A (very) short Autistamatic video (now with 100% extra free!)

[55853]

Perhaps giving NTs a better sense of our sensory issues in terms of hearing too many people speak at once

I am surprised you are attributing it to "NTs". The worst case of this I came across was in an Asperger Syndrome social group I went to. All of them were shouting about their interests at once, just speaking over each other and not listening to anything. As someone who struggles to raise my voice and believes it to be rude to speak over people (there are exceptions, but as a general rule), I got about a total of two words in for the time I was there. Needless to say, I don't think I'm going back to that.

 

[Progster]

Good point. It was quite a revelation for me personally to have heard a YouTube video where someone was recreating the audio experience of someone on the spectrum.

Where for the first time I really began to come to terms that my sense of hearing and other senses is really quite different from the rank-and-file of society. And yes, that it is in fact a very real thing indeed!

Same here - and to think that for so long I didn't realise that what I was experiencing could be any different to what other people are experiencing - it really was an eye opener.

 

[Judge]

I am surprised you are attributing it to "NTs". The worst case of this I came across was in an Asperger Syndrome social group I went to. All of them were shouting about their interests at once, just speaking over each other and not listening to anything. As someone who struggles to raise my voice and believes it to be rude to speak over people (there are exceptions, but as a general rule), I got about a total of two words in for the time I was there. Needless to say, I don't think I'm going back to that.

I'm not attributing anything to NTs in this context. Only that such a presentation may prove to be optimal in attempting to explain our sensory issues to an NT audience rather than merely "preach to the choir".

Anyone can negatively impact the sensory issues of someone on the spectrum whether they are Neurotypical or Neurodiverse. That should be obvious.

 

[55853]

I'm not attributing anything to NTs in this context. Only that such a presentation may prove to be optimal in attempting to explain our sensory issues to an NT audience rather than merely "preach to the choir".

Fair enough. Do you believe these people with Asperger Syndrome I met would benefit the same? I can only assume they lacked sensory issues and were unaware of their existence, given their actions.

 

[Judge]

Fair enough. Do you believe these people with Asperger Syndrome I met would benefit the same? I can only assume they lacked sensory issues and were unaware of their existence, given their actions.

Point taken. Well, let's hope they can without being "blind" to the noise they themselves make. Reminds me of one reason I chose to leave a social club I had attended for about four years. I simply got tired of one person in particular who incessantly would speak to others while the president of the club would be addressing us all. No matter how many times he was told to shut up.

Though this brings up another consideration to ponder. That we aren't all necessarily uniformly upset by sound. In my own case I can tolerate some sounds I don't normally appreciate if they are anticipated. Whether or not I am the source of the sound in question. -Loud music, fireworks and such. Though not for an indefinite amount of time in my own case. But unsolicited and spontaneously loud noises...ouch.

That might be another worthwhile thing to mention in such a presentation, to clear up additional misunderstandings. That our having to deal with sound comes with plenty of caveats and exceptions as well.

And then consider we're only articulating about sound, when there are so many other dynamics to sight, feel, taste and smell. A lot to cover.

 

[55853]

That might be another worthwhile thing to mention in such a presentation, to clear up additional misunderstandings.

This is a universal thing. Everyone with ASD is different, to the extent that people have completely opposite traits. I am quiet and reserved, they were loud and talkative. I am hypersensitive to sound, they were almost definitely hyposensitive to sound. I am well organised, most or all of them struggled with their organisation. And so on. It makes it very hard to accurately generalise ASD.

 

[Judge]

This is a universal thing. Everyone with ASD is different, to the extent that people have completely opposite traits. I am quiet and reserved, they were loud and talkative. I am hypersensitive to sound, they were almost definitely hyposensitive to sound. I am well organised, most or all of them struggled with their organisation. And so on. It makes it very hard to accurately generalise ASD.

Absolutely. I think it's always important to emphasize that as an element of the spectrum itself. That you cannot really generalize much of anything about autism relative to one individual or another.

