What sensory issues do you have?
Light: I can tolerate bright sunlight, but I am much more comfortable on overcast days. (Yay Seattle!) Fluorescents and those modern efficient blue bulbs bother me.
Colors: Bright neon colors are distracting, almost painful. It's not actually pain, but similarly BAD. Especially orange and pink. I was in a meeting a few months ago, and they passed out fluorescent post-its to everyone. I actually had to ask for them to be moved out of my line of vision so that I could finish my presentation, which was rather humiliating. Earlier this week I went clothes shopping, and had to leave the mall without buying anything. Apparently bright pink is in this season.
Scent: Perfumes and colognes bother me a lot, so I use un-scented products. That sometimes makes public transport uncomfortable. Or the other hand, some things that most people consider unpleasant smells, like human body odor and skunk musk, just smell complicated and interesting to me. If someone, male or female, has had sex and not showered, I can smell it on them. That caused some seriously awkward moments when I was younger. I thought everyone could tell, and so no reason not to comment on it. Oops?
Hearing: I have very sensitive hearing, up to a much higher frequency than most adults. The only use I've found for that is I can hear the ring-tone that kids use adults aren't supposed to be able to hear. Hah! Monitors and TV screens that are blank emit a high-pitched sound that drives me nuts. Music that is off-pitch, like an untuned piano or a group of beginning band students, bugs me. And when there are several sounds at once, like people talking over music, I have a hard time distinguishing the words from other sounds. Understanding people on the phone is also very hard, although part of that is because I'm concetrating so much on trying to pick up their emotional cues without any visual 'hints' that it's hard to concentrate.
Other than that, air pressure, like in an airport, mall, or other very large sealed building, bothers me, but I'm not sure if that's a sensory issue.
Sure the heck is.... Bothers me too,.
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"If you can't call someone else an idiot, then you are obviously not very good at what you do."
Person: Hey, do you know what happened to my keys?
How this sounds in my mind: Hey, do you....dskljdfslksdjklldkl....
Me: Sorry, what?
Person: I asked if you knew wh-
Me: Oh, yeah they're right over there.
This doesn't happen every single time I talk to someone, and it's usually when I'm already becoming overwhelmed by other stimuli, such as in a classroom or crowded cafeteria. It happens often enough that other people have started to notice.
Anybody else do this?
I do!
I'm also cold, ALL THE TIME.
Person: Hey, do you know what happened to my keys?
How this sounds in my mind: Hey, do you....dskljdfslksdjklldkl....
Me: Sorry, what?
Person: I asked if you knew wh-
Me: Oh, yeah they're right over there.
Yes yes yes yes. Dude, seems like I've been trying to explain this off and on for my entire life. I usually tell people I'm hard of hearing, which is a complete fabrication -- I could hear a pigeon fart on the roof.
Also light sensitive. And touching things. Particularly cool/cold things.
CyborgUprising
Veteran
Joined: 16 Jun 2012
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,963
Location: auf der Fahrt durch Niemandsland
1)Hypersensitivity and sometimes Hyposensitivity to tactile stimuli in that I can feel textures others aren't as able to sense, which leads me to constantly touch objects or avoid certain textures.
2)Hypersensitivity to being touched (by people). I tend to recoil when someone reaches out their hand, knowing it means I will be touched in some manner (being touched feels like simultaneously being stabbed repeatedly and set ablaze).
3)Some strange (possibly vestibular) sensory issue which results in the car and trees/everything outside appearing to move despite being at a red light or stop sign. I also will sometimes start to stumble/almost lose balance even when standing perfectly still.
4)Hypersensitivity to light
5)Hyposensitivity to loud sounds/ Hypersensitivity to some sounds (usually the ones nobody else notices).
6a)Proprioceptive issues.
6b)Pressure/Weight: I absolutely love to have weight/pressure exerted on my torso and sides (the back is fine, as long as there's also pressure on the other two regions).
7)Temperature: difficulty in regulating body temperature (I'm always burning hot, even wearing a T-shirt and shorts in -36 degrees Fahrenheit winter weather), which makes warm weather all the more intolerable.
Pain: most pain doesn't bother me (I've broken a leg and several ribs and didn't notice much more than mild discomfort), but some pain persists (after the leg fracture improperly healed). Being touched by someone and intestinal pain are the only forms of extreme pain that exists for me.
