Autism WITHOUT Sensory Issues

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I have been diagnosed with Aspergers and I would say I have "minor" sensory issues, i.e I think I startle more easily or am more jumpy in response to sounds (e.g. dogs barking). Some sounds are particularly uncomfortable or painful (friction related sounds, scraping, squeaks, sometimes people's voices etc.)
I dislike certain textures like the feel of newspapers or the interaction of different textures and the sounds they make. I also don't like the feeling of cream on the palm of my hands so I rarely moisturise (and my hands get quite dry and rough to the point of other people commenting on it). I didn't really know any of these were possibly abnormal.

I also have other sensitivities, to alcohol and caffeine I believe. I am particularly sensitive to alcohol when I'm tired or stressed, i've got really drunk (to the point of wobbling) from half a pint of beer! Caffeine mainly gives me gastrointestinal problems (I always saw this as just an interaction with my anxiety but now I'm not sure).

I get a stomach cramp whenever I have acidic foods, such as orange juice and fruit (even apples which aren't that acidic) on an empty stomach. Not sure if that's just normal though?

I'm also highly anxious and find that this affects how easily startled I am. Day time naps are horrible and I feel really hypersensitive after waking up. Every sound will seem to really jump out at me, even just the rustling of a plastic bag or the sound of running water. I also feel really disorientated.

Bright lights do not seem to affect me so much. I have more of an emotional reaction to different kinds of light. I find fluorescent light depressing and certain times of the day really beautiful to the point of obsession. This might not have anything to do with aspergers. Either way I don't always relate to other aspies' accounts of their sensory issues. I don't know if I've ever had a sensory overload. I don't believe I am a textbook case by any means.

I used to think that I didn't have sensory issues, but I've realized that I do. Most are mild, but some are moderately severe. The most prevalent one for me is loud noise. I never enjoy loud noises, and I like things like TV volume and music to be much quieter than others. I can tolerate loudness for a short time; I can enjoy going to a movie theater (very loud!) about once every two years. More often is too much and is hard to tolerate and not enjoyable at all.

My next issue is bright light. I wear sunglasses outside all the time, even in cloudy weather. Lights can be too bright in some buildings.

I didn't know it was an issue because I squinted all the time without realizing it (giving myself a headache in the process) and I just thought everyone felt this way and just dealt with it. No, lights don't bother other people as much.

Flashing lights REALLY bother me, but those are easier to avoid. If I can't avoid a blinking light for some reason, it can cause a panic meltdown or a rage meltdown all by itself.

Keep in mind that sensory issues can also include being very insensitive to certain sensations. I seem to have a more sensitive sense of sight and hearing (I'm always the first to hear sirens in the distance or see emergency vehicle lights. Sometimes I hear them before my dog) but I seem to have a less sensitive sense of smell and taste. I like strong flavors; strong tea, strong coffee, heavily seasoned foods. I also love foods that are VERY spicy. Korean kim-chi is incredibly spicy, I make my own extra-hot but otherwise traditional version. At the local Mexican restaurant, they bring me the habanero salsa with my chips, and I usually pour it on the food, too. I've noticed that I eat much more of a meal if it is spicy; I would eat less than half of the same meal without any heat to it.

In my younger years I was hyposensitive and these days I'm hypersensitive.

It may seem kind of strange but my level of over or under sensitivity usually has to do with my motivations, energy and social ability. When I'm very hyper I'm hypersensitive but when I'm depressed or even just feeling under motivated I'm less bothered by sensory stimuli. I can barely notice it.

As a child I was extremely quiet, withdrawn from others and didn't feel as connected to the environment.

Anyway, I'm rambling. What I meant to say is being hyposensitive is also a sensory problem. Most people who have hyposensitivity can barely experience their senses, so it doesn't seem as much as a problem than being hyper sensitive. I miss my hypo days. I could injure myself badly and laugh because I couldn't react how one normally would - cry, scream, say 'ow.' Now I really experience my environment. I like it when I turn off from it though. That's when I go into shutdown.

I have a lot more control over my environment than I did when I was younger.

For example, I'm no longer in school ALL DAY with fluorescent lights. I hate them! I do have to go to school where there are fluorescent lights, but only for a couple of hours now, not all day every day. Fluorescent lights really bother my eyes. They get all dried out and start to hurt. I blink and blink, and I look like I'm going to start crying. They also hum, which is distracting.

The best thing I did for noise was to get rid of the TV.

I tend to wear the exact same clothes over and over because they are super comfortable, and my other clothes get ignored.

I sort-of follow a "diet", especially when it comes to noise. Say I can tolerate 100 "units" of noise a day. Going out to a noisy place might be 75 units worth. If I have already gotten up to 50 units of noise before leaving the house, the noisy place will put me over my limit and that's bad. But, if I have only gotten up to 25 units or less before leaving the house, the noisy place will not bother me so much.

For me, the sensory issues are worse if there is a "build up" of overload. I am OK with singular experiences if I have time to lay low before hand and after, unless that one singular experiences blows out all my tolerance level because it is THAT intense. Following a sensory "diet" has definitely helped my stress levels.

When I was younger, I didn't know I had these problems so I just kept going and kept going, thinking that was how things were supposed to be. I was constantly stressed out and had way more meltdowns than I do these days. I didn't connect that the meltdowns, in part, were due to sensory overload.

When I got older and started dating my now-husband, I would go over to his apartment, walk in, and immediately turn down the TV. That is when I first realized that I don't have the same level of toleration as most people. Now, my family knows that I don't like loud things and I basically have the final say.