That we may- or may not share similar or same traits and behaviors. And if and when we do, we likely have them at very different amplitudes. A distinction that may reflect a difference between one being slightly annoying while to another it can be maddening to the point of a flight/fight response.

Makes for us amounting to quite a diverse lot. Good point again. Perhaps it should be the preface of most any presentation and explanation of autistic traits and behaviors. That generalizations can potentially be as faulty as outright incorrect information or assumptions.

 

[Joshua the Writer]

Same here! I hate loud noises. I also hate bright lights that blink/flash rapidly and constant, EXTREMELY bright lights. I also hate it when too much of those two things are happening around me at the same time. And even more than those two things alone. I was unable to enjoy a visit to the State Fair at night with my dad and my sister because of this last year.

That is why I keep turning down the brightness on the monitor I use to 50. (Although my mom doesn't like that for whatever reason. I share a desktop with my parents.)

 

[Autistamatic]

The diversity within the spectrum is something anyone documenting it for others has to be constantly aware of. Not so long ago we discussed the disclaimer I put before my channel videos which is there for that very reason. The best I, or anyone can do, is to give a flavour of what we experience which by necessity has to be based on personal experience. No matter how much research we do, people we talk to, experts we consult or imagination we employ, anything we try to describe about other people's autistic experience will be second hand.
There is so little understanding of autism in the world today that the more voices out there explaining our own perceptions and conveying accurate information about contemporary understanding, the better.
However hard we try, we can never give a complete picture, only a taste of what autism can be.

 

[Judge]

There is so little understanding of autism in the world today that the more voices out there explaining our own perceptions and conveying accurate information about contemporary understanding, the better.
However hard we try, we can never give a complete picture, only a taste of what autism can be.

Sad, but true. We might be able to give a hint of what it looks like. Even what it sounds like. Bits and pieces. But we can never adequately translate what it feels like on the whole, and on a daily basis.

Still, great outcomes usually involve small beginnings.

 

[Fino]

My problem with overhearing other people's conversations is that I have a hard time not repeating some of what they say or responding to them to myself, and I've done it too loudly before and they looked at me.

A video similiation which quite accurately shows what being subjected to multiple conversations is like is this one. Warning - it is LOUD.

Are these all sounds from the show or meant to be sounds from the person's surroundings?

 

[Autistamatic]

Are these all sounds from the show or meant to be sounds from the person's surroundings?

It's meant to be background noise from the surroundings

 

[Fino]

It's meant to be background noise from the surroundings

That was my first thought, but then I doubted it because if there's that much noise going on then what the monkey do NTs hear? No one would be able to listen, I wouldn't think!

 

[Progster]

That was my first thought, but then I doubted it because if there's that much noise going on then what the monkey do NTs hear? No one would be able to listen, I wouldn't think!

I have a feeling that with this video, like a few others that I have seen, the the maker seeks to put a wide range of possible experiences in the video, or tries to represent every possible sensory experience, where in reality, an autistic person will typically experience some, but not all... for example, the sound coming from the lighting. Some autistic people do experience this, but not all. I can indeed hear some lighting and electical equipment buzzing (as can NTs), but not every light is going to do this for me. Others might be more sensitive than me. and have this issue continually. My sensory sensitivities are mild in comparison to others, but no less real - I get the jumbling up of sounds, making it difficult for me to follow a TV show or a conversation with background music or sound as so well demonstrated in the video, and details, various small sounds and details kind of leap out at me and grab my attention, often causing me distress if there's too much going on, I but I don't, or rarely, have sensory integration issues - visual or aural distortion, blurring or blanking out that some people get, or at least, I don't experience it exactly as shown on the video. If I'm overloaded, I just don't process (I don't 'see' or 'hear', don't process what I see and hear).
This next one is accurate for me. It is very well-made: it shows how details - visual information and sound can leap out at you, and how small children in particular find it difficult to cope with. This is indeed how I experience a mall. For me, as an adult, it's doable: I wear headphones and listen to music in the mall, I can stop and sit down, and just look at the floor for a while, if I feel I'm getting over loaded, but a small child can't do this.

