ABSTRACT
For some people, however, their sensory experiences create significant problems that interfere with their ability to function. Lawson (2000), who has a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder, encounters and processes sensory experiences differently. Neuroscientists are now able to scan the brain using imaging techniques and they are continually discovering more details about the complex working of the brain. The brain is constantly receiving and processing information from the sensory systems. Trying to work out the reason for a particular behaviour is very complex as both hyperreactivity and hyporeactivity can result in sensory-seeking behaviour which means the same behaviour can be caused for different reasons. The child who is hyporeactive may be sensory seeking and crave intense sensory experiences to help them make sense of the environment. Some children may be both hyperreactive and hyporeactive in the same sensory system, depending on the stimulus. One child was both hypersensitive and hyposensitive to tactile input.
