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lazyflower
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16 Apr 2017, 7:35 am

When I'm in crowds or large groups of people, I experience different things. I wonder if these are common things among people on the spectrum. Please say if you experience them too, or if you don't.

First of all, I have trouble having a conversation when there's noise around me, because I can literally not hear myself. I feel like a deaf person trying to form words with my mouth, hoping it comes out right. I can hear someone else's conversation who are 5 meters away just as well as someone right next to me. This makes it difficult for me to focus on my own conversation. It's like I can't think clearly and be myself in situations like this.

After having spent a bit of time in an environment like this, my face starts to feel like it's burning, and my brain feels tired, and full somehow. If I don't withdraw myself to some quiet for a moment, I will most likely have a shutdown after the event is over.

Also, crowds and lots of people make me really uncomfortable in general. I'm not sure if this is anxiety or autism. I start to feel a bit shaky and actually, mostly just want to escape the situation if I could.

Do anyone relate to this and how do you handle it?



248RPA
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16 Apr 2017, 7:48 am

Crowds have a lot of sensory stuff going on, so many people with ASD experience sensory overload in crowds. If that's what you're experiencing, then try wearing ear plugs or ear defenders, or find some other way to reduce the noise. That's what I do. It may or may not help with the conversations, but hopefully it could reduce the other effects.


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ZombieBrideXD
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16 Apr 2017, 1:49 pm

Sounds like ASD to me, could be wrong though but sounds like classic Sensory overload.


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seaweed
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16 Apr 2017, 2:17 pm

surrounding noise distraction is a huge thing for me, the loud "buzz" and fragments of other people's conversations infiltrate my brain at the same time as i'm trying to process the actual conversation.

but crowds make me nervous for a lot of reasons so it's hard to separate anxiety from sensory overload from social incompetence.

last time i was in a crowded pub i began to cry because it was all too much. then some random guy asked if i was broken up with lol. "no, it's loud and crowded in here" duh



EzraS
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16 Apr 2017, 5:27 pm

When I'm in crowded areas I need earphones and sunglasses to shut it all out best as possible.



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16 Apr 2017, 5:56 pm

I do everything I can to avoid those situations. I skip meetings at work that are to crowded/noisey.