Sensory Overload - Autism and the Doctor's Office

Sorry!  I meant to post this earlier.

I was trying to think of instances when someone might be excited to go to the doctor.  I asked a friend, and she came up with a few.  When a woman is going to find out if she's pregnant, when you're having a procedure done that will make your life better...like lasik eye surgery, when you know it's the last time you have to go after a long series of visits (but my guess is that you're more excited about the prospects of not having to go again rather than actually going.)  Ok, I guess there's a few, but let's be honest...even these visits cause a lot of anxiety.  When I had lasik eye surgery done, they offered Valium for the anxiety.

My conclusion...doctor visits cause anxiety.  And let's recall from my post about the brain, that the amygdala (it's weakness being low tolerance for stress and anxiety) is 4 times as big in a individual with autism.

Ok, so here goes my list of some (not all) reasons why going to the doctor can cause sensory overload for some kids (and adults) with autism.  In a future post I will share an experience that one mother shared with me of how her doctor made it such a successful visit with her son with autism.

• The anxiety of going to the unknown
• This trip is not part of my daily routine
• When we arrive, we have to wait to check in
• Mom or dad is filling out paperwork instead of paying attention to me
• I get yelled at every time I walk away 
• Florescent lights flickering
• Phones ringing
• TV playing, but it's not my favorite show
• Waiting to see the doctor
• Someone calls my name, and we are taken through a door to the unknown
• They make me stand on a scary looking machine to weigh me, but I don't know what that means
• I get in trouble when I don't stand still on the scary machine
• I am taken to a little room, and I have to wait...again
• They make me sit high in the air on some crinkly paper that doesn't feel good
• It smells weird
• There are objects around me that don't look familiar
• A stranger comes in and gets in my space, looking at my eyes, in my ears, in my mouth, etc.
• This same stranger has a some weird things coming out of his ears and he wants to put it on my heart, but I don't know why.  It's cold and uncomfortable.
• Sometimes another stranger comes in with pokey things and she stabs me with them, and it hurts
• After I cry for a while, I get to leave

If you liked this post, check out Sensory Overload at the Grocery Store and Grocery Store Intervention.

Joy Mano

Utah PLAY Project Home Consultant

Early Intervention Services for Children with Autism

photo credit: Joe Shlabotnik via photopin cc

Sorry!  I meant to post this earlier.

I was trying to think of instances when someone might be excited to go to the doctor.  I asked a friend, and she came up with a few.  When a woman is going to find out if she's pregnant, when you're having a procedure done that will make your life better...like lasik eye surgery, when you know it's the last time you have to go after a long series of visits (but my guess is that you're more excited about the prospects of not having to go again rather than actually going.)  Ok, I guess there's a few, but let's be honest...even these visits cause a lot of anxiety.  When I had lasik eye surgery done, they offered Valium for the anxiety.

My conclusion...doctor visits cause anxiety.  And let's recall from my post about the brain, that the amygdala (it's weakness being low tolerance for stress and anxiety) is 4 times as big in a individual with autism.

Ok, so here goes my list of some (not all) reasons why going to the doctor can cause sensory overload for some kids (and adults) with autism.  In a future post I will share an experience that one mother shared with me of how her doctor made it such a successful visit with her son with autism.

• The anxiety of going to the unknown
• This trip is not part of my daily routine
• When we arrive, we have to wait to check in
• Mom or dad is filling out paperwork instead of paying attention to me
• I get yelled at every time I walk away 
• Florescent lights flickering
• Phones ringing
• TV playing, but it's not my favorite show
• Waiting to see the doctor
• Someone calls my name, and we are taken through a door to the unknown
• They make me stand on a scary looking machine to weigh me, but I don't know what that means
• I get in trouble when I don't stand still on the scary machine
• I am taken to a little room, and I have to wait...again
• They make me sit high in the air on some crinkly paper that doesn't feel good
• It smells weird
• There are objects around me that don't look familiar
• A stranger comes in and gets in my space, looking at my eyes, in my ears, in my mouth, etc.
• This same stranger has a some weird things coming out of his ears and he wants to put it on my heart, but I don't know why.  It's cold and uncomfortable.
• Sometimes another stranger comes in with pokey things and she stabs me with them, and it hurts
• After I cry for a while, I get to leave

If you liked this post, check out Sensory Overload at the Grocery Store and Grocery Store Intervention.

