ever feel like a label instead of a person?

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i have high functioning autism and all the sensory processing difficulties that go with it. My hands and feet feel too big for my body which causes me to be clumsy, poor coordination and lots of accidents. Im so sensitive to different textures some confort others hurt. I hear everything at the same level and cannot filter out sounds so my ears feel huge and my head hurts i lip read due to this and if its a noisy environment and the person isnt looking at me i wont hear them. Most people dont try to understand and i just feel like a pain most of the time. Even at work - they apparently wouldnt have taken me on if they knew what was wrong with me as im too much of a risk! A labell - i wish they could try a day in my body and see how challenging it is then they might understand - no bodily awareness - great big ears, hands, feet, eyes, tounge and nose and virtually unable to communnicate effectivly with others! constantly on overload - anyone else ever feel like this or have similar problems??? seg

No, I have some sensory issues but not as extreme as you describe. I never feel that my bodyparts are the wrong size either.
Do you get support for your issues?
What work do you do?

hi thaks for your reply I get some support from an occupational therapist she is very good and really understands but its everyone else that doesnt!! I work in a restaurant and its very noisy and lots of people - all the things that drive me crazy but i like the job as im moving around (as i cant sit still!! !) and know what is expected of me !

I have bad sensory issues too, and I would turn into a zombie if I had to work in a restaurant. That is one of the worst environments for an autistic person. I hear all noises at the same loud volume too. I had major problems working in a lab due to my sensory issues. When I'm overloaded, I get super clumsy.

Hmmmm.. I agree that a restaurant is not a great place for an autistic person to work. When I go to a restaurant to eat I find it almost impossible to have conversations... there is back ground music, chatter from other people, sometimes kitchen noises. If you work there it must be a lot harder!
But the value of a job where you know what is being expected of you should not be underestimated!... that is rare. Most jobs are unc;ear and confusing, so I'd understand why you want to keep this one.
You should discuss it with your therapist, and perhaps it would be better to look for another job. Just don't leave the one you got before you have a new one! At least since you already have a job, you can look for something that is better than what you have and you don't need to take any job that comes available.

I once had a temporary job as a cleaner. I worked alone, from 5 am to 9 am and I had a list of things I needed to do. I loved it. An entire office all for myself, no colleagues, and very clear instructions typed out on an A4, and after work I still had the whole day for myself.

hi,

i do find working in the restaurant really hard - there are so many different noises and i hear them all at the same loud volume.- im overloaded the whole time by the end of the day my head hurts, i feel sick, my eyes feel like theyre bulging out of my head my ears feel ten times their normal size, my nose feels big and my hands and feet feel huge and im super clumsy.

My mum keeps telling me to stop moaning and just get on with it as jobs are hard to come by and theyre tollerant of me but i struggle so much. My boss is concerned about me working there as i have had so many accidents and for my safety they wouldnt have taken me on if they knew what was wrong with me when they hired me.Im not allowed to have any more accidents - this makes me stressed as im trying to be more careful and the more stressed i get the worse my sensory issues hence making me more clumsy!! grr!! I also hate change it sends me totally off the rails so the thought of getting a different job really freeks me out especially as theyre so tollerant of me and i know whats expected of me! And i like that !


I would rather be deaf than have my sensory hearing issues!! I hold my ears and rock among other things to try to comfort myself when it gets toooo much. people stare at me and almost make me feel like its my fault for the way i am - i dont enjoy being me its a nightmare and i wish they could try it for a day - i even get called an attention seeker - when your so overloaded and on the verge of a meltdown and you get called that it makes you want to blow! you try to explain gow you feel but then where your only young they say "your only young what are you gunna be like when you get to their age" who cares im trying to deal with whats happening now!! !

I will talk to my OT when i see her in January but i dont think theres a quick fix to my job situation! The only time i feel at the right sensory level is when im driving as im strapped in tight and know exactly how big the car is ! !!

So you feel good when driving... Perhaps you can start your own taxi business?

I was a terrible fast food worker.....got fired in less than 2 months. My problems with it also had to do with sensory overload and clumsiness (as well as problems multi-tasking). Restaurants have way to many different sounds and smells and there's just way too much going on there....and you have to work quickly and accuratley in this kind of environment. It's a much more difficult job than it seems.

To the OP,

I feel labeled all the time. There are people who know that Im a diagnosed and identifying aspie. I make no secret about it. The ones who care enough actually ask me "Ok, Im sorry, if this is too much for you, we can back off it a little, or whatever." But for the most part I get labled the "Weird network guy that the customer should never see or even be aware exists". Thats just professionally.

In my personal life, Im often seen as a weird, eccentric, and even in a good many cases, easily controlled and directed person. This causes relative disaster in my life fairly constantly. Im so over-tuned to such things that I react very angrily towards it. Then I just get called out of control weirdo get away from me guy.

All of this coupled with the fact that the Conneticut boy chose to do what he did, and now people who know Im an aspie have asked me, most irreverently if my condition made it easy for me to harm others.

Imi quite tired of the labels, and the jeers, and being the butt of others jokes.