As mentioned earlier, many autistic individuals have sensory impairments. Sensory integration techniques are often used to treat dysfunctional tactile, vestibular, and proprioceptive senses. Some of the techniques involve swinging a child on a swing in various ways to help normalize the vestibular sense and rubbing different textures on the skin to normalize the tactile sense. In addition, an autistic woman, Dr. Temple Grandin, developed a hug machine which provides the individuals with deep pressure which appears to have a calming effect on the person. Many autistic individuals are also sensitive to sounds in their environment.
Visual training is another sensory intervention designed to normalize one's vision.
There are several different methods of visual training. After 50 years of research, traditional and contemporary approaches are enabling us to understand and treat these individuals. The logo for the national parent support group, the Autism Society of America, is a picture of a child embedded in a puzzle. Most of the pieces of the puzzle are on the table, but we are still trying to figure out how they fit together. We must also keep in mind that these pieces may fit several different puzzles.