Sensory Sensitivity

[zurb]

I'm wondering if others find sensory sensitivity varies in intensity, and if so what makes it better/worse?
How does age affect sensory sensitivity?

 

[StephF]

Soft touch is bad, definitely. It gets worse with age for me

 

[Harrison]

Soft touch or soft stroking can feel like fire on my skin.

 

[clg114]

Keeping in mind that we are all different, I would have to say that my sensory issues are not as intense as they used to be. These days they just make me uncomfortable. I'm not sure why, maybe I'm getting used to them or maybe I'm getting better at staying away from situations that trigger them. At this stage of our life, my wife and I stay home a lot more.

 

[zurb]

I remember my parents complaining more about noises as they got older, but I'm not sure if that's an aspie thing or just an age thing.
I seem to be getting more sensitive to noises, especially certain pitches. They really grate my ears! Its worse when I'm tired, and maybe worse when I've just woken up. Maybe I'm just tired more often, but I'm not convinced that's the case. I might also just be more self aware of what my triggers are.

 

[Kari Suttle]

I'm wondering if others find sensory sensitivity varies in intensity, and if so what makes it better/worse?
How does age affect sensory sensitivity?

Noise has always been my major sensitivity. I vividly remember an incident in Kindergarten where we were being taught how to use the school computers and the desktop computer's tower made a loud noise and i covered my ears. Most of the kids laughed but one little girl stood up for me saying what if it hurt my ears. She was wrong, i remember thinking so, i only started cause it was loud. Always have and still do.

I think it does get worse as I get older - now in my twenty somethings I am prone to getting overloaded at times, and I never had this issue as a kid. But i also wasn't constantly stressed out and sleep deprived as a child either. I know for a fact stress and lack of sleep make it worse. I only have shutdowns or meltdowns - something that never occurred as a child - when i'm overloaded from lack of sleep, stress, and all of that made worse by sensory sensitivities. Primarily sound, though at least at work i've learned to control how i react to it. Mentally i'll still be a wreck, but i've learned not to startle like i did when i first got hired. For the most part i can block out the overwhelmingness of all the noises by focusing on whoever i'm ringing up but my ability to do that wears down throughout the day. Shutting down is pretty much inevitable at work, though there are some nice supervisors now that are either accomodating in their own way, or if not that, i simply feel comfortable around them.

 

[AsheSkyler]

Mine ebbs and flows. Today I had an "autistic day". My five senses have been particularly sensitive and right now I've got a gradually growing headache. I just hope the kid understands someday when he's older he's not a bad kid for playing with his toys, my stupid head just hurts easy.

For the most part, mine has definitely gotten worse as I've grown up. I used to be a half-tick away from normal as a kid. Now, nearly everything gets on my nerves.

 

[Progster]

I remember my parents complaining more about noises as they got older, but I'm not sure if that's an aspie thing or just an age thing.
I seem to be getting more sensitive to noises, especially certain pitches. They really grate my ears! Its worse when I'm tired, and maybe worse when I've just woken up. Maybe I'm just tired more often, but I'm not convinced that's the case. I might also just be more self aware of what my triggers are.

Yes, this had been my experience too. I'm no longer terrified of thunder and lightening as I was when I was a kid, but my sensitivity to high pitched sounds has certainly got worse as I've got older. I seem to reach overload point faster too, especially when stressed or tired.

 

[Aspergirl4hire]

I'm increasingly sensitive to noise, touch, and visual field disruptions. I'm also more likely to take action when the threshold of the day--or hour--is being crossed, because trying to ignore it just spells trouble later. So I care less about whether my aspishness is showing. I spent years struggling to pass, and frankly, it's not worth the trouble unless it's threatening my job.

 

[Jess]

My sensory issues are a bit strange. As a child, I could not stand loud noises. Especially bad because my birthday is on 4th of July with lots of fireworks! I still get very startled with loud noises, but as I've gotten older I am able to withstand loud noises as long as I am expecting them (such as at a rock concert). My hearing has gotten worse as I've gotten older; my tinnitus has gotten worse but I've had an increase in hearing "mumbling" voices when it is silent. My sense of smell has always been keen as I tend to "sniff" rather than breathe. Sight has always been bad due to astigmatism Taste and touch, no strange things to report.

 

[musclecarman]

I can hear pretty well like I can hear the sound of my fan going or the sound of the light sometimes even the slightest sound could stop me from working. its like I'm part dolphin or something.

