ASD strategies and support

Dear all, 
I am currently working with a pupil in Early Years who is 3 years old with a diagnosis of ASD and SPD. When this child started my school he had a phobia of clocks, which he still has to this day. However behaviour and tolerance has slowly started to decline this term. This child now shows crisis type behaviour with any sort of moving objects on a screen (Laptop, Ipad etc.), cannot tolerate lights, this being lights on a radio (the little standby lights), laser/sensory lights and wrist watches. This is quite a bizarre case I know, and would greatly appreciate some ideas of how to support this young boy? 
We are thinking it is a strong emotional memory reaction to a negative situations involving such objects above, however families lives are now becoming affected and accessing the community for them is becoming impossible. 
Thank you for your help. 
Parents
  • Hi NAS36741,

    Have you exhausted all physical and medical possibilities first regarding this sensitivity, before judging it to be an ‘emotional problem?’

    I ask as, in my understanding, extreme sensitivity to certain (and specific) stimulus can be very common for kids on the spectrum. And therefore, your reference to this child 'being a bizarre case' is not justified.  

    Below is a link to the NAS page which details this type of sensitivity, the video is excellent and offers insight into just how devastating sensory overload can be. Please note the clock. 

    http://www.autism.org.uk/sensory

    Particularly please note the section (on the page link above) which describes the effect of ‘sight over sensitivity.’ Particularly please also note the statement which details how, in some cases, sensory challenges can elicit actual physical pain in some ND children, and therefore, what you have judged to be 'crisis type behaviour' could be actual physical pain that this child is suffering. 

    I think it would be a grave and disrespectful disservice if you ‘pseudo diagnosed’ this child as having ‘emotional problems’ when in fact he may be genuinely suffering from extreme ‘sight over sensitivity’ which may only manifest with specific stimuli, such as moving clocks, led lights etc.  

    I would suggest you refer this child to CAMHS or his GP where his sight sensitivity may be professionally diagnosed and solutions may be available to him to help minimise his distress, such as dark glasses, coloured lensed glasses etc.

Reply
  • Hi NAS36741,

    Have you exhausted all physical and medical possibilities first regarding this sensitivity, before judging it to be an ‘emotional problem?’

    I ask as, in my understanding, extreme sensitivity to certain (and specific) stimulus can be very common for kids on the spectrum. And therefore, your reference to this child 'being a bizarre case' is not justified.  

    Below is a link to the NAS page which details this type of sensitivity, the video is excellent and offers insight into just how devastating sensory overload can be. Please note the clock. 

    http://www.autism.org.uk/sensory

    Particularly please note the section (on the page link above) which describes the effect of ‘sight over sensitivity.’ Particularly please also note the statement which details how, in some cases, sensory challenges can elicit actual physical pain in some ND children, and therefore, what you have judged to be 'crisis type behaviour' could be actual physical pain that this child is suffering. 

    I think it would be a grave and disrespectful disservice if you ‘pseudo diagnosed’ this child as having ‘emotional problems’ when in fact he may be genuinely suffering from extreme ‘sight over sensitivity’ which may only manifest with specific stimuli, such as moving clocks, led lights etc.  

    I would suggest you refer this child to CAMHS or his GP where his sight sensitivity may be professionally diagnosed and solutions may be available to him to help minimise his distress, such as dark glasses, coloured lensed glasses etc.

Children
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