Autism WITHOUT Sensory Issues

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I've noticed that a majority of people on this board have sensory issues (unless they are the only vocal ones), however most Aspies I watch on YouTube or have known in real life have not had these sensory issues.

There seems to be a consensus here that you can't have an ASD without sensory issues

I'm not sure what to think about this. Can anyone comment (especially if you do not have sensory issues)?

I would like to voice a disagreement...

I believe that we all (and this is based on MUCH research) do have sensory issues of one type or another. Please note that this statement is based on us compared to NTs... Most sensory issues are minor, and as such, are not really an impairment and may not be noticed at all.

Q: "How could they not notice?"
A: Because they are minor enough that they aren't impairing AND it is the way we have been our entire lives... Further, without the frame of reference of being an NT WITHOUT sensory issues, we don't realize that it is not considered "normal".

I'd really like to hear more from you, as that's essentially what I've been thinking.

How would you personally define 'minor' sensory issues though?

Honestly I have never met an ASD person who doesn't have any sensory issues. Or wait, I have. I knew one from Canada who didn't seem to have any. I had some in my childhood and I had therapy for it. Mine was never bad and I don't really consider myself as having the disorder because lot of people have some sensory issues because we all have things we cannot stand. My mom doesn't like fluorescent lights, they hurt her eyes and give her a headache, my youngest brother doesn't like turtle necks, he doesn't like anything tight around his neck. You can have sensory issues and not have the disorder. My mom says I outgrew it. Most ASD people have sensory issues that cause them an impairment. I don't think mine cause me any unless you want to count relationships and sex but i am married and my husband isn't miserable and there are no problems because of it so no impairment. I am with the right guy. Even as a kid I think I had no impairment and it was made as such because it caused me to get teased in school for it and made me look weird and my parents couldn't stand not being able to hug me without me getting all defensive and trying to get away and couldn't stand not being able to put their hand on me without me pulling away. I did get more defensive to touch during puberty. But my mom insisted on getting that fixed.

I can relate somewhat to the videos about sensory overload. I know not all ASD people get overwhelmed from all the noise because my aspie ex sure didn't despite having good hearing and could hear a lot more than me. I feel my world has gotten quieter because I remember things seemed louder when I was little. Either my hearing has gotten bad or my brain learned to get used to it like other brains do during infancy. But I can still hear normal.

Minor (for me) as in I can't eat mince (e.g. in lasagne) as the meat feels like gravel in my mouth. I need sunglasses when I'm driving, even on an overcast day. I'm sensitive to certain types of telephone ringings and things like smoke/fire alarms. I can't have anyone else cut my hair, and I can't take showers because of how the water feels, therefore I have to have a bath.

Just a few off the top of my head.

Minor Sensory Issues can manifest as a dislike of certain flavor or textures. Certain sounds or cacophonic sounds, Excessively bright lights... Things that NTs have problems with, but the Autistic Spectrum Disorder individual experiences them more acutely.

I think many autistics just don't talk about their sensory issues in real life or aren't even aware of them. I've many sensory issues. I can't imagine autism without any sensory issues, but autism isn't the only dx where sensory issues can occur. They are also very common in ADHD, dyslexia and so on.

I would say mine are less then 95% + of the members here and they are not inhibiting.
Touch anything from the shoulder to neck makes me want to jump.
I do not like barking dogs and loud sudden phone ringing at all.
No matter how well it is wrapped I can tell if certain foods are a day or two old. Those same foods if they are 4 or 5 days old make me nauseous. Other people are commenting how good those foods are.
I am sure there are some sensory sensitivities that present in non obvious ways.

And I should not have to say this but in today's climate I need to, this does not mean I was misdiagnosed because Aspergers is trendy, my repetitive behaviors and lack of social reciprocity etc more then inhibiting enough to believe my diagnosis was correct.

Last edited by ASPartOfMe on 04 Jun 2014, 1:54 am, edited 1 time in total.

Sensory issues can be very hard for everyone to notice.
Remember also that during all the time that one is unaware of their ASD everyone else is generally invalidating these "invisible" perceptions, until the person themselves can come to believe they "don't have issues."

I don't seem to have sensory issues the way others here describe them. But as far as I'm aware it's not just about being hypersensitive, but also about being hyposensitive, i.e. you may be less sensitive to certain things than NTs. I had a kidney stone last year (which is supposed to be worse than child birth), and the doctor told me that other patients come in on their knees, while I didn't show any pain (I felt some, though seemingly less strongly than others). The stone never passed, and I have been living with a kidney stone for 14 months now (decided against surgery because after a few weeks my kidney wasn't blocked anymore and the pain had disappeared). So maybe that's a kind of sensory issue, too?

There's other things I dislike, like dogs barking, but I'm sure there are many NTs who don't like that either, so I wouldn't ascribe it to Asperger's.

I'm not convinced that sensory issues are something everyone on the autism spectrum must have. It just seems that sensory processing disorder (a separate diagnosis) is a common comorbidity among autistics.

I think those without sensory problems are probably in the minority.

^This.

And the way I was brought up, I was not supposed to be uncomfortable, ever. I was expected to just suck it up and go along or do whatever had to be done. If I was merely shivering because I was too cold my dad took personal offense to it. If I wanted to use gloves to do something, to protect my hands because they are so sensitive, I was mocked for that. I learned to just ignore what I was feeling or push through it so I wouldn't make anyone angry by complaining.

I wish I could get rid of my sensory issues; they affect every sense I have (though my light sensitivity is fairly minor) and impact virtually every aspect of my life. Sound and touch are definitely the worst, and I have a hard time doing things I enjoy, such as going to restaurants, amusement parks or other outdoor venues because of the noise level, and my clothing choices are unimaginative, repetitive, and unfashionable because there are so many fabrics and cuts I just can't stand. My touch sensitivity encroaches very strongly on my ability to tolerate certain food textures, which, coupled with my sensitivity to taste and smell, makes eating healthy foods virtually impossible, which I hate. I envy my family, who can eat and enjoy vegetables like it's no big deal, while I'm struggling to get through a mouthful of something that's not chocolate, meat or starch.

For me, sensory issues are at the core of my autism experience. Everything else, such as the communication and social impairments, follow on from the sensory integration problems.

Sorry, being an Aspie and going to camp with other aspies, i can say i have not met a person without sensory issues and aspergers.

Me neither. However, I do remember certain sensory issues being much more excruciating when I was younger (mostly auditory, tactile, vestibular). I wonder if age has something to do with this.



At this moment in my life, I would say executive dysfunction and emotional self-regulation are at the core of my issues (as a human being).



As I have posted many times on WP, while my diagnosis process was quite complete and the resulting 20 page diagnostic report was an accurate assessment of who I am, I still have no clue if I was properly classified.

Unlike others on WP, I have never personally met anyone who is Autistic or has Aspergers. Which is interesting in that I have worked in the tech industry (in Silicon Valley) for > 20 years. My guess is that I have come across people who are Autistic or has Aspergers, I just never realized it. I mention this, because I would love to discuss topics such as this with them.