Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have an inability to deal with an overstimulating environment. For them, the world can be a confusing place because there is too much information. People who do not have ASD (e.g., neurotypical people) are able to process more sensory information whereas individuals with ASD can suffer from sensory overload. This is because the way in which their brains take in sensory information is different to that of neurotypical individuals.
Many homes during the COVID-19 pandemic have been chaotic and as such it is important to find out the differences between pre/post-pandemic home environments. People who live in chaotic home environments will have significantly more sensory information compared to a stable home environment which has been shown to have a negative impact on brain processing. Given that people with ASD are more sensitive to sensory signals, a chaotic home environment may have a greater negative impact which may lead to increased anxiety and non-social behaviours
Research is needed to see if a link between overstimulation, and emotional and sensory information processing in ASD individuals exists. Recent findings suggest a link between sensory and emotional processing in the brain, in turn emotional processing is linked with increased anxiety and non-social behaviour. Because of this it is expected that a decline in cognitive functioning would be linked to and maybe result in a deterioration of emotional processing which leads to higher levels of anxiety in people with ASD.
