Glossary

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Audio-Visual Entrainment(also: AVE, Brainwave Entrainment)

Audio-visual entrainment (AVE) is a therapeutic technique that uses rhythmic light and sound stimuli to influence brainwave activity, guiding the brain toward specific frequency states associated with relaxation, focus, or reduced anxiety. The technique has been demonstrated to…

Autistic Meltdown(also: Meltdown, Sensory Meltdown)

An autistic meltdown is an intense, involuntary response to overwhelming sensory, emotional, or cognitive overload, during which an autistic person may temporarily lose the ability to regulate their behavior, emotions, or communication. Meltdowns can manifest as crying, shutting…

Binaural Beats

Binaural beats are an auditory phenomenon that occurs when two tones of slightly different frequencies are played simultaneously in separate ears through headphones, creating a perceived third tone whose frequency equals the difference between the two signals. For example, a 400…

Cutaneous Perception(also: Cutaneous Sense, Cutaneous Feedback, Tactile Perception)

The sensory experience derived from receptors beneath the surface of the skin that respond to temperature, pain, and pressure. In the context of assistive technology, cutaneous perception enables users to detect surface textures, raised patterns, and embossed details through…

Cymatics

The study of visible patterns and shapes created when sound vibrations pass through physical media such as water, sand, or metal plates. Cymatic patterns are deterministic — the same frequency produces the same pattern — creating a predictable visual representation of sound. In…

Decreased Sound Tolerance(also: DST, Sound Intolerance)

Decreased sound tolerance (DST) is an umbrella term for conditions in which everyday sounds are perceived as uncomfortably loud, threatening, or emotionally distressing. It encompasses hyperacusis (abnormal sensitivity to sound volume), misophonia (strong emotional reactions to…

Dysregulation(also: Emotional Dysregulation, Sensory Dysregulation)

Dysregulation is a state in which a person's emotional, sensory, or physiological response exceeds what they can manage given the current context - typically manifesting as distress, overwhelm, shutdown, or outburst. It is common in autism, ADHD, noise sensitivity, PTSD, and a…

Hyperacusis(also: Decreased sound tolerance)

A hearing condition in which everyday sounds are perceived as uncomfortably or painfully loud, even at volume levels that are tolerable for most people. Hyperacusis involves a reduced tolerance for the overall volume of sound rather than sensitivity to specific sound types…

Hypervigilance

A state of heightened alertness and sensitivity to potential threats in one's environment, commonly associated with PTSD, anxiety disorders, and trauma. Hypervigilant individuals may constantly scan for danger, feel uncomfortable with people behind them, need clear exit routes,…

Intentional Sensory Stimulation

A design approach for technology that deliberately leverages optimal sensory modes — visual, auditory, haptic, or multimodal — to facilitate comprehension and engagement, rather than simply reducing interface complexity. Introduced in the context of dementia accessibility…

Interoception(also: Interoceptive Awareness)

The sense of the internal state of the body, including perception of heartbeat, breathing, hunger, thirst, temperature, pain, and emotional feelings. Interoception enables people to recognize and respond to their physiological and emotional states. Differences in interoception…

Kinaesthetic Perception(also: Kinesthetic Perception, Kinaesthesia, Kinesthesia)

The sensory awareness of the position, movement, and force of body parts, derived from receptors in muscles, tendons, and joints. In the context of haptic technology and accessibility, kinaesthetic perception provides information about the shape, weight, and spatial extent of…

Kinesthetic Perception(also: Kinesthesia, Kinesthetic Sense, Kinesthetic Feedback)

The sensory awareness of body position, movement, and force through receptors located in muscles, tendons, and joints. In assistive technology, kinesthetic feedback is a component of haptic interaction where users perceive the position of their limbs and the forces applied to…

Misophonia(also: Selective sound sensitivity syndrome)

A neurological condition characterised by strong negative emotional and physiological reactions — such as anger, anxiety, disgust, or fight-or-flight responses — to specific trigger sounds, often repetitive human-produced sounds like chewing, breathing, tapping, or pen clicking.…

