Characteristics of Autism: Ritualistic Behaviors and Sensory Issues

Children with autism often show issues in the area of routines or repetitive behaviors. Many children demonstrate an obsessive need for sameness. They may have great difficulty when home or classroom routines are changed, possibly throwing huge tantrums. They may insist upon having everything in the same place all the time and get very upset if anything is moved. Sometimes a verbal child may show this desire for sameness in a preoccupation with a certain subject or area of interest to the exclusion of all others. This child with autism may talk incessantly about one topic, regardless of how bored his listeners are with it, and show no interest in anything else. He may ask the same question over and over, regardless of the reply. Many children with autism exhibit what is called self-stimulatory behavior: rapid, repetitive motor movements such as flapping hands, flicking fingers, or spinning things.

In addition to the problems outlined above, children with autism often show pronounced sensory issues. These can be expressed as either an extreme overreaction to sensory stimulation or as an extreme underreaction to sensory stimulation. Overreactive ("hypersensitive") children, for example, may be extremely sensitive to noises, constantly covering their ears. A child may hate being touched or refuse to wear certain types of clothing. He may be extremely sensitive to certain textures, tastes, or smells in food and refuse to eat all but a few foods. An underreactive ("hyposensitive") child may seem to need more of every sensation and will actively seek out increased input. A child who is underreactive to touch, for example, may crave deep pressure or actively try to dig things into his skin. A child may seem to crave motion, and may constantly run back and forth or jump up and down or spin to give himself more sensory input. A child who is underreactive may not seem to feel pain in a normal way. This can be very dangerous; a child who does not feel heat appropriately, for example, may not sense the danger of a hot pan or a fire and thus can be badly burned. Often children with autism will display a combination of both hypersensitivity and hyposensitivity, being over sensitive to sound, for example, while craving tactile sensation.

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Kranowitz, C. S., Silver, S.B. (1998). The Out-Of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping With Sensory Integration Dysfunction. Perigee Books. National Research Council (Ed.). (2001). Educating Children with Autism. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.