High functioning Autism and sensory issues

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Which is exactly the point.

I cut the tags off my clothes because they're irritating and I also feel clothes on my body the entire time, but that's not a symptom worth bothering about. I also feel my bones against everything I touch and it sometimes hurts to lie down, but again, nothing special.

At most it's less than a minor nuisance.

A symptom would be not actually being able to converse with someone socially, which is one of the biggest of AS.

I am in the moderate-high functioning range and have some sensory issues.

I was diagnosed as high functioning myself back in high school. I do have some sensory issues, but they are fairly mild - it's mostly loud noises and some odors that bother me.

Loud noises can sometimes startle me or make me feel uncomfortable, such as fire alarms or screaming children. I used to have trouble with thunderstorms, but moving to Florida forced me to get over that rather quickly. On the other hand, I can spend an hour or two wondering around the mall or a busy department store, taking in the sights, and have no problem. Being yelled at is extremely stressful (especially if I'm already stressed and need to escape from whatever - or whoever - is causing the stress). I also tend to stim occasionally and fidget a lot

What I think some are missing is this: ANY stimulus communicating from the environment requires a sensory system to receive it. Not just sight and sound.
That being said, I'm high functioning with a job, wife, kids, etc yet I test very autistic and since the full moon on Valentines Day my sensory issues have been insane. I feel like my body is a giant ear or covered in eyeballs. I also started rapidly going from down to up states every 20 minutes or so today - similar to bipolar. I have not had more than 3 hours sleep per night since either. ASD is a sensory issue PERIOD. All the social crap is rooted in sensory.

Asperger's is:

the inability to interact socially, manifested by a lack of social and emotional reciprocation
the inability to display and appreciate nonverbal cues
a singular (though it can change) area of interest that you devote almost all of your time to

other things are minor compared to those in AS.

Then my diagnosis is wrong.

Because my "other things", are not minor. Not only sensory (which are severe enough that they are described with co-morbid sensory processing disorder), but in verbal communication, shutdowns, executive functioning difficulties, and such (I'm having word-finding difficulties enough that I'm struggling to write this post).

Other things aren't minor, and things to be overlooked in all of us. Whether that's because you're saying we shouldn't be diagnosed with the same thing as you, or whether you're just not expecting this to be the case because you don't have these, doesn't change that some people were diagnosed with Asperger's with these issues.

Should I have? I don't know. I don't know if he would have given me a diagnosis elsewhere on the spectrum if he knew I had these issues, but he didn't because my sociocommunication issues came into play and I didn't know it'd be something that might possibly be told. I only answered questions, didn't offer any information that wasn't asked of me. And open ended questions I struggled with.

But no, those other things aren't mild in me. I relate more to reading thing by those called LFA, than reading most posts on these forums (and learn more and find them extremely interesting).

Am also in-between this functioning range.

I only have minor sensory issues, my impairments are mostly about social communication and anxiety. I can't stand noisy places with plenty of people, like dining halls and crowded pubs, and I am very sensitive to some smells.

When I was a child it was actually worse, I couldn't stand many foods and was a picky eater, and I startled at every time someone touched me.

When became increasingly touch sensitive, would flinch away. When really bad, would scream and hand-flap violently for several seconds.

I don't scream because you don't get any reaction out of me like that. If you ask me what's wrong when I pull away, I won't speak, I can't speak. I can't answer. I can't formulate an answer in my head.

i freeze, I lose functioning. I'm terrified of freezing in the middle of the road. I've almost done that before. I have frozen on the sidewalk about to cross the road on multiple occasions. I lose speech. I lose the ability to even lift an arm, even if sitting next to a migraine trigger. I lose the ability to effectively see. I lose the ability to effectively hear. I don't know if someone's calling my name, or even that any noise was made at all, or that there was a tree in front of me. Luckily that wasn't walking into the road.

I do hold my hands over my ears and wimper, but I can't process the idea of telling someone that I need to leave. I've now put it into my AAC device hoping that'll help prompt me to know I need to tell someone I need to go if they don't see me. I do get migraines. I do lose the ability to do any self-care for weeks because of overloads.

But screaming. That I don't do. Because I'm quiet. It's internal. I don't understand the idea of putting it external even when its happening. When hit by a car, I'll freeze not scream.

But not screaming doesn't mean its mild.

Then in the past you would have been PDD-NOS if sensory issues and/or resistance to change (in addition to motor mannerisms) were there as an adult and disabling.

Now, we're all just ASD, which probably makes it easier, but also leads to some people assuming you have this or that because someone else with an ASD has this or that (or the other way around).

My sensory issues definitely affect my ability to function.

I try to explain it to my family like this: imagine you're put into a room with horrible music blaring at top volume, strobe lights flashing nonstop, plus you have the chicken pox and itch all over, but can't scratch anything. And you're expected to spend 8 hours a day like that, calmly focusing on your work, while smiling politely and trying to socialize with people that you can't even hear above the noise.

How long could you put up with that lifestyle, before you completely fall apart?

Of my particular autism, some lack of consistency is a pattern.

Your son's symptoms sound like me. Has he ever been tested for allergies? I have a really long list of allergies (food allergies, materials I can't wear, environmental allergies, etc.) I also hated water touching me. I did not get over it until I was an adult. I still am an extremely picky eater. I have a low tolerance for pain and I am clumsy so that is a problem. There are a lot smells that really set me off. I can't stand a lot of air freshener or smell-good stuff. I also am terrible at multi-tasking. I have problems paying attention, staying motivated. I also go into a rage anytime anyone moves anything that is in my personal area. I can't help it. My parents got frustrated with the food things but eventually learned to accept it. They adapted with my allergies and clothes I couldn't wear. I use unscented stuff if possible and stuff without dyes. I drink milk that is lactose free. I avoid foods I'm allergic too. my mom kept a list on the kitchen wall. I can't think of any other accommodations.

That's not called autistic or high functioning.

That's called normal.

Being able to achieve "normal" things doesn't mean you aren't autistic.

You know about mouth painters (check out some works of art people have painted without using being able to use their hands here and here)? They can't use their hands to paint so they use their mouths or feet....does their ability to paint beautiful pictures mean they have no disability?

Knowing what someone has achieved does not mean you know their abilities, nor how they achieved things (e.g. if they need or needed supports -- and if so, what type and how many.... or whether it took them 15 years to do something most most non-disabled people could do in 1 or 2 years, or if they needed to do something in a totally different way to the typically understood "normal" way to be able to do it at all).