Autism is a condition; it is never a disease. Individuals with autism think in their own unique way. To understand them better, we must look at how they experience the world, specifically through their sensory processing.
Daily Challenges and Sensitivities
The child often doesn’t have that much tolerance for things that others might find normal. For example, they often don’t like wearing dress. This is frequently due to underlying sensitivities.
This sensitivity extends to oral hygiene as well. When brushing, these children feel as if a thorn is being poked into their mouth. That is why there are children who refuse to brush.
Eating Habits and Texture
Food presents a major challenge because there are children who don’t try all kinds of foods. Their choices are heavily influenced by texture and touch:
● Tactile Hypersensitivity: Especially when told to mix rice with hands or eat with hands, they don’t touch it because they have tactile hypersensitivity.
● Consistency Preferences: They will only eat food that is properly thick. If semi-solid or semi-liquid food goes into their mouth, because of their sensitivity, they will not try it.
● Preferred Foods: Mostly, they eat things like chips or Lays which they can enjoy by biting and chewing.
The Root Cause
Their eating habits, their behavior patterns, and the way they understand things are all different. The factor that influences all this is the special characteristics in sensory processing.