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Sensory Sensitivity due to Autism Spectrum Disorder

Santa Paula, California

Jasmine Avalos Barajas

California State University, Channel Islands

HLTH 102: Community Health Organizations

Professor Blair Craddock

Fall 2019
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Sensory Sensitivity due to Autism Spectrum Disorder in Santa Paula, California

Santa Paula, California

In the city of Santa Paula, California I was able to identify a small community of children

who are on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and face challenges in their environment due

to sensory sensitivity concerns. According to the CDC.gov “Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is

a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral

challenges. People with ASD often have problems with social, emotional, and communication

skills.” (2019, August 27) At this moment, the community of children with ASD who have

sensory sensitivity concerns that I was able to identify in the city of Santa Paula, CA consists of

one girl, age 5 and two boys; ages 6 and 8. These three children attend the same elementary

school and participate in a special education program. I was able to find this community through

a personal acquaintance with the mother of one of the participants and through that association I

found the other two participants. For this assignment I communicated with the mothers of the

participants, seeing as they were the primary caregivers for the children. After receiving photo

submissions and conducting interviews with the participants caregivers, I was able to identify

three areas where the children’s health was impacted due to issues of sensory sensitivities, these

areas include oral hygiene, nutrition and neurological health.

Oral Hygiene

The first photo I will reference is of a toothbrush and toothpaste. I received this photo

from the primary caregiver of a 5-year-old girl who has (ASD), I will reference to her as girl to

preserve her anonymity. When asked “What do you see here?” in reference to the photo, her

mother responded, “A daily battle, my daughter has a really hard time brushing her teeth.”

“Many children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) exhibit difficulties with activities of daily
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living.” (Stein 2012) Numerous children on the Autism spectrum disorder experience discomfort

practicing oral care, factors deemed difficult are; taste, texture, vibrations, lights and sounds.

Ways to ease discomfort are to create a calm environment to brush in and to avoid using loud,

vibrating, light up toothbrushes. Also, the implication of occupational therapy can benefit

children and their parents who are struggling with this. This is important because oral hygiene is

a fundamental part or overall health and neglecting this area can lead to other issues like cavities

and gingivitis.

Nutrition

The second photo is a photo of a bag from the fast-food chain chick-fil-a. This photo was

submitted to me by the mother of participant two, an 8-year-old boy on the Autism Spectrum

Disorder. Through debriefing with the participant’s mother, I was able to gain awareness of the

issues faced in nutrition and eating habits when you are dealing with sensory sensitivity. The 8-

year-old’s mother explained that her son was a very picky eater and occasionally refuses to eat

anything except his favorite meal from chick-fil-a. Food selectivity is a problem in a majority of

children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and can have serious nutritional implications

(Suarez 2014). According to a meta-analysis by Sharp et al. (2013), children with ASD were at a

significant risk of serious nutritional deficits such as; lower intake of protein and calcium.

(Suarez 2014) Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder frequently refuse to eat fruits and

vegetables and some might prefer foods that are high in fat and sugar. This puts ASD children

who are experiencing food selectivity at risk for diabetes and obesity. A course of action a parent

or caregiver of a child on the spectrum who is eating selectively can take to increase nutritional

value is to, work with the textures and flavors the child is fond of and build from that by

incorporating new tastes gradually.

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Neurological Health

The third and final photo is of participant three, a 6-year-old boy on the Autism Spectrum

Disorder seen covering his ears and looking down at a screen device. When I interviewed the

participants mother and asked the question “What’s really happening here?” her reply was that

he is reacting to the loud sounds in a busy laundromat. She also pointed out that he is covering

his ears and either humming or singing as a method of calming himself down. Autistic children

go into “meltdown” not too exhibit bad behavior, but as an intense response to overwhelming

situations. (Ryan 2010) For example, lights, unusual noises, darkness, crowds, queues, smells,

unfamiliar places and people can all bewilder and overwhelm children with ASD in public

spaces. (Ryan 2010) When autistic children encounter stressful situations in which a meltdown

occurs the stress hormone cortisol is released in their brain. Due to the frequency that autistic

children experience meltdowns it may affect their functioning. In a research study by Carol

Westby, she aimed to measure the effects of cortisol levels in children with autism spectrum

disorder. “These findings suggest that differences in cortisol levels and stress may be linked to

the functional level, specifically IQ, of children with ASD.” (Westby 2016)

Conclusion

In conclusion, children in the community of Santa Paula, CA who are on the Autism

Spectrum Disorder are at risk for issues that can affect their health due to sensory sensitivity

difficulties. Areas where these risks were identified included oral hygiene, nutrition and

neurological health. Potential health threats from neglecting oral hygiene can lead to cavities and

gingivitis. Currently there are resources available for Ventura County residents on the Autism

Spectrum to obtain individualized dental services with professionals who are trained in Applied

Behavior Analysis (ABA) to support healthy dental habits in patients on the Autism Spectrum.
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(Health Services; Medical Providers-Dentists). Due to the frequency in which autistic children

experience meltdowns, the stress hormone cortisol may affect the children’s functional level.

Presently, there are local services such as behavior service providers, counseling, occupational

therapists, support groups and advocacy websites that can be useful outlets in the management of

stress management for children and adults with Autism. Most of these resources are available at

no cost or covered by most government funded insurance programs. Lastly, lack of proper

nutrition in ASD children puts them at risk for malnutrition, obesity and diabetes. At the time of

my research, I was not able to locate nutritional services in Ventura County that were dedicated

to educating and training caregivers and individuals on meeting nutritional needs for the

demographic of residents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This gap in resources presents an

opportunity for professionals on the nutrition side to collaborate with behavioral specialists to

research and locate how to improve the nutrition for many of the individuals who have sensory

problems regarding food.

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Appendix

Photo: Participant 1 Photo: Participant 2

Photo: Participant 3
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References

Health Services & Medical Providers - Dentists. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.autismventura.org/autism-resource-guide/wpbdp_category/health-services-

medical-providers-dentists/

Ryan, S. (2010). ‘Meltdowns’, surveillance and managing emotions; going out with children

with autism. Health & Place, 16(5), 868-875.

Stein, L. I., Polido, J. C., & Cermak, S. A. (2012). Oral care and sensory concerns in autism.  The

American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 66(5), e73-6.

doi:http://dx.doi.org.summit.csuci.edu/10.5014/ajot.2012.004085

Suarez, M. A., Nelson, N. W., & Curtis, A. B. (2014). Longitudinal follow-up of factors

associated with food selectivity in children with autism spectrum disorders. Autism,

18(8), 924–932. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361313499457

Westby, C. (2016). Autism, Cortisol Levels, and Stress. Word of Mouth, 27(5), 15–16.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1048395016631539e

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder? (2019, August 27). Retrieved from

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html.