Multi-Sensory Environment(also: MSE, Snoezelen, Multisensory Room)

A specially designed space that combines sensory stimuli — such as lighting, sound, textures, and aromas — to provide therapeutic, calming, or stimulating experiences for people with disabilities. Originally developed in the Netherlands under the name Snoezelen, multi-sensory…

Noise sensitivity(also: Sound sensitivity, Auditory hypersensitivity)

A condition in which sounds that most people find tolerable are experienced as disproportionately distressing, overwhelming, or physically painful. Noise sensitivity exists on a spectrum from mild annoyance to extreme pain, and is common among neurodivergent individuals…

Phonophobia(also: Sound Phobia, Ligyrophobia)

Phonophobia is an intense fear or aversion to specific sounds or loud noises that goes beyond simple discomfort, often leading to avoidance behaviors such as fleeing from environments where triggering sounds may occur. Unlike hyperacusis (heightened sensitivity to sound volume)…

Photosensitivity(also: Light Sensitivity, Photophobia)

An abnormal sensitivity to light that can cause discomfort, pain, or visual disturbance. Photosensitivity affects many people with visual impairments and certain neurological conditions including migraine and epilepsy. In digital accessibility, photosensitivity considerations…

Sensory Adaptation(also: Habituation, Olfactory Fatigue)

Sensory adaptation is the diminishing response of a sensory system to a constant or repeated stimulus over time. Classic examples include no longer noticing a steady smell, becoming accustomed to ambient noise, or losing awareness of clothing pressed against the skin. In…

Sensory Based Motor Disorder(also: SBMD)

A subtype of Sensory Processing Disorder in which the brain has difficulty using sensory information to plan and execute motor actions. SBMD encompasses two sub-types: postural disorder, which affects balance and core stability, and dyspraxia, which impacts motor planning and…

Sensory Processing(also: Sensory Integration, Sensory Processing Differences)

Sensory processing refers to the way the nervous system receives, organizes, and responds to sensory input from the environment, including sound, light, touch, smell, taste, and movement. When sensory processing works differently — as is common in autistic individuals and people…

Sensory Processing Disorder(also: SPD, Sensory Integration Disorder, Sensory Integration Dysfunction)

A condition in which the brain has difficulty receiving, organizing, and responding to sensory information from the environment and the body. People with Sensory Processing Disorder may be oversensitive or undersensitive to sensory input — including touch, sound, light,…

Sensory Saltation(also: Cutaneous Rabbit Effect, Tactile Saltation)

A perceptual phenomenon in which a series of rapid taps delivered at discrete locations on the skin are perceived as a continuous movement or hopping sensation across the surface between the tap points. In assistive technology, sensory saltation is exploited in haptic interfaces…

Sensory overload(also: Sensory overstimulation, Overstimulation)

A state in which the brain receives more sensory input than it can effectively process, leading to feelings of overwhelm, distress, anxiety, or shutdown. Sensory overload is particularly common among autistic individuals and people with sensory processing differences, but can…

Sensory processing(also: Sensory integration, Sensory modulation)

The neurological process of receiving, organising, and interpreting sensory information from the environment (sight, sound, touch, smell, taste, proprioception, vestibular input) to produce appropriate responses. Differences in sensory processing are common in autism, ADHD, and…

Sound Localization(also: Auditory Localization)

The ability to determine the direction and distance of a sound source using auditory cues such as differences in timing and intensity between the two ears. Blind and visually impaired people often develop enhanced sound localization skills as a compensatory strategy for…

Spatial sensitivity(also: Personal space sensitivity, Proxemic sensitivity)

Heightened awareness of and discomfort with the physical proximity of others or objects, particularly common among autistic individuals and people with anxiety or PTSD. Spatial sensitivity involves strong reactions to violations of personal space boundaries, which can extend to…

Tactile Reading(also: Touch Reading)

The process of reading text through the sense of touch, primarily using the fingertips to perceive raised characters such as braille. Tactile reading requires distinct perceptual and cognitive skills from visual reading, including fine tactile discrimination, spatial pattern…

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