Positive aspects of sensory differences

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RobsPlanet
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27 Jun 2015, 3:45 am

Hi all,

I have been wondering if there are any positive sides to autistic sensory differences. Even amongst neurodiversity advocates who advocate positive aspects of autistic cognition, character, etc., I can't remember anyone arguing that we can see autistic sensory differences as good.

But I think that this may be somewhat misdealing. In my own case at least, I'm so used to thinking about sensory differences as negative that I now wonder that I may not easily be able to attribute positive experiences to sensory differences. So I might be missing them due to the way our talk of sensory differences constructs our conceptualisation of them.

Does this make sense to anyone? What do you all think? Recommendations for papers/blog posts/books on the topic as well as your own thoughts and experiences are very welcome!



BirdInFlight
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27 Jun 2015, 4:00 am

I suppose in maybe small ways such as, even in a place where there's a roar of traffic, I can also pick out birdsong and try to focus on that more, and enjoy it. I guess that's one upside to feeling like you can hear every darn noise and sound around you. Other than that, my noise sensitivity is pretty much torture, as I live on a trafficky road and can't afford to move to a quieter one.



iliketrees
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27 Jun 2015, 4:14 am

Well I have always had very sensitive hearing, which obviously can become a very big issue for me. But there are always things I can hear others miss. I could hear when the bus was getting near so much I could say "and it'll appear... now" just as it turned the corner. I can hear which car is which in my street. But another thing is I can tell when something is not right. Like if a noise is out of place. So where my parents had left the gas on or something I could hear it even in the other room. And I can hear when our shower... keeps breaking. It just sounds different. So I guess there are a few positive things there. My touch sense also is a bit sensitive and I can tell when surfaces are even slightly uneven... I suppose that may eventually have its positives.



pensieve
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27 Jun 2015, 6:03 am

I can smell when food is going off before other people.

I overheat easily so showers are short.

I can hear things before other people.

I get a wave of emotions through songs, books, and films.

My doctor says it's good that I wear sunglasses always too because it's not good to get too much sun on your eyes. And I can't stand being out in the sun on hot days so I may be less likely to develop skin cancer.

This is a good one: I can feel any change happening to my body, so when I notice when I'm getting ill I can start treating the symptoms before they get worse. It's usually a slightly itchy throat an upset stomach.

My skin even reacts to alcohol so I'm off it for good.

It just make me cautious, take less risks and really take care of my health better. Some days I can really be irritated by dry skin so I moisturize a lot with natural stuff.


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