Dropping Things.

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For a while now I have had difficulty in getting coins out my wallet and also I have noticed that I keep dropping things or I find I can't get my hands to open things. I am considering taking scissors with me incase I need to eat some crisps or chocolate etc while I'm out.
I am concerned about this as I first found I had issues about two years ago, and each time I have had worked since when I have hit burnout, I have become worse... I find I am more likely to have these issues when I have had anxiety or been in partial shutdowns.

Is it something related to the partial shutdowns/anxiety/burnout etc, or is it something totally unrelated? I know the issues I get vary. Sometimes I get them and other times I do not.

My youngest son had OT, via a therapist at East Surrey Hospital for this very thing. He too, would drop coins from his wallet, and now that he uses a card for most purchases, life has become alot easier. He also had alot of trouble with writing. Here's a link to many of the exercises, she had him doing, to strengthen and improve his fingers/hands. These exercises are used for stroke survivors too. Occupational therapy programs can ncrease manual dexterity, especially in those who have lost function in their hands due to illness, injury or trauma, Theraputty was especially useful Just to add .... yes, this is very common for many on the spectrum ... "children with autism also may exhibit physical symptoms, including decreased hand strength and muscle tone, repetitive hand movements such as flapping and poor eye-hand coordination. In addition, children with autism may demonstrate an aversion to touching objects and being touched, which affects hand development...."
https://www.flintrehab.com/2018/hand-therapy-exercises/

It is nothing to do with my natural abilities as I am fine on good days. I am strong. I think it is when I have partial shutdowns... Does this make any sense though?

Repeated shutdowns over time can cause nervous system damage and developmental impairments within the autistic spectrum. The stress instability causes the magnitude of the body’s stress response to far exceed that which is normal. Therefore, it makes sense, that the more stress you're under, the less co-ordinated, the less strong, you will be. Removing the source of stress is vital ...

What you're experiencing is unfortunately not uncommon, and is often not understood, even in children, by some. Your body is actually in a state of crisis. Preventing shutdowns should be the primary consideration. Your instincts are spot on in trying to self soothe ... "need a few weeks to allow him to return to a less reactive state. The person should be given plenty of time for activities that soothe him, such as rhythmic movements or “stimming. They should be exposed to novel, exciting and enjoyable activities that will create positive emotional memories ... eg that change of scene you had.

Shutdowns in autistic adults

In April 2004, we posted a message on an internet message board (Goggle group: “alt.support.autism”) for autistic adults. The posting generally described shutdowns in the SD child.

A dozen or so responders generated over 50 messages discussing the syndrome. They recognized it and indicated that shutdowns are well known among autistics, but not taken seriously by either the medical community or by their coworkers. One said, “trying to fight off shutdown is among the most stressful things I have had to deal with.” Summarized descriptions include:

A flood of conflicting signals which makes deciding on one priority impossible.
Feeling suddenly very sleepy.
The ability to hear, move, make decisions, respond, evaluate information is shut-off.
Feeling confused, noisy.
Unawareness of the passing of time.
A sense of paralysis or heaviness.
Like a panic attack.
Getting tingly all over and nauseas.
Breathing heavily.
My tongue turns into a big dry sponge.
My sense of smell sharpens.
My Ears ring, eyes blur in and out.
I can’t move because I might attract attention, which is the last thing I want.
Everything gets too bright and loud, running at a speed faster than normal.
Like having 4 drill sergeants screaming conflicting orders at you at once and if you don’t do everything right away you will be in big trouble and you don’t know what to do first so you stand there being yelled at.

When asked what makes a shutdown worse?

“When people tell me to “buck up”,” get over it” or say, “there is nothing wrong with you”.

“When people do not understand and continue to try to engage me, I may snap, get angry or start crying for no reason. I will usually be able to get over it in an hour or so if people just leave me alone.”
What makes it better?

Respondents indicated time, sleep, rhythmic rocking, spinning, “stimming”, working puzzles, and spending quiet time alone.

