Sensation and Perception: Autism

Autism spectrum disorder is a condition that impacts how a person interacts with others. It focuses on communication and cognitive difficulties. It can also affect the child socially in school and work. There may be no cure for autism, but with the right amount of treatment could make a big difference.

Children with autism have a change in their behavior and have a level of severity – from low functioning to high functioning (Autism Spectrum, 2018). They can either learn quickly but have low communication skills or have difficulty learning a new skill. Symptoms may include failing to respond to their name, has poor eye contact and lacks facial expression, and cant start a conversation and keep it going (Autism Spectrum, 2018).

Autism can affect our senses such as vision, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. With vision, an object can appear dark and the peripheral vision is blurred (Sensation and Perception, 2013). When it comes to the hearing sense, children have the inability to cut out sounds, making it difficult to concentrate. They may also not enjoy crowded, noisy places such as concerts, a sporting event, or a big ceremony. Children with autism may self-harm themselves.  Some people may not like to be touched and can affect their relationship with others. They also have restricted diets and will only eat smooth foods like mash potatoes and ice cream (NDTV, 2018). Some children like to lick things to get a better sense of what they are.

Having autism must be difficult for children to learn new skills and communicate with others. If I had autism I would have to go through daily therapy sessions for a long period of time. There are different types of therapy such as speech therapy, education therapy, and family therapy. Therapists can teach the children different communication techniques to improve social interactions with others. My parents, siblings, and other family members would be involved in my life much more than the average person. I would need to have a scheduled routine every day. If something was off in the schedule, then I might go crazy. Having a scheduled bedtime and mealtime would be beneficial to my well being.

Perceptions that are affected are time, motion, and sight and sound. Time perception involves having difficulty perceiving the pass of time and their communication delays due to the perception of speech. Individuals with autism have difficulty with motion perception (Robertson & Baron-Cohen, 2017). When it comes to sight and sound, children are drawn to sounds and movements that are synchronized (Sensation and Perception, 2013).

If I had to lose one of my senses, it would be my sense of smell. I would lose my sense of smell because I wouldn’t want to smell all the bad things such as dog poop, rotten food, and low hygienic people. The one sense that I wouldn’t want to los is my sense of sight. I want to be able to see my surroundings. I want to look at everyone and everything. What the Earth puts in front of me is what I want to see. Whether it’s a big, beautiful park with the water pouring in the fountain, or just see people walk by the sidewalk having fun with other people. I would never take my sense of sight for granted.

Works Cited

1. Autism spectrum disorder. (2018, January 06). Retrieved from www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/autism-spectrum-disorder/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20352934
2. Baker, S. (n.d.). Everyday Life with Autism. Retrieved from autism.lovetoknow.com/Everyday_Life_with_Autism
3. DoctorNDTV. (2018, November 13). What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder? Here's Everything You Should Know About It. Retrieved from www.ndtv.com/health/what-is-autism-spectrum-disorder-heres-everything-you-should-know-about-it-1946525
4. Sensation and Perception and Autism. (2013, November 20). Retrieved from prezi.com/n66fwb2ttckw/sensation-and-perception-and-autism/
5. Robertson, C. E., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2017, September 29). Sensory perception in autism. Retrieved from www.nature.com/articles/nrn.2017.112