9)Taste: I can taste the plastic container food was stored in or any contact with plastic wrap the food had. I can also taste the silverware while eating, along with any perfumes/colognes the cooking staff at a restaurant is wearing and whether or not they touched the food with their fingers or gloves (I hate "lab glove" taste).
I don't have much in the way of sensory issues. When I was little, I did not like wearing wool jerseys (sweaters) because they would "itch", but I don't have problems with tags, etc.. Sudden loud noises can make me jump (e.g. balloon popping, fire alarms), and sustained loud noises I also have trouble with sometimes - I would not be likely to enjoy a rock concert or a loud football game (plus it can damage the hearing of a typical person)
Being touched can catch me off guard, and I sometimes may "pull away", but that's more psychological than physical.
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"Tongue tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I" - Pink Floyd
(and then the tower cleared me for take off)
I don't have serious sensory issues, but bright pink is awful. Even indoors, I have to squint sometimes when faced with bright pink.
I can hear that too.
I have some problems with proprioception at times. I like having a lot of weight on me when I sleep. I have a somewhat higher tolerance for cool weather than most people, it seems--I live in a region with fairly cool summers, and I'm often the only one on the bus in the morning who doesn't have a jacket on.
Touch: I hate when anyone touches me, especially if it's kind of hug. I hate tight clothes - I like only baggy and worn (non stiff) clothes without scathing tags.
Some textures really scares me - especially spongy/jelly things.
Light: strong light means PAIN for me - in summer and winter dark glasses are absolutely necessary.
I'm over-sensitive to colors and patterns - if something catches my sight, I can stare on it for long time - but this trait helps me in photography
Sound: I hate loud sounds, loud speaking persons and noisy places. Some sounds. like drill machines, vacuum cleaners, angle grinders, bells or some motorcycle engines scares me
Smell: It's difficult issue. I'm really sensitive to scents
There are scents that I can't stand: poor cheap perfumes (especially in high concentration), burning things, boiling cabbage, boiling meat, wet dog, dirty persons, sweat, a lot of chemical scents... and vanilla
There are some scents that sometimes torments me, but sometimes I really like them: coffee, mint, some spices, some alcohols (whiskey, rum)
And there are scents that I just love: some types of good perfumes, good english-style tobacco (but tobbaco itself, not smoke), almond oil, fresh bread, carrot juice.
Pain: high pain resistance: scratches, bruises, dislocated joints, blisters, cuts - it's nothing hard to stand. When I was kid, I had to learn to ask for help, and not to walk with small wounds like bruised knees (or try to treat 'em myself), to avoid worsen the situation.
Unfortunately this trait causes some medical problems ![]()
My biggest sensory issues are textural and temperature-based.
TEXTURE- foods (nothing in between soft and firm, no condiments) and clothing (no lines of fabric, no tags, no classic wool, pants have to be tight in the stomach and loose in the thighs, no high socks)
TEMPERATURE- heat and humidity can cause meltdowns. I rarely go outside in summer.
Others:
SCENT- the following smells make me nauseous- tomato sauce, butter cooking in a pan, strong perfume)
SOUND- don't use hair dryers and try not to vacuum. Dripping faucets and ticking clocks distract me. Any high-pitched noise can incite violence in me)
LIGHTS- I wear tinted glasses when working under fluorescents, I leave the lights in my house off during the day, I have two sets of curtains on my windows
PRESSURE- I love love love my weighted blanket! Can't sleep without it now. I hate light touch, especially weak handshakes and hugs. If it is drizzling I cannot stand the feel of the rain on my body so I use an umbrella at all times.
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Your Aspie score: 161 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 55 of 200
You are very likely an Aspie
IndieSoul
Deinonychus
Joined: 2 Jul 2012
Age: 31
Gender: Female
Posts: 342
Location: A planet in the Solar Federation
mostly, certain people's voices get on my nerves. Especially if those people are very talkative. If people talk for a really long time straight without stopping for a split second, it gets on my nerves, too.
Also, certain materials, like corderoy, fleece, and ESPECIALLY velvet, are really irritating. I can barely touch them. They almost hurt.
