Sensory overload happens when the brain receives more sensory input than it can process. For autistic people, whose sensory systems often process input more intensely, this threshold is lower and the experience more severe.
What it looks like from the outside: a child covering their ears, becoming rigid, refusing to move, crying without apparent reason, becoming aggressive, or going completely silent. What it looks like from the inside: chaos. An inability to filter, prioritize, or manage incoming information. Everything at once, at full volume.
It is not a behavior problem. It is not manipulation. It is a neurological event that deserves the same compassion as a migraine.
Prevention:
- Learn the specific triggers. For some it is fluorescent lighting. For others, background noise, crowds, specific textures, or transitions.
- Build in decompression time before and after demanding sensory environments.
- Create low-stimulation spaces at home — quiet, dim, with access to preferred sensory tools.
In the moment:
- Reduce stimulation immediately. Lower volume, dim lights, move to a quieter space.
- Do not add more verbal input. Talking during overload often makes it worse.
- Stay calm. Your nervous system communicates to theirs.
- Wait it out. Recovery takes time.
After:
- What happened is data. Track patterns. Identify what preceded the event.
- Talk (later, when regulated) about what helped and what did not.
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