This next one is accurate for me, too, and also shows how I experience the sound coming from lights, different to the TV one. It also shows how I experience glare coming from lights or sunlight. it also shows how it can be ok for a while, but at some point it becomes too much and everything intensifies and becomes unbearable - I get this too, but without the blurred vision. That doesn't happen - or I'm unaware of it happening, because if I'm overloaded I don't process anything full stop - unless this is what the blurred vison is supposed to represent. I feel very uncomfortable and stressed, and need to get out of there. I also sometimes get a kind of 'unreal' feeling when my senses are flooded, things seem surreal and not real, it's difficult to explain.

 

[All-Rounder]

Fair enough. Do you believe these people with Asperger Syndrome I met would benefit the same? I can only assume they lacked sensory issues and were unaware of their existence, given their actions.

Like Judge said, autists are very different, and even quirk-wise. I imagine that they may be unable to know turns in a convo or able to do it, it happens to me lots, I have a friend with autism who has this issue too. I have another who has times when she speaks too loud and sometimes too quiet.

This is a great new video type, this is where things start getting to a new level and genius begins. Its originality = <3

 

[All-Rounder]

I have a feeling that with this video, like a few others that I have seen, the the maker seeks to put a wide range of possible experiences in the video, or tries to represent every possible sensory experience, where in reality, an autistic person will typically experience some, but not all... for example, the sound coming from the lighting. Some autistic people do experience this, but not all. I can indeed hear some lighting and electical equipment buzzing (as can NTs), but not every light is going to do this for me. Others might be more sensitive than me. and have this issue continually. My sensory sensitivities are mild in comparison to others, but no less real - I get the jumbling up of sounds, making it difficult for me to follow a TV show or a conversation with background music or sound as so well demonstrated in the video, and details, various small sounds and details kind of leap out at me and grab my attention, often causing me distress if there's too much going on, I but I don't, or rarely, have sensory integration issues - visual or aural distortion, blurring or blanking out that some people get, or at least, I don't experience it exactly as shown on the video. If I'm overloaded, I just don't process (I don't 'see' or 'hear', don't process what I see and hear).
This next one is accurate for me. It is very well-made: it shows how details - visual information and sound can leap out at you, and how small children in particular find it difficult to cope with. This is indeed how I experience a mall. For me, as an adult, it's doable: I wear headphones and listen to music in the mall, I can stop and sit down, and just look at the floor for a while, if I feel I'm getting over loaded, but a small child can't do this.

This next one is accurate for me, too, and also shows how I experience the sound coming from lights, different to the TV one. It also shows how I experience glare coming from lights or sunlight. it also shows how it can be ok for a while, but at some point it becomes too much and everything intensifies and becomes unbearable - I get this too, but without the blurred vision. That doesn't happen - or I'm unaware of it happening, because if I'm overloaded I don't process anything full stop - unless this is what the blurred vison is supposed to represent. I feel very uncomfortable and stressed, and need to get out of there. I also sometimes get a kind of 'unreal' feeling when my senses are flooded, things seem surreal and not real, it's difficult to explain.

These two videos are so touching! What is the light in the second even doing?! 0.0 its like everything disappears and its just light. Like going into a cave and coming back out.

Why is the world blurry and dizzying, now i think i can understand much better what some noises are really annoyimg means. Like some sound like continuous hell screaming martyrs. I can understand why someone would ask them to be turned off.

I think id come off rude if id be like 'no offense miss, your slurping... can you slurp less noisy?' I now hold the secret to why one should not get offended, confusedd and weirded out, its not the slurping, its the ears! We hear it differently. ; ^ ;

 

[All-Rounder]

That was my first thought, but then I doubted it because if there's that much noise going on then what the monkey do NTs hear? No one would be able to listen, I wouldn't think!

