Sensory overload  is when your brain is receiving more input from your senses than it can process. Your body enters fight or flight mode and responds as though to a crisis. You might scream, run away, hit something or curl up and shut down.


Something that is a trigger for you may not be a trigger for someone else. This often leads to others misinterpreting a behavior as acting out because they don’t realize what your sensory threshold is. Recognizing your threshold and understanding potential triggers in your environment can help you and others develop strategies to de-escalate when the need arises.