Sensory Inputs 

Sensory inputs are an everyday thing for anyone around us. Whether that’s the neighbor or the stranger on the bus, they all deal with inputs around them. While for many people, it may not be as overwhelming, for many others, it may be too much. 

The fact that sensory issues are a big concern for people on the autism spectrum shows how much society truly knows. There are people who don’t have hypersensitivity and those that do have it. Whether it is lights, sounds, touch, taste, or everything else that deals with the senses. For example, at least for me, the sound of something humming, a pen clicking, and a computer being typed on all come in at the same volume or frequency, and all at once. It can be very overwhelming for people to try and digest everything that is coming at them at one time. I tend to always keep my headphones on or around me just in case something starts to set me off. 

There are those that tend to feel everything all the time and those that don’t feel anything at all. Finding a balance in a world that feels like too much all at once, or nothing at all, is a bit difficult to experience at times. From the outside, it might seem like someone is having a tantrum. That may be true but consider all the input one person gets on average and then multiply that by, well, a lot. 

By shedding light on these challenges with sensory inputs, hopefully more people will understand what everyone goes through in their personal lives. Just because someone may look like they’re having a good day, they could be just holding themself together by a thread. So, the next time you see someone struggling with sensory overload, keep that in mind and don’t forget your empathy card.