As a pediatric therapist, I have been treating children on the Autistic Spectrum for 20 years. It is well known by most moms that if they have a child on the spectrum they understand the term “sensory defensiveness” or more common, “fight-or-flight.” This manifests itself as behavioral issues but is a result of an unbalanced autonomic nervous system. When the sympathetic nervous system is stuck in a mode where it constantly increases our response to stimulus, or “upregulates,” it triggers sensory defensiveness in children. What is the Fight-or-Flight Response? The fight-or-flight response, refers to a physiological reaction that occurs in the presence [...]