How do you deal with sensory overload at school?

Page 1 of 1 [ 7 posts ] 

jenisautistic
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 Jan 2013
Age: 25
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,277

28 Feb 2014, 10:58 pm

It is so annoying especially when I'm tring to consentrate or do home work durring lunch. Also it seems like in school i can never be complety alone if I need to be alone.


_________________
Your Aspie score: 192 of 200 Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 9 of 200 You are very likely an Aspie PDD assessment score= 172 (severe PDD)
Autism= Awesome, unique ,Special, talented, Intelligent, Smart and Mysterious


mr_bigmouth_502
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Dec 2013
Age: 30
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 7,028
Location: Alberta, Canada

01 Mar 2014, 3:29 am

Back when I was in high school, I would often just walk right out of the classroom without telling anyone, and though the teachers occasionally gave me a hard time about it, they eventually came to understand that I often have trouble focusing in a noisy environment with lots of people, so as a result I was given lots of time to work on things outside the classroom. Unfortunately, I squandered a lot of this time by randomly surfing the web and listening to music, and this partially explains why I never finished high school. On the positive side though, at least when I actually decided I wanted to do my work, I could actually get a decent amount done, compared to what I would often do in class.



Sephonie
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

User avatar

Joined: 1 Mar 2014
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Posts: 3

02 Mar 2014, 5:06 pm

I go to boarding school which makes things harder in some ways but easier in others. I can lock myself up in my dorm room when life becomes to much to deal with, but I can't go home and get a hug from Mom. I suggest finding something that helps you when your senses are in overdrive. Do you like drawing? Block out the world by focusing on doodles. Do you like music? Get permission from your teachers to bring headphones to class and listen to music while everyone else is screaming and yelling over random 'whatever'. Find something to distract you from the pain and it might just go away.
Personally, I do the doodle thing during class and then lock myself in during free periods.
Hope this helps! :D



TheMighty_Moo
Deinonychus
Deinonychus

User avatar

Joined: 18 Feb 2014
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Posts: 318
Location: Chillin' in Turkey

30 Mar 2014, 12:03 pm

Well, my class already knows that I'm an Aspie and so do the teachers. So when sensory overload happens, I try to rush to the bathroom but if I can't then the class goes completely silent. And then I go to the bathroom and take a deep breath and get myself to calm down. That usually helps. 8)


_________________
"Shirahoshi: "But if you're a pirate, Luffy... Then aren't you a bad person?"
Luffy: "... Hm? ... Mmmm... I dunno, that's up to you to decide."
----
Moo approves!


jrjones9933
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 13 May 2011
Age: 55
Gender: Male
Posts: 13,144
Location: The end of the northwest passage

31 Mar 2014, 7:29 am

I consciously relax and let the feelings wash over me and through me. I avoid attaching any significance to my feelings, and focus on the entire situation: my feelings and the task at hand. When I can, I go and sit by myself in a quiet study area or outside under a tree. I reward myself for handling my feelings rather than rewarding myself for getting overwhelmed by them.



backjruton
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

User avatar

Joined: 27 Feb 2014
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Posts: 7

03 Apr 2014, 9:45 am

I had 3 overloads earlier somehow earlier in college and I was only there for 2 hours because when I'm in a good mood it sadly doesn't take much for me to crash, I just go into a zone where I do less work and don't speak until I cheer up :oops:



Kiriae
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 30 Mar 2014
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,349
Location: Kraków, Poland

03 Apr 2014, 10:38 am

In primary school I couldn't deal with it well. Usually I was just meltdowning "without a reason". I was a real pain in my 4 year older cousin school life. She was always told to "do something with her crazy family member" because teachers had no idea what to do. Of course she also had no clue (no one heard about anything like AS back then) but since she was my cousin everyone was thinking that calming me down is her duty. Welcome to Poland.

Later on I learned to avoid overloading situations and was spending most of the school breaks in a room near school basement entrance. It was a dark place with scary sounds coming from the boiler room but at least I didn't have to deal with the terrific noise of hundreds children yelling around me. I also didn't have to worry that the bullies are going to find me - they were afraid of the room, there was a rumor it is haunted. Come to think now... maybe they mean it was haunted by me? Uhh... whatever. Anyway, it was a decent hideout.

When changing school I found a better safe spot - the cleaners room. The cleaning lady that was sitting there on school breaks was nice so I could tell her about anything and drink some free tea there if I wanted. It was much easier for me to talk with her then with my classmates.

In high school and university times I didn't have to deal with the overload in school. Maybe I got used to it, maybe the schools and people in there were calm enough or maybe it had something to do with the rule that allowed us to spend school breaks in our classrooms, not going to the hall. If there was a noise, light or smell I couldn't stand I was just telling it bothers me and there was usually a way to stop the factor. And if it was impossible - I was putting my head on the desk and covering it with my arms. Students sleeping on the lectures are not that uncommon so it was OK most of the time.


_________________
Your Aspie score: 172 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 24 of 200
IQ 128
EQ 91