People experiencing Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) often encounter a serious symptom known as sensory overload. Although anyone can face sensory overload, it is more common and frequent in people who are diagnosed with autism. Sensory overload is characterized by excessive sensory stimuli from sight, hearing, touch, taste, or smell (Marco et al., 2011). The most common unstable stimulus is auditory sensory processing. Another common stimulus that can be hard to process for people diagnosed with ASD is “tactile sensory processing,” or hyperstimulation to light and particular clothing (Marco et al., 2011). Some of the major symptoms of sensory overload include headaches, nausea, dizziness, anxiety, or muscle tension. Currently, most signs of sensory overload in individuals who are diagnosed with autism are usually behavioral and are hard to detect until it is too late (Balasco et al., 2020). To combat this, a device that can sense and notify the user or a caretaker of the user that they might be feeling sensory overload can be extremely beneficial.
To effectively detect sensory overload, our assistive device – Ausense – is equipped with sensors that monitor physical signals of distress and factors, such as an increase in heart rate. These physiological changes are known to be reliable indicators of sensory overload (McCormick et al., 2014). Additionally, since sensitivity to different external stimuli is unique to each individual, any assistive technologies must be customizable. The device should allow the user to input specific sensory thresholds, such as brightness tolerance, noise sensitivity, or other quantifiable triggers, which would make the device more effective and user-friendly. Different people have varying sensory thresholds, which influence their susceptibility to sensory overload episodes (Melnick et al., 2013). The five senses play an important role in triggering sensory overload and factor in the triggers of people with autism. For example, excessive visual input significantly contributes to sensory overload by overwhelming the brain with too much information, making it difficult to focus and provoking both physical and emotional responses. Specifically, bright lights, crowded or cluttered spaces may all cause anxiety and distress, overall increasing the risk of sensory overload in people with autism. Sound is another major trigger, as loud and overwhelming noise can overwhelm the brain and lead to freeze responses as a general coping mechanism (MacLennan et al., 2021). Additionally, strong odors usually have the same effect: overstimulating the brain and contributing to sensory overload episodes. These specific triggers vary from person to person due to both genetics and tolerance thresholds; nonetheless, the outcome is an overwhelmed brain, which results in physical discomfort and behavioral changes. Sensory overload impacts daily life by making it difficult for individuals with autism to participate in activities, navigate environments, and engage in social situations due to the various sounds, smells, crowded places, and lighting that trigger them (Vries, 2021). It is detrimental to the mental health and capabilities of people with autism due to how it diminishes their brain’s functionality in certain environments and restricts their freedom to only areas in which there are no provocative stimuli. To prevent these circumstances from arising, assistive technology can be implemented to alert caretakers when certain harmful stimuli could be present in the user’s surroundings. Such a device could lay the foundations for people with autism to be better equipped to enter environments in which they may face a sensory overload episode, in a safer manner. Therefore, it is essential to design these types of technologies with user involvement. Having individuals with autism involved in the development and testing phases ensures that the device is both accessible and helpful in real-world settings. Their feedback regarding their requirements of comfort and effectiveness guides future improvements and updates.