An incredible video, made by the National Autistic Society, features loud repetitive noises to simulate what sensory overload feels like for many children with autism.
We try to understand what it’s like, of course we do – but it’s easy to underestimate the effect sensory sensitivity can have simply because we don’t experience it. We can process the sounds of a car horn beeping without wanting to run away and hide, we can bear someone whistling without feeling like our head is going to explode.
We want to understand why many children with autism recoil from loud noises, or even noises that don’t seem loud to us at all, or bright flashes of light, but it’s not always easy. And it doesn’t make us bad people; it’s only natural that we can’t fully comprehend it.
That’s why we think this video is so incredible. It puts us in the shoes of the many children with autism who experience sensory sensitivity.
Have you watched it? It’s tough to listen to isn’t it? The shrillness, the loudness, the acute sensorial discomfort; it’s more than unpleasant, it’s plain horrible.
And that’s precisely why we love it so much – by conveying the experience of sensory overload so effectively, it fosters much needed empathy and compassion which benefits children, parents, family members, caregivers and educators.