 

[Aurore]

I'm sensitive to noise and I can't bear loud noises. I'm afraid of firecrackers, balloons which explode, this sort of things. It's very difficult for me to endure the crowd's noises, the jabbering... Sometimes I've the feeling that it's driving me crazy!

I also have a sensitive nose.

My resistance to pain is a bit weird. I'm oversensitive to little things (a little cut with a sheet of paper, a bruise...) and I'm totally insensitive to sharp pain. 3 years ago I fell down on the street, I had a sick note for three weeks. My face was skinned, I had a fractured cheekbone and a tooth dislocation...but I felt no pain at all!

I also have a big resistance to sweltering heat.

And I've photophobia, I don't bear the sunlight (don't panic, I'm not a vampire...!) and I still have my sunglasses, even in winter!

 

[IrishAspie]

I'm pretty lucky on the sensory side of things, my only issues are light and repeating sounds drive me crazy, i.e. ticking clock (I've ripped a couple off walls) or songs like "I will always love you", even thinking about that song makes me want to scream.
To me it's torture akin to the Chinese water torture....if you did that to me I'd crack before you even started the water.

The light thing I can usually tolerate unless I get a migraine or I'm tired but it is on-going issue with the wife since I turn off all the lights all the time, (If I lived alone I'd save a fortune) but my wife hates the dark and always wants the lights on.
Neither lead to any kind of meltdown which is why I say I'm pretty lucky but I will usually make a fairly quick exit.
Thinking about it my parents had no time for stuff like that, I'd be told to "stop with your nonsense" possibly followed by a slap to the back of the head so I had to learn to cope with it and I did...but I still hate it

 

[Aurore]

I turn off the lights all the time too!! My colleagues continue to turn them on and it drives me crazy! Even when I'm alone at my office, they come and they turn the lights on!!

 

[IrishAspie]

I turn off the lights all the time too!! My colleagues continue to turn them on and it drives me crazy! Even when I'm alone at my office, they come and they turn the lights on!!

Same problem for me at work, I gave up asking to please leave them off..once I got facilities to remove some of the blubs and the boss had them put back ...yet another reason why I used to spend a lot of my working time in the toilet.

 

[nikkitabear]

My biggest sensitivity is to the feelings on my skin, leading me to wear only certain clothes that are comfortable. The wrong color, or pattern, also feels intolerable. So I don't dress too well most of the time. Very low fashion sense as well. This has always been the case for me. My eyes have also always been higher-than-average sensitive to bright light, and that does not seem to have changed either. But I am definitely more and more sensitive to sounds as I get older, although sound sensitivity was not a big problem for me earlier in life.

 

[Häxan]

I have severe sensory issues, they effect my life very badly. I get chronic head pain because of them, I hate it!

 

[shakeitup94]

I differ day to day for sure. My big things are touch. That's almost always the same and always has been. You pat my arm I want to cut the damn thing off to make that weird feeling go away. Tags bother me but not as bad as they use to.
Sounds loud don't bother me. I like most loud sounds actually. But I hate that wirring sound, like fan or vacuum or high pitched sounds. The wirring bit has gotten better as I get older but the high pitched is worse.
Smell is a bit worse but not too bad at all considering. Just a few specific things bother me. Eggs and perfume mostly.
Light doesn't really bother me at all dark or bright. Occasionally bright will but not much or often.
Taste I'm much better with but not great but that varies widely per day. What is ok one day I can't stand the next.

Meltdown wise in about the same. I can control them better now and remove myself before I loose it completely. I also use diversionary tactics which work really well when I can't get out of the situation.

 

[red_dog]

My sense of smell fluctuates from normal to sensitive with my menstrual cycle. I just get used to having a super sense of smell and it goes away again. Sometimes going back to normal seems like I have a cold and can't smell anything, but I think it is just the contrast to what I could smell before. I really can't stand the smell of perfume or air freshener, would prefer to smell sweat or toilet smells any day.

My sensitivity to sound is affected by my anxiety - when I am anxious I am much more sensitive to sounds like hum of air-con, repetitive music, ticking clocks.

When I am tired I prefer to be warm rather than cool, but I don't think I'm particularly sensitive to temperature.

I love soft fabrics & pressure against my skin especially when stressed or sad. I dislike scratchy fabrics, especially in hot weather.