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=Self-Stimulatory Behavior in Autism Spectrum Disorders=

Identifying ASD Children
Any child with developmental disorders exhibit repetitive body movement or repetitive movement of objects, however it is more common in autism. This stereotypic behavior can involve any or all of the major senses. It is theorized that children with ASD engage in self-stimulatory behavior to either stimulate the brain in the case of hyposensitivity or to calm their nervous system in the case of hypersensitivity or sensory overload. With either of these needs, the child engages in sterotypic behavior (Edelson, 2008). Examples follow.


 * **Visual -** staring at lights, repetitive blinking, moving fingers in front of the eyes, hand-flapping
 * **Auditory -** tapping ears, snapping fingers, making vocal sounds
 * **Tactile -** rubbing the skin with one's hands or with another object, scratching
 * **Vestibular (sense of balance) -** rocking front to back, rocking side-to-side
 * **Gustatory (taste) -** placing body or objects in one's mouth, licking objects
 * **Olfactory (smell) -** smelling objects, sniffing people
 * **Proprioceptive (awareness of joint position and movement) -** playing roughly, deliberately falling, chewing hard on food or objects

In the video we observed, a young man with ASD who was exhibiting the self-stimulatory behavior of tapping his head with his hand and also rubbing his hair. This behavior seems to indicate he is possibly hyposensitive and was engaging his tactile and proprioceptive senses.

Sensory Challenges
Children with forms of autism disorder face varying degrees of sensory challenges due to Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). SPD is a neurological condition where the brain does not accurately perceive sensory input. For example the child may not be able to tolerate certain clothing materials, toothbrush bristles, or food textures, sounds, volume of sounds. This disorder can disrupt their daily lives through shutting down or melting downs resulting in the inability to participate in school or community activities.

There are three classifications within SPD.


 * 1) **Sensory Modulation Disorder** - a problem with taking in, processing, and responding to sensory information about the environment and within the body. Further divided into Sensory Overresponsivity, Sensory Underresponsivity, and Sensory Seeking.
 * 2) **Sensory-Based Motor Disorder** - with Dyspraxia - can affect planning of movements and co-ordination as a result of brain messages not being accurately transmitted to the body; with Postural Disorder - affects muscle tone, balance, and the ability to successfully operate own muscles and body.
 * 3) **Sensory Discrimination Disorder** - incorrect processing of sensory information. This disorder affects visual, auditory, tactile, vestibular, gustatory, olfactory, and proprioceptive senses.

Sensory Integration Therapy
I have chosen Sensory Integration Therapy as the program to address the sensory challenges the young man from the video exhibited. It appeared to me that he was engaging his tactile and proprioceptive senses by tapping his head and rubbing his hair. Sensory Integration Theory is based on the principle that individuals are either overstimulated or understimulated by their environments. The purpose of this therapy is to improve the brain's ability to process sensory information in order to function during daily activities. Occupational therapists create a play room where children perform activities that combine sensory input with motion. These activities could include climbing through tunnels, swinging, playing with sand, and spinning in a chair. Through these activities, children learn to combine appropriate movement with input from their different senses.

Use of Self Stimulation to Improve Skill Acquisition
Self stimulation consists of repetitive motor and/or vocal behavior and is thought to provides personal pleasure or intense sensory feedback possibly to increase arousal and also to reduce stress. Stimming is also believed to be a way for the ASD child to control the environment by avoiding certain people or situations. With this knowledge it is possible for the teacher to adapt the classroom environment to meet the student's sensory needs. Additionally the teacher can shape stimming into more productive actions and allow stimming as a reward for the student for appropriated behavior and completing tasks.