).Autistic people often respond to sensory overload with repetitive behaviors known as stimming. While most stimming behaviors (like hand-flapping or rocking) are harmless, others (like head-banging, scratching, or biting) may cause self-injury or harm others. Medications may be needed to control these intense stimming behaviors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sensory overload occurs when an intense or persistent sensation overwhelms a person’s ability to cope.With autism, the stimulus is often environmental, such as an offputting sound, smell, sight, taste, or texture. The stimuli can vary from one person to the next and even from one situation to the next.
Sensory overload occurs when an intense or persistent sensation overwhelms a person’s ability to cope.
With autism, the stimulus is often environmental, such as an offputting sound, smell, sight, taste, or texture. The stimuli can vary from one person to the next and even from one situation to the next.
There are no medications that treat sensory overload. However, there are some that may help control the triggers that fuel sensory overload in autistic people.These include atypical antipsychotics like Risperdal (risperidone) andADHD medicationslike Ritalin (methylphenidate).
There are no medications that treat sensory overload. However, there are some that may help control the triggers that fuel sensory overload in autistic people.
These include atypical antipsychotics like Risperdal (risperidone) andADHD medicationslike Ritalin (methylphenidate).
Autistic people often respond to sensory overload with repetitive behaviors known as stimming. While most stimming behaviors (like hand-flapping or rocking) are harmless, others (like head-banging, scratching, or biting) may cause self-injury or harm others. Medications may be needed to control these intense stimming behaviors.
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