huge variation in the wiring problems in different autistic brains. Fortunately a large review of the literature by Dr. Sinha at the Royal Children's Institute in Australia showed that auditory training is safe. However, the music must not be played too loudly. Reports from parents and individuals with autism indicate that auditory training may be helpful for some individuals. Another method that may be useful for reducing sound sensitivity is recording the fire alarm or other sounds that hurt the child's ears. The child is then allowed to play the sound back at a greatly reduced volume. It is essential that the child controls the volume and turns on the sound. Sounds a child initiates are better tolerated. Gradually the volume could be raised.
Visual Problems
Many individuals on the spectrum have difficulty tolerating fluorescent lights. To them the room will flicker like a disco. Placing a lamp with an old-fashioned incandescent lightbulb next to the individual's desk will reduce the flicker effect. Individuals with autism, dyslexia, and other learning problems often prefer to use a flat panel computer screen because it flickers less than a TV-type monitor. The best flat panels are either laptops or a really thin desk unit. Avoid desktop flat panels that have fluorescent lights inside them.
Children with visual processing problems will often look out the corners of their eyes. They do this so they can see more clearly. They are often afraid of escalators because they have difficulty judging how to step on and off of them. If visual processing problems are suspected, the child should see a developmental optometrist. This is a special eye doctor who can do therapy and exercises to help the processing problems that are inside the brain. In many of these children, the eye itself is normal but faulty wiring in the brain is causing the problem.
British researchers have done extensive studies in the use of colored overlays and colored glasses to improve reading in individuals who have visual processing problems. They have found that they are often helpful. It is important for the person to pick the exact colors they prefer. A U.S. study indicated that colored lenses had no significant effect. The poor result was probably due to everybody being given the same color.
I had a dyslexic student who had severe visual processing problems. When she tried to read, the print appeared to wriggle on the page. Colored glasses and printing her work on tan paper to reduce contrast improved both her reading and the organization of her writing. In my livestock equipment design class 1 to 2 percent of normal college students have visual processing problems. These students absolutely cannot draw. They are unable to figure out how to draw a half circle freehand and locate the center in the correct place. When I question them they say they see waves. I always tell them about colored glasses and some of them have reported back to me that colored glasses were helpful. Some students went to a sunglass store and tried reading a book with many different pale colored glasses until they found a color that made the print stop jiggling. Prescription reading glasses can be custom tinted with the preferred color. Irlen centers can help people find the precise shade that works the best. Refer to the directory in the back of the book.
Brain System Fragmentation
When I met Tito Mukhopadhyay he looked like a typical nonverbal low-functioning teenager with autism. When he came into the room he grabbed a magazine and smelled it. His mother taught him to type on a keyboard by constant prompting to make him pay attention. His typing is truly independent and he was not touched by a person while he was typing a sentence. He had to be prompted after he typed each short sentence to keep him on task and to prevent him from running across the room. To make sure that he was not using prerehearsed phrases, I asked Tito to tell me about a picture he had never seen before. The picture was from an advertisement and it showed an astronaut on a horse. Tito immediately typed «Apollo 11 on a horse.» This convinced me that Tito was not being cued by his mother. Tito's description of how he thinks and feels indicates that the different subsystems in his brain are not working together. He has written about a thinking self and an acting self. When I questioned him about visual perception he typed that he saw fragments of color, shapes, and motions. He is not able to hear and see at the same time.
In the normal visual system, the brain has circuits for color, shape, and motion. These circuits must work together to create stable images. Tito's description of how he sees things may be an indicator that these systems are working independently. His descriptions may also indicate that he has localized brain systems that are working but the connections among the different brain areas are highly abnormal. I asked Tito what it was like before he could type. He typed out one word: emptiness. Tito's writings have more emotion that the writings of many fully verbal people on the autism/Asperger spectrum. I have observed that sometimes emotions are more normal in individuals who have either fragmented sensory processing or poor verbal skills. Tito's achievements indicate that some individuals who appear to be low-functioning have good brains hidden inside. It is likely that many nonverbal individuals will not have Tito's abilities. It depends on which brain circuits get connected.
Deep Pressure
Therapists have found that providing deep pressure by rolling a child in mats or putting him under pillows can calm the nervous system. Discrete trial training (Applied Behavioral Analysis) and speech therapy are sometimes more effective if done while the child is experiencing deep pressure. The calming effect may help the miswired nervous system to perceive speech better. Many of these children's brains are like poor mobile phone signals. The speech may fade in and out.
Pressure applied by a padded, weighted vest can help a hyperactive child sit still. For best results, the vest should be worn for twenty minutes and then taken off for twenty minutes. Sleeping can often be helped by using a weighted blanket to apply soothing pressure. Steve Edelson and his colleague at the Autism Research Institute in San Diego found that the squeeze machine had a calming effect.
An amazing experiment done with Great Danes who bit out of fear showed that deep pressure is calming. Nancy Williams and Peter Borchelt placed aggressive Great Danes in a box filled with grain to apply pressure all over their bodies. The dog's head protruded through a padded opening. While the dogs were in the box, other dogs and strangers were brought up to them. The calming pressure reduced aggressive snarling or attempts to bite. The dog's behavior was improved for several months after treatment. The pressure reduced the dog's anxiety. This experiment shows the calming effects of pressure. When pressure is used on individuals with autism, it should be done as a fun activity and never forced onto the child or adult.
Why is Progress on Sensory Problems Slow?
I am frustrated by the fact that some teachers and therapists still do not recognize the importance of sensory over sensibility. It must be difficult for them to imagine a totally different way of perceiving the world where sounds and lights are super intense. A question people ask is if a child is so sensitive to sounds why don't his own screams bother him? The reason is because sound sensitivity occurs only at specific sound pitches that vary from child to child. Fortunately there are more books available now on sensory over sensitivity problems. Research by S. J. Rogers and others at the Department of Psychiatry, University of California at Davis clearly shows that autistic children have abnormal sensory reactivity. They were also more likely to have abnormal responses to taste and smell compared to children with other developmental abnormalities. Individuals who scream and tantrum every time they go into a large supermarket have the most severe problems with sensory oversensitivity They probably feel like they are inside the speaker and the light show at a rock concert. Problems with sensory overload get worse when a person is tired. These individuals will need a quiet environment that is free of fluorescent lights and distractions in order to learn.
