Does everyone here have sensory issues?

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I'm not sure if I have Asperger's or not. I have a lot of social issues and the depression that comes with them, I'm constantly anxious in public and second-guessing the things I say and my sense of humor, and I'm inarticulate, constantly overanalyzing and "aware of myself" and how I come off, and find it hard to come up with things to say on the spot. I feel like I have very little identity and that I'm sort of a chameleon in social situations, always wanting to please.

I have some degree of OCD and I do some things that could be consider "stims" but they're mostly things a lot of people do, and they all stem from anxiety and nervous energy - nailbiting, foot tapping, etc. I don't seem to have any non-social symptoms though. I'm not bothered by background noise or conversation, loud noises, bright lights, textures, or anything like that. I get jokes, sarcasm, facial expressions, etc. with no problem (as far as I know). Nor do I have any obsessive interests or need for specific routines beyond the norm. Are those things prerequisites for Asperger's? Am I just suffering from severe anxiety or something else that's not on the autistic spectrum?

I know I'll get responses like "you can't be sure unless you're diagnosed in person" but it seems like that's as much of a crap shoot as anything else. I don't like labels but it's always good to have some idea of where you stand, and I'm sure you guys know enough about the symptoms and your own experiences to help out. Thanks.

I'm a guy, 21, for the record.

First thing I think it does not sound like Asperger's, but some symptoms can be relatively light or even absent. In my case I can cover a lot of symptoms when I am feeling okay, but when I am tired or concentrating on other things I show some symptoms.

About the sensory issues, I have a problem with high pitch sounds. According to my age (30 y) I should have lost that ability for a few years, but I still hear high pitch sounds. Also a lot of people talking can have some influence on me and I tend to go to the side of the room, outside or shut myself out.

I find I can ignore external sounds most of the time, it's when I'm stressed or tired that 'sensory issues' appear (I'm not entirely sure if they are sensory issues or not). When it happens it's like someone turned up the volume a few notches and suddenly I'm trying to listen to twenty conversations at once, which can be a little overwhelming, it generally happens in crowded places but I never melt down from it, it's just unpleasant.

This sounds more like AS/ADD. When you have both you tend to act on the ADD more, which is why you can read expressions and such. That's just my theory, but it's certainly a possibility.

Is that more likely than just not having Asperger's?

It sounds like social anxiety, which I also have and which I bet is in some way related to a subtype of Asperger's. Personally I think Asperger's comprises a variety of genetic (not to even mention environmental) markers, and some with an ASD have some of these and others have others and some not diagnosable with an ASD by the current criteria have SOME of the markers that contribute to what is known as Asperger's. Asperger's diagnosis criteria were created by humans in a not especially (in my view) scientific way and lines were drawn that artificially delineate different groups (classic autism, PDD-NOS, AS, nonverbal learning disability, NT, etc) that really overlap too much genetically to be separated truly and scientifically in my humble opinion.

I too am over-self aware and chameleonlike and constantly analyzing myself in social situations. But I do have significant sensory issues and a fair amount of obsessiveness over hobbies and eye contact difficulties (which I personally think are hardto separate from social anxiety) and other issues that made me officially diagnosable.

EDIT: so I'd say even if you were to go to a doctor and have them NOT diagnose you with an ASD, it seems to me, a non-expert with strong opinions on the matter obviously, you have the Broader Autistic Phenotype. Which I imagine every human to some degree in some small way at least does but you to a greater extent. By the way I don't have a need for routine either. In fact I hate routine and love novelty.

ANOTHER edit!: I have no trouble recognizing facial expressions and body language or with empathy/theory of mind either as far as I know.

I've got constant discomfort from sensory issues. I have both hypersensitivity and hyposensitivity. It varies from day to day. I stim a lot, especially hand flapping, tip toe walking, hitting my head (although this is usually when I am anxious) and biting my arms. Other times the sensory input is so overwhelming that I scream and meltdown.

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I have HFA, ADHD, OCD & Tourette syndrome. I love animals, especially my bunnies and hamster. I skate in a roller derby team (but I'll try not to bite )