We have a gift for hearing nothing except some farts... Wait -- you hear ALL of them.

 

[All-Rounder]

I occasionally post short videos on Twitter, specifically made for that platform. I know not everybody here uses it so I'll post a couple here as I do them. One or two I have already incorporated into posts such as the "disease" one.
This is a private link because the video is not available publicly on the channel itself.

I don't think I have the courage of butting into some angry couples arffairs. I only did with my parents but it is not a fight one can fix.

Putting myself in their shoes I think in my own situation I would not like anyone to interfere in my discussion and I wouldn't trust them to know enough or to have a valid opinion unless they were a psychologist i would trust. That means even if you had an interest in conflicts and tons of knowledge the more id hear about your case id tend to be rather pissed off about it than take the time to investigate what you're about and the more id feel you dont interest me and are out of place. If id be yelling you could tell my respect dropped for the person im yelling at and in the moment i wouldnt practice it with others most likely if its an anger issue that hasn't been communicated effectively. If the relationship has been difficult and still is of worth to me then id feel defensive likely too. Like are you coming to ruin my relationship or make it harder? Im gonna fight you then.

Putting myself in your shoes you try to mend the situation and help realize the problem but you aren't taken for the intent you have.

 

[Autistamatic]

I don't think I have the courage of butting into some angry couples arffairs. I only did with my parents but it is not a fight one can fix.

Putting myself in their shoes I think in my own situation I would not like anyone to interfere in my discussion and I wouldn't trust them to know enough or to have a valid opinion unless they were a psychologist i would trust. That means even if you had an interest in conflicts and tons of knowledge the more id hear about your case id tend to be rather pissed off about it than take the time to investigate what you're about and the more id feel you dont interest me and are out of place. If id be yelling you could tell my respect dropped for the person im yelling at and in the moment i wouldnt practice it with others most likely if its an anger issue that hasn't been communicated effectively. If the relationship has been difficult and still is of worth to me then id feel defensive likely too. Like are you coming to ruin my relationship or make it harder? Im gonna fight you then.

Putting myself in your shoes you try to mend the situation and help realize the problem but you aren't taken for the intent you have.

This is where the sensory issue becomes complex. My discriminatory hearing allows me to hear and comprehend multiple conversations (within limits) and I remember them, often word for word. I am also extremely distressed by anger and raised voices, even when I'm not on the receiving end - it's the quickest way to drive me to a meltdown. Given the choice of freaking out or shutting down, I try to diplomatically bring an end to hostilities. Sometimes it's well received, but it backfires more often than I'd like.
Given the option I'll just leave, but that's not always possible.

 

[All-Rounder]

This is where the sensory issue becomes complex. My discriminatory hearing allows me to hear and comprehend multiple conversations (within limits) and I remember them, often word for word. I am also extremely distressed by anger and raised voices, even when I'm not on the receiving end - it's the quickest way to drive me to a meltdown. Given the choice of freaking out or shutting down, I try to diplomatically bring an end to hostilities. Sometimes it's well received, but it backfires more often than I'd like.
Given the option I'll just leave, but that's not always possible.

Before I hit cancel on my phone accidentally [oh i miss my comp internet cable] , i was writing that I had an offer of my ex's friend whom he shares enough traits with to be a sort of a mediator but at first I was reluctant to tell her about it and not very trusting but especially since i already was telling my bf everything. Eventually I thought about it and I agreed but the offer wasnt available any longer. I think if you have the chance to do this it may be more welcome to people and fix stuff, they may be wanting to do sort of a counselling session.

But isnt it hard to listen to the same issues and feelings of others, rants, as an aspie? I hear of this too as well as what you said about arguments and yellings.

It feels trapped between two options not friendly to you. Its good to be independent as an aspie I suppose, its the greatest need. How unproper that people tend to overattend to 'special needs' while you just need to be left alone and have freedom.