How can I tell if I am having sensory issues?

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I mean, of course bright light is offensive to many people's eyes, even NTs, because it's damn bright! But if I get angry because it's bright, is this an autistic reaction? Is it "not normal" to feel intensely uncomfortable, offended and aggravated when a family member unexpectedly touches you? (I also have to hit or rub the area that they touched to make it feel "right" again.)

I also have a fixation in knowing where things have been. I can't let anyone bring me food if I wasn't there to witness it being made, because who knows what they might have done to it? Dropped it on the floor? Spit in it? Touched it with unwashed hands? (Only exception is restaurants, because I have to eat somewhere!)

I can't let anyone else in my apartment, either. I scrubbed and cleaned like a maniac before I brought my belongings, and now nobody else can set foot in it, or I will have a breakdown. It's mine, nobody else can taint it.

I am looking for answers but unfortunately am too poor to seek a professional opinion. But I would appreciate if anyone could perhaps share their own first-hand sensory problems, so I can understand. Google articles really don't put it in enough detail (and aren't written by autistics or aspies). Thanks.

It sounds to me, (based on your very brief description, so of course this doesn't carry a lot of weight) that while you have sensory issues, OCD is more pressing for you. Needing to do things like keep all people out of your apartment, or rubbing an area that's been touched until you feel normal again. These are things that seem to fall under OCD more than simply sensory stuff. I'm sure you're already aware that a lot of Autistics have OCD going on too, so you are in good company. The problem with not treating OCD is that it can get a lot worse, so keep an eye out for yourself. If you note that your life is getting smaller and smaller because of the things you have to do, its time to find medical treatment. I know you said that you can't afford it, but there are free clinics and such. Don't worry about it too much, but tuck it in the back of your head. Don't let yourself get too wrapped up in that stuff. Don't let it make you miserable.

Getting enraged because the lights are too bright seems like more of a pure sensory thing, although many people would just shut down instead of getting mad.

I had a good friend that paid for a year of a psychologist's services because they were concerned for me.
The psychologist I saw specialized in OCD and told me I didn't have it, but rather, "displayed OCD tendencies".

I can say for certainty that I have been perceived as having "germaphobia" by many people, but it's not about germs, it's about dogs. What if people have dog dander on their clothes, and they enter my apartment? It's an oddly specific fixation. I would care much less if someone shook hands with me and their hand was covered in human feces. Like... oh well? It's nasty, but I would not have a meltdown. I would, however, if it was instead dog dander, dog saliva, anything like that. I have no idea why but I have always been this way.

That's my most severe problem. Others are like, I have to wear earplugs to the laundromat and other places. If I plug a cord into an electrical socket, I can hear it. Very annoying.
If people talk during one of my favorite movies/songs/video games, I become very agitated. I also get upset if I am showing them one of my favorites and they don't pay attention or if they criticize it.

I won't keep going, since it's kind of late. But thanks for reading.

Sensory overload can make me feel edgy, angry, sort tempered and things like that. Can eventually lead to a meltdown.

I agree with somanyspoons. However, I think the book Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight would be a great investment for you. You might find that, like me, a lot of other quirks and difficulties you have relate to sensory issues. Have you filled out any online symptom checklists for SPD?

This is actually a good question. Seeing how if your autistic you have had sensory sensitivity your whole life so it doesnt seem sensitive to you its just normal.

I didnt know i had sensory issues. Infact for the longest time i though i was hard of hearing because thats what i was diagnosed with as a young child, but that was actually just me not responding to people. It was only when i realized that loud sounds would make me meltdown as a young kid. I just learned to push through loud sounds.

However just because i can not respond to a loud sound, doesnt mean im not sensitive. I realized this after i would go to a shopping mall and become either grumpy and irritable or have a sensory overload and shut down.

I had no idea what a shut down was i thought everyone went through it, until i read about it in a book about autism. I finally understand why i shut down now.

So, sensory sensitivity doesnt always mean that something feels very very loud or bright, it can mean that you cannot handle overstimulating enviroments for long and or short periods of time.

I will check out that book.
I looked over a SPD checklist, I did not match any besides sensitivity to textures, and feeling nausea due to an unpleasant smell (like pumpkin spice candles, make me want to vomit).
Well, that and underwear are impossible for me. I have tried every type, size, gender... awful. Socks are also an issue, but luckily they sell those "diabetic socks" with no seams.
Jeans or tight things feel like torture. Shirts will feel like they are choking me, so I hook two fingers in the collar and let my arm hang.

Walking is weird for me. I hunch a bit, and I trip over my own feet way too much. My hands are always in front of me. People ask if I'm holding my stomach or feel ill.

I know I just keep going on, but I will add that I am not self-conscious in public whatsoever. I have strangely high self-esteem for someone who is short, has bouts of acne, wears baggy clothes, etc. I often do things "unapologetically" (words of my sister). So that is not why I walk weird. Which is... weird! Haha.

That's what I'm talking about. OCD is only diagnosed when it hurts you. If you have OCD-like tendencies but you are happy with yourself, and find no isolation in it, than its not OCD... yet. People who fall into this can develop it later. But don't worry, you'll know because you'll be miserable.

I think MANY of us on the spectrum have co-morbid issues lurking in the background. What I mean by that is that we don't show these problems unless we stop taking care of ourselves. I have a terrible tendency towards depression. As long as I take care of my sensory needs, eat well, keep my sleep regular, keep up with friends, etc... I don't have depression. But if I stop those things, BAM, depression. So the depression is part of my autistic self, but its not one of the base codes. It doesn't have to be. I'm only depressed if I'm a "bad" aspie and I don't take care of my special needs. Someday, I might experience a depression which no self care can prevent. But, knock-on-wood, that hasn't happened yet.

One more thought: sensory issues are part of being autistic - especially for women, who tend to have more sensory problems and fewer communication problems. Some diagnosticians like heeping on the diagnoses, so you have a bunch of codes to give the insurance companies. Others like to keep it simple. They wouldn't diagnose SPD on top of autism because SPD is just part of autism.

If you suspect you are having sensory problems, odds are you are.