Joy Mano

Utah PLAY Project Home Consultant

Early Intervention Services for Children with Autism

photo credit: Joe Shlabotnik via photopin cc

Sensory Overload - The Grocery Store and Autism

I'll be completely honest, I've come really close to tears while shopping before.  First it was just a rough week, second I really dislike shopping (any kind of shopping, if I had a wish, I'd wish for a personal shopper), and third after shopping for about an hour and half and with groceries for home and groceries for my class I had half of my stuff on the conveyor belt and realized I didn't have my wallet.  AAAAHHHH!!! That's what I wanted to scream, and I kind of wanted to lay on the ground and scream (until I thought about the floors at the store, and then I really didn't want to touch them.)

For some kids with autism or other developmental disabilities or really any kid (or adult), shopping is not a pleasant experience.  I'll focus on ways to help enhance the experience in another post, but for today I want to focus on why grocery stores can cause sensory overload.   Just a list of things to think about, it won't apply to all kids, but you'll know if it applies to your kid.

• Grocery Carts
• Cold
• Hard
• Uncomfortable
• Child is facing the wrong direction (if child is sensitive to movement, this could cause issues)
• Visual Stimuli
• Fluorescent Lights 
• Some kids are very sensitive to the flickering of these kind of lights
• Stuff everywhere
• Visual overload can equal chaos
• Things out of order-for the orderly child = problem
• Lots of fun stuff...that he/she can NOT have...but he/she WANTS!
• Depending on the floors, there may be lines that need to be followed, or patterns that should be followed.  You know, the rules they know, but we don't.
• People everywhere-and sometimes they come and get in the child's face to say how cute they are, or they pat them on the head.
• Smell
• Think of the mixture of smells in this place
• Foods
• Perfumes
• Odors
• Auditory
• Lights buzzing
• Freezers humming
• Footsteps from every direction
• Phones ringing
• Adults talking on phones
• Children crying
• Cash registers beeping
• Conveyor belts going and stopping
• The butcher's machines slicing
• Squeaky grocery cart wheels
• Time
• Sometimes the amount of time required in a grocery store is just too long!  That's how I feel anyway.
• Waiting in lines
• Boring
• Lots of temptations around that you're not supposed to touch
• People standing too close
• Attention
• Parents attention is not focused on the child, but on the shopping (so it can get done as quickly as possible.)

Joy Mano

Utah PLAY Project Home Consultant

Early Intervention Treatment for Children With Autism

photo credit: B Tal via photopin cc

I'll be completely honest, I've come really close to tears while shopping before.  First it was just a rough week, second I really dislike shopping (any kind of shopping, if I had a wish, I'd wish for a personal shopper), and third after shopping for about an hour and half and with groceries for home and groceries for my class I had half of my stuff on the conveyor belt and realized I didn't have my wallet.  AAAAHHHH!!! That's what I wanted to scream, and I kind of wanted to lay on the ground and scream (until I thought about the floors at the store, and then I really didn't want to touch them.)

For some kids with autism or other developmental disabilities or really any kid (or adult), shopping is not a pleasant experience.  I'll focus on ways to help enhance the experience in another post, but for today I want to focus on why grocery stores can cause sensory overload.   Just a list of things to think about, it won't apply to all kids, but you'll know if it applies to your kid.

• Grocery Carts
• Cold
• Hard
• Uncomfortable
• Child is facing the wrong direction (if child is sensitive to movement, this could cause issues)
• Visual Stimuli
• Fluorescent Lights 
• Some kids are very sensitive to the flickering of these kind of lights
• Stuff everywhere
• Visual overload can equal chaos
• Things out of order-for the orderly child = problem
• Lots of fun stuff...that he/she can NOT have...but he/she WANTS!
• Depending on the floors, there may be lines that need to be followed, or patterns that should be followed.  You know, the rules they know, but we don't.
• People everywhere-and sometimes they come and get in the child's face to say how cute they are, or they pat them on the head.
• Smell
• Think of the mixture of smells in this place
• Foods
• Perfumes
• Odors
• Auditory
• Lights buzzing
• Freezers humming
• Footsteps from every direction
• Phones ringing
• Adults talking on phones
• Children crying
• Cash registers beeping
• Conveyor belts going and stopping
• The butcher's machines slicing
• Squeaky grocery cart wheels
• Time
• Sometimes the amount of time required in a grocery store is just too long!  That's how I feel anyway.
• Waiting in lines
• Boring
• Lots of temptations around that you're not supposed to touch
• People standing too close
• Attention
• Parents attention is not focused on the child, but on the shopping (so it can get done as quickly as possible.)

Joy Mano

Utah PLAY Project Home Consultant

Early Intervention Treatment for Children With Autism

photo credit: B Tal via photopin cc