“The recovery time depends on the severity of the shutdown nd whether the cause is continuing. It can last a few minutes to half and hour, with several hours of after effects.”

Autistic writer Donna Williams recalls that as a child she was afraid of “the big black nothingness coming to eat me”. As an adult she recognized the syndrome as “sensory flooding triggering such a degree of information overload as to cause an epilepsy-like total shut down on the processing of incoming information”.

***Shutdowns can easily be misinterpreted as avoidance behavior.

Something you said is what I believeis happening here. The after effects. This is where I drop things or can't open packets or struggle to take coins out my wallet etc.
Also other issues. Is like I'm in a partial daze. Uhmmm.


Thanks Juliette. You are a real Jem.

If I were you, I'd be visiting the Doc, asking for that referral I mentioned, whether or not you're currently diagnosed. The NHS Psychs can be very astute at recognising what you're experiencing and the bearing it has on your ability to work at any given time. As you have approx an 18month wait for assessment, I'd be looking at a referral to a Psych via your GP asap. Their input, paperwork, advice, can assist you in supporting a case for inability to work, depending on your ability to communicate what's been occurring.

An advocate or your mum(someone you can entrust to speak on your behalf) may be needed. The NAS could assist, I'm sure... you don't need to be diagnosed, just that they hear you're awaiting assessment should be enough for them to want to assist...

I read the following article on PsychNews a couple of days ago. "Why It's Hard To Keep A Job When You Have Asperger's" by Gwendolyn Kansen. She wrote this back in 2015. Forgive the cussiness in it, but I think what she writes will resonate with many ...
https://blogs.psychcentral.com/not-robot/2015/09/why-its-hard-to-keep-a-job-when-you-have-aspergers/

Thanks. I know the patterns well.

Panic attacks are normally associated with hyperventilation.

• Inability to take deep breath
• Anxiety, feeling of panic, impending disaster, detatchment
• A rapid or irregular heart beat
• Chest pain or tightness
• Dizziness, faintness, light headedness
• Headaches, visual disturbances
• Tingling, ‘pins and needles’ in hands and feet
• Cramps, shakes, sweats and twitches
• Weakness, exhaustion, lack of concentration and memory, insomnia and nightmares

Source: Hyperventilation

Some of your symptoms "This is where I drop things or can't open packets or struggle to take coins out my wallet etc.
Also other issues. Is like I'm in a partial daze." may fit these definitions. If so, deep breathing can bring these symptoms under control.

With me it is so variable. Most of the time I am fine. Then I may get a day or two or even a few days of dropping things. I think I am holding them ok, but then find I am not as they fall to the floor. I am fortunate that lately nothing has broken. I have dropped this tablet so many times in the last few weeks! I broke a tablet a couple of years ago in similar circumstances. It didn't fall that far, but it fell at just the wrong angle. I automatically adjust so I use two hands when holdinga cup or if I carry something heavy I use my arms to hold it instead of my grasp.
Naturally my hands are strong. I have had many years of fitting tyres to bicycles which gave me great strength. But despite this, somehow I am not able to access this strength. Is very similar to how my legs go in a partial shutdown. I used to have legs far stronger then many othernpeople due to daily cycling and the need to climb a steep hill to get home. But during a partial shutdown, it was useless having strangth in my legs as I could not access it. Is like buying a more powerful motor for a radio controlled car and yet not having any battery power to take advantage of it.

Idiomotor dyspraxia? Whatnis it? I have come across the term many times before.

Ideomotor dyspraxia is when you correctly form the idea of the movement in your mind but somewhere between the idea and the actual movement, the control is broken.
You can do learned movements - walk, run, climb, write, type, play instruments - but for something not well trained, even if you have a good idea of what to do, the idea isn't easily translated to the signals for your muscles.

I spill drinks. I drop silverware. I unintentionally hit things or run into them. The intensity of problems depends on the state of my body and mind, when I'm relaxed, I cope much better.