Understanding Autism

Autism is a complex condition that has many different symptoms, varieties, types, and co-occurring conditions. Appropriately, it is referred to as a spectrum, since there are so many different ways to experience it. If your child has autism, it may look completely different from another child who does as well. If your child is one who experiences sensory processing difficulties, there are ways to can help your child regulate their emotions and channel it into something healthy, fun, and discreet. Keep reading to learn more about sensory processing and how fidget toys, like our Bubble Wand and Rainbow Fidget Scrubs, can help!

Does Your Child Have Sensory Sensitivities?

Sensory issues are common in people with autism and are even included in the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder. Each autistic person is unique, and this includes their personal sensory sensitivities.

People with autism might have sensitivities to:

• Sights
• Sounds
• Smells
• Tastes
• Touch
• Balance (vestibular)
• Awareness of body position and movement (proprioception)
• Awareness of internal body cues and sensations (interoception)

Autistic people can experience both hypersensitivity (over-responsiveness) and hyposensitivity (under-responsiveness) to a wide range of stimuli. Most people have a combination of both.

Many autistic people experience hypersensitivity to bright lights or certain light wavelengths (e.g., LED or fluorescent lights). Certain sounds, smells, textures and tastes can also be overwhelming. This can result in sensory avoidance – trying to get away from stimuli that most people can easily tune out. Sensory avoidance can look like pulling away from physical touch, covering the ears to avoid loud or unpredictable sounds, or avoiding certain kinds of clothing.

[source: https://www.autismspeaks.org/sensory-issues ]

How Sensory Processing Impacts Daily Life

Many people with autism show certain behaviors when they are experiencing a sensory issue:

• Increased movement, such as jumping, spinning or crashing into things
• Increased stimming, such as hand flapping, making repetitive noises or rocking back and forth
• Talking faster and louder, or not talking at all
• Covering ears or eyes 
• Difficulty recognizing internal sensations like hunger, pain or the need to use the bathroom
• Refusing or insisting on certain foods or clothing items
• Frequent chewing on non-food items
• Frequent touching of others or playing rough
• Difficulty communicating or responding as the brain shifts resources to deal with sensory input (shutdown)
• Escalating, overwhelming emotions or need to escape a situation (meltdown)

[source: https://www.autismspeaks.org/sensory-issues ]

If your child is exhibiting any of the above behaviors, chances are they have a sensory processing sensitivity. Luckily, there are many ways you can accommodate your child to help ease them in stressful situations that may spark these behaviors. There are ways you can look ahead, predict, prepare, and help keep your child calm, regulated, and feeling safe.

How Fidget Toys Can Help

Fidget toys are an easy way to help your child regulate their emotions, senses, and stressors. They can self-regulate in stressful situations, places they need to focus, or when they need to stay calm and sit still. Loud places, the classroom, restaurants, a doctor’s waiting room and more are all great places to use a sensory fidget toy to help keep your child calm, safe, and happy.

There are endless types of fidget toys depending on your child’s sensory needs. Some of them have sounds, lights, vibrations, and much more to give your child the sensory feedback they need in the moment. It’s all about trial and error—see what your child likes! 

Innobaby has an entire line of sensory fidget toys that are discreet, quiet, great for the classroom, and great for development.

Sensory Bubble Play Skin Happy Botanical Bubbles & Blower Set

Perfect for sensory play, learning, bubble therapy, the classroom, birthday parties, special events, and more, this uniquely designed bubble system is nontoxic, calming, and worry-free for parents. Made with plant extracts, coconut oil, and purified water, the skin-happy botanical bubble solution is easy on sensitive skin.

If your child loves bubbles, but you hate the mess and constantly dipping a wand into a messy jug, you’ll love how simple, easy, and mess-free this bubble blower is! Simply pour bubble solution into the tray, dip and twirl the blower, and start blowing bubbles!

And, don’t worry: The wand does not allow for backflow to drip down the wand while blowing! 

It is great for speech therapy, oral and motor developmental exercises, visual tracking, and spatial awareness development. In addition, the bubble solution pops dry, which allows for great classroom, therapy room, and indoor play!

Rainbow Fidget Scrubs

Looking for something more discreet for the classroom? Look no further than our Rainbow Fidget Scrubs! Made entirely of silicone, enjoy mess-free and distraction-free tactile sensory fun without bothering others or drawing attention. They’re perfect for the classroom, office, car, restaurant, doctor’s waiting room, and everywhere in between!

With a dual-textured design, it features soft and durable silicone spikes on one side and a smooth surface on the other. Our product testers couldn’t put them down!

For even more tactile fun, squeeze two Fij-it toys together and enjoy the satisfaction of peeling them apart. Made from 100% Silicone, SPIKE Fij-it™ toys are hypoallergenic and non-toxic, as well as BPA, phthalate, latex, and odor-free. Naturally antibacterial silicone is easy to clean and can be sterilized for deep cleaning after a long day of sensory squeezing fun.

For more parenting tips, autism information, and products for sensory kids, visit us at Innobaby.com!