Brains Overly Sensitive to Sensory Stimuli React Differently

By Jessy McCulloch, Autism Home Support Services

“Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, a team of UCLA researchers has shown for the first time that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who are overly sensitive to sensory stimuli have brains that react differently than those with the disorder who don’t respond so severely to noises, visual stimulation, and physical contact.”

Now, if your kiddo has sensory over-responsivity (SOR), you’re probably thinking, “Tell me something I don’t already know!” Well the crucial potential outcome of these findings is that they could lead to the development of interventions!

More than 50% of people with ASD have very strong, negative reactions to sensory stimuli. As study first author Shulamite A. Green points out, “Interventions for this condition could significantly improve the lives of children with this form of ASD and their families.”

Study participants were exposed to 3 kinds of sensory stimuli:

• Hearing loud environment noises such as traffic
• Being rubbed on the inner arm with a scratchy wood fabric
• Experiencing both the auditory and tactile stimuli simultaneously

Read the specifics and details on this thought-provoking study in the full article!

Source: www.sciencedaily.com