Sensory overload vs sensory integration issues

Sensory sensitivities that are due to brain wiring differences are often disabling.

What I mean by this is that some people have brain wiring that creates sensory integration issues... which causes the brain to over respond to sensory inputs.

When sensory overload occurs because a person has sensory integration issues, it's not just that the person is "a little" more sensitive. Or even "highly sensitive" (as in a "highly sensitive person").

It's the brain not being able to integrate sensory inputs and causing the person extreme distress, which then interferes with daily functioning. 

These brain wiring differences are disabling.

Sensory integration issues are therefore a disability.

They can be a part of a larger disability (like autism) but they can exist independently from autism... and when they do, they are still disabling.

This is not a small thing for most people who have these issues. 

It's distressing, debilitating, and often all consuming. In other words, when in sensory distress the person is incapable of doing anything because their brain is hijacked for survival.

And I really wish more people understood this.