Before I get a professional diagnosis...

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I'm not hypersensitive to noise. It actually calms me. I need loud noise to relax if I'm doing anything stressful or overwhelming, and it helps to pull me out of shutdowns as well.

When diagnosed I was asked if I heard sounds like cutlery from across a restaurant, or tuned in to conversations on other tables, but I'm the opposite there as well. Unless there is a very loud sound to stand out above the rest, my world just sounds muffled and underwater a majority of the time.

Busy places overwhelm me, so I may struggle with somewhere like McDonalds because of the people in there, but not the actual sound. It's more the unpredictable movements and behaviours, the lack of free space, that kind of thing. I can't describe it exactly, but it isn't about the noise - that actually soothes me.

My daughter has sensitivity to noise (not diagnosed, possibly not autistic, no idea just yet) and her experience of the world is very different to mine. She can't be outside without struggling if there are harsh bird sounds like crows or wood pigeons, she struggles to walk next to roads if there are cars regularly driving along them, she used to struggle with a lot of mechanical noises including garbage trucks, printers, hand dryers, vacuum cleaners and the like, but seems to have fought her way through this now. I have learned to identify all of the sounds that cause her to react, and that I imagine are issues similarly for many autistic people, but those same sounds tend to be the noises that generate calmness for me.

Interesting.

Can HS have it's own scale? Different people having different levels of reaction to different levels of X? Or do I have to go apeshit over the smallest thing to have it?

Also, regarding a diagnosis; would the military be able to help? I plan to join the Australian Air Force and apparently I'l have to do a psychological/character test. Would it be able to pick up if I'm ND?

Have you thought about other sensitivities? Mine were picked up in the areas of textures - I can't drink water because it has a funny 'texture', I can't touch pebbles/stones/chalk/certain fabrics unless absolutely forced to, and then I'm left shuddering because of them. And also light - I wear sunglasses a lot to combat this.

It doesn't necessarily have to be sound sensitivity, but I don't know that a diagnosis would happen if there were no sensitivities at all. I'm not aware of the exact criteria regarding this - I just know that it featured on my report.

I suppose I have a huge aversion to things like cooked cucumber and tomato. That sloppy texture, can't handel it man.
If I manage to get one piece down

Also I've noticed metal scrapping makes me cringe really hard.

I doubt the military would be able to help as it is not in their interest to do so unless you are an existing member and are having severe difficulties in coping.
From what you have posted about yourself I don't think the psych evaluation will pick up that you have a problem. I managed to get through the evaluation when I joined the military and although they worked out that I was not your standard issue applicant I wasn't throwing up big enough warning signs to rule me out.
The military is normally not getting enough new applicants, so as long as you pass the physical, can communicate and don't act too weird they will accept most people!

I'd think carefully about joining the military if you suspect you are ND. While the rigid rule based structure is attractive you still require decent social skills to get along with people. It will suit some people really well, for others it not so well. I was one of the ones that didn't suit that environment, my social skills caused some issues and I found that I never really fitted in anywhere and felt like an outsider most of the time.

I should be ok. I'm not the life of the party, but I still can hold and even start conversations albeit with a couple of awkward pauses here and there. I like to keep to myself but overall I'm fine with talking to people

I haven't got a professional diagnosis (Unless I was diagnosed in school and not aware). I doubt I could get one now, as I know I wouldn't meet all of the criteria, apart from special interests and sensory sensitivity my non-verbal communication is actually pretty good.