Touch Sensitivity Symptom
I was reading up on Autism and Asperger Syndrome, and I read that some people suffer from sensory impairment in the form of touch sensitivity.
I was wondering if anyone out there suffers from this symptom and at what level.
I know that I suffer to some extent of this symptom although I guess my touch sensitivity is mild compared to some.
I do not like to be touched (outside the context of doing martial art training). For example, I am not comfortable of being hugged. Also, some parts of body are also extremely sensitive.
I do not however suffer from pain if touched normally. I wonder if anyone out there does and what does it feel like.
Certain types of light touch make me feel like my skin is crawling! Very unpleasant. Specifically, if someone strokes me over and over and over, lightly, in the same place, it is very irritating to me. I have been this way all my adult life. I don't recall if it was an issue in childhood.
I do have pain from medium touch in many parts of my body. For instance, even a very small kitten walking on my chest is exceedingly uncomfortable - although if the kitten lies down, and does not concentrate its weight on its paws, I can tolerate that. I have great sensitivity around the edges of my kneecaps, also, so kneeling or crawling are very hard for me. I can also get vague achiness upon modest and unaccustomed exertion. My chronic pain issues have been diagnosed as fibromyalgia. I don't know if that's accurate, or not.
Later in life I developed neuropathy in my feet, but I think that is secondary to a medical condition and is unrelated to autism. The neuropathy manifests as decreased sensation and to some extent, tingling and pins-and-needles type pain.
You asked specifically about touch sensitivity. I also have sound sensitivity which I find is very common in autism.
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A finger in every pie.
The sensation of being poked, lightly touched (unless you have rough skin), or brushed against (like in a hallway) are my main issues with being touched. Certain types of hugs make me feel gross and I don’t like being kissed by my family. (I would always wipe the kisses off as a kid) the only real exceptions are my girlfriend and my father when he kisses me goodbye on occasion (not the mouth of course). I tended to be a sensory seeker as a child though so I was surprisingly very affectionate with my parents and I liked cuddles and tight hugs (still do depending on the person)
Before anyone was willing to give me an Aspergers diagnosis I was given one for Sensory Integration deficit. I've never experienced a lot pain from it, soreness at the most (when I was younger having my hair up would make my scalp sore very quickly). There's a bit of a high pain tolerance too though. I will barely feel some things, or won't and then all of a sudden holy crap there it is! It's all pretty wonky. Certain textures and sensations cause an odd feeling, I'm not sure how to describe it, the intensity is like an electric shock. There's some difficulty in trying to tell how much force I'm using; like I think to be general but instead I'll smash into something. Or I mean to grab something but my grip is too light.
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"Inside the heart of each and every one of us there is a longing to be understood by someone who really cares. When a person is understood, he or she can put up with almost anything in the world."
SoapOnARope
Tufted Titmouse

Joined: 18 Jan 2019
Age: 42
Gender: Male
Posts: 25
Location: Trapped inside this Octavarium
I have high sensitivity to touch. I don't feel pain from touch but I find contact very uncomfortable and some part of my body tender. I need my own personal space and when sitting with my wife anywhere I don't like to be lent on or have an arm around me, I feel like I have to physically escape.
When I was a child I would never wear clothes that were constricting, I could not wear jeans as I found them too stiff, or jumpers as the sleeves would bother me, or hats and gloves and anything around my neck. If there is a loose thread on some clothing or the tags on them it drives me crazy - I've taken stuff I've bought back to the shop because the tags bothered me. I'll only wear certain brands of socks and shoes because others just "don't feel right". I can't explain it in a tangible sense to anyone.
Saying all that, I've an oddly high pain threshold. It's not that things don't hurt but the registration of it seems to be odd and I feel like I'm almost able to talk to the pain and tell it that it's pain, it's not damage and it doesn't really bother me.
...and as others have said, yes, sound. My god, clocks. The ticking. I can hear clocks in other rooms of the house, small vibrations of heating pipes, distant cars driving, birds etc that other people seem to be oblivious to. I hear conversations and voices from quite a distance too, which can be a nightmare when it's a busy place but also has it's benefits when it's a conversation I want to nosy in on
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AQ50: 41/50
EQ: 4/80
RAADS-R: 188
RDOS:
Your neurodiverse (Aspie) score: 151/200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 59/200
You are very likely neurodiverse (Aspie)