Sensory Overload What is it? And how does it happen? Sensory overload means that an autistic person has reached or surpassed their capacity for processing sensory stimulus and the input in which their brain process that stimulus effectively. This tends to happen because many autistic individuals have heightened or atypical sensory sensitivities, meaning sounds, lights, textures, smells, or other sensory stimuli may be perceived as far more intense than their neurotypical peer