I don't have any problems with lights (fluorescent or otherwise), sounds or smells. When I see posts about having problems going to grocery stores etc because of sensory issues, I don't get it. My only problem there is what I'm gonna pick and what it'll cost.
Likewise, I never had a problem with the alleged brightness of the New WP, I've never been driven up the wall by sounds like so many here talk about. Sounds can be annoying psychologically but they don't get on my nerve, it's the things behind them that tend to annoy me. (Example: I'm not fond of children. Once I thought I heard a baby crying in the stairwell, and immediately I felt annoyed. Then I realized it was a small dog, not a baby. Annoyance gone. New reaction: smile, that's cute. Aww.. Same sound, reaction was all about the emotions attached).

I'm dependent on silence when I'm gonna focus on something (reading, writing for instance), but I know NTs that are the same way, like when they balance check books they need silence.
It's not about the noise itself, it's a concentration issue. And my concentration sure can be poor... I have said before that it's hyperfocus or no focus all the way, and although slightly exaggerated, there is a lot of truth to it.
I've slept through a fire alarm on the floor below us. It was annoying sure, but there were NTs there who were upset by it, while I just found it a little annoying.
I have family members who are sensitive to sounds or some sounds, while I'm not. They are/were definitely NTs in spite of that issue.

I am particular about food, but other than slimy foods, I can always force myself to eat it, and once it's eaten, the problem is gone, I'm over it. I don't need to recover.

So I thought I didn't have any sensory issues.

But just recently I saw a PDF from the Norwegian bureau for employment, and it listed possible sensory issues aspies can have. Among them were sensitivity to heat and cold. I have always been extremely sensitive to heat and am miserable in warm weathers. So if that's a sensory thing (I didn't think it was, as it doesn't seem connected to the senses of sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste), then I def do have that issue.

I don't think the presence or absence of sensory issues mean or should mean anything in regards to having Aspergers. It wasn't part of the original criteria, and certainly shouldn't be anything but a possible issue. OTOH, they seem to have removed the possible issue of being clumsy, which apparently a lot of aspies are, and I certainly am. I think that should be added back in as a possible issue. I'm not impressed by the DSM changes, but that's another topic.

If I do have sensory issues then I'm not aware of it.

I can't remember a time when i've had an averse reaction to a smell, sound or sensation. Well no, when I was a kid I didn't like to hear the noise of the blender or vacuum, and I would cover my ears. But that's the only thing I can think of. I filter a huge amount of information out. I can literally stare at a thing in front of me for five minutes and not notice that something's there. I guess I'm the exception to the norm, or something.

The research in the sensory processing disorder area says that 75-80% of those with an ASD have clinically significant sensory processing impairments (and would be diagnosable with SPD). Not all, but a large majority.

I've also read research that says that females with autism tend to have more significant sensory processing problems than males. We have a larger percentage active here female than the 4:1 diagnosed professional with ASD, which could also lead to even more talk about sensory processing.

I've always wondered how people know how many females, or makes, are here. I don't even see it in the profile anymore. Do you know?

It's no longer on profiles but from usernames, profiles, user past mentioning they are female, and the activity in the women's section is what this is based on I guess.

But I haven't noticed there being that many girls here. I'd still say there are less than males. If it's higher than 4:1 (so closer to 1:1) then I haven't noticed. Impossible to really say for sure. Maybe girls are more active here? Post more? I've never really tried to observe it before. I wouldn't say that it's false though and wouldn't be too surprised.

No clue anymore. I was using memory from the members who were active before the swap. I'd looked through what people reported when I was reading studies on the differences in presentation, to see what the approximate ratio was. Don't remember what it was in particular, but remember it wasn't the 4:1.

I actually prefer there there being no gender related field.

I hope it's not rude, do you mind my asking why you prefer that?

I preferred the gender field. I don't see and recognize faces well, but I like having a generic image I can see in my mind of male or female. It's just more comfortable to me to have that image in my head, now my mind-screen is blank and it makes me uneasy

I think it's really hard to notice sensory issues, since someone with sensory issues has usually never experienced life without sensory issues. It took me years to understand mine.

Sensory issues aren't just about how painful or uncomfortable sensory input is, but also susceptibility to being overstimulated. Overstimulation is a graduale process that usually isn't noticeable or problematic until most of what caused it is long gone.

There are a lot of stereotypes of people in general due to their sex and gender, and there are a lot of stereotypes of people in regards to autism, when it comes to their sex (less gender but some).

Gender-fields are rarely friendly to anyone who is genderqueer in any manner. What we had before required you to select male or female, didn't even allow someone to select "other" or "I decline to answer".

When there is gendered information, you are expected to use gendered information. For example, when people see "female" on a profile on here, there are expectations from some here, that you use this for how you interact with someone, and for how you view their autism. This can be quite irritating for many reasons.

Thank you for answering. I was thinking they could add a third option and that would work, but it seems like you're saying maybe not.

I've read some of the descriptions of males and females on the spectrum, but don't understand quite. You're saying there's a difference in the expectations people have of interactions with female and males on the spectrum? Do you mind saying what the expectations are and how they differ? I always seem to surprise and annoy people IRL and I am wondering if I am not understanding something, if this is why.

A third option would help dramatically. Either some sort of 'other' of 'I don't want to say'

Expectations? Females are mellower, males are more aggressive. Females quieter, males louder. Males are expected to do more of the "butting into conversations inappropriately, and talking over you", while females are expected to be shy, try to fit in but do it just enough wrong that they can't fit in, more likely end up abused. Males have special interests, females interests "look like normal interests just stronger". Females learn social stuff better.

(And of course nobody is anything but male or female)

I have a hard time in loud environments, because I can't hear myself talk. Other than that, I don't have many sensory issues.