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What are your sensory issues?

Droopy

Founder & Former Admin
V.I.P Member
What are you sensitive to? I'm sensitive to sudden loud noise. I'm very jumpy if I hear something unexpectedly. I also dislike strong light. When I was younger I used to always switch off the lights when watching TV or playing on the games console. Now though, it's more strong sunlight that bothers me than simply a lit room.
 
i also am bothered by strong light. not a.s. related though, i'm just clueless about humans....that's my major a.s. symptom. i have a small brain tumor that's pressing on the optic nerve where they cross. not so bad really, it's growth can be controlled by a medication,cabergoline, and my distance vision has improved dramatically with the tumor. one really weird side effect of med or tumor, can't find out which, is that the color leaf green now shimmers. just amazing. bet i would go crazy in ireland!
 
Major one is touch, estremely sensitive to it.
Light is a bit of a problem too. I have to sit in the dark most of the times.
Sound, loud noises are also a problem.
 
I hate camera flashes, sudden loud noises, andbeing touched (when I'm being hugged by relatives or friends it's ok).
 
I dislike sudden loud noise. I never understood why people popped balloons. Nowadays, sometimes people come to my office - my back is to the door - and scare the living daylights out of me just by saying my name. Sometimes it is all I can do not to snap angrily at them.
 
Always sensitive to strong floral smells...can cause my sinuses to lock up and gives me a headache, when I'm tired any bright light (especially off to the side of my vision) a bright day is fine, but the reflection of the sun off a piece of chrome or glass, or bright headlights, or camera plash feels like a spike being run through my head down to my feet. Loud noises are mostly okay, but certain higher pitched noises like beeps and small bells do the same as bright lights...I have noticed those sounds make my eyes water too and mess up my vision.

I sound like a wreck according to the above, but it really is not all that bad so long as I'm not overly tired.

Also, I like one of Calvert's vlogs on youtube...that I think shows some sensory issues...there is a horn blowing in the background and he flinches a bit at first but ignores it, then it keeps going and he gets a bit upset (hope you don't mind Calvert?). :unsure:That is what it is like for me...an issue here and there is unpleasant, but I can ignore it...however, if I'm really tired or it continues for a while I can feel enraged :twitcy:(meltdown coming on) and eventually may try to attack the cause of the annoyance.:arghh:
 
Noisy environments are the worst for me, but just certain noises. A crowded restuarnat with lot's of people talking, laughing, especially women and kids and loud drunk guys. Even with a group of 15 or 20 like after a meeting when people socialize, all the different conversations are all competing for my attention and I can't take it. I get overwhelmed and I literally feel like i am being attacked, Physically assaulted. I get that flight or fight response. Also low frequency bass that I can feel in my chest makes me feel like that. Sudden noises might make me jump a little, but I think my response is normal.

I also never get used to background noises, right now at my house I can hear the traffic on the road 1/2 mile away. I can hear several types of noises from the waste incinerator plant almost a mile away, including a pulsating low frequency noise, I can hear my neighbors heat pump, our network backup drive, the fan on our DVR, and a rattle in a heating vent at the other end of the house. It always there, most people filter out background noise after a while.

Touch is the other problem for me, especially light touch, a soft caress with fingertips can be almost painful, certainly irritating at the least. A firm touch with the full hand is fine. If my partner touches me with a cold hand or foot in bed, it feels like it is burning for a long time afterwards. I will get violent if ticked, I have hit people, but that may be related to something else. I don't usually feel clothes tags, but if I do I can't tolerate it even for a few minutes. After wearing my bike helmet I can still feel it even hours after I take it off.

In a similar line of thought I have a very high threshold for pain, my mother mentioned that about me when I was a child, and I have been told this same thing by one nurse who realized I wasn't complaining about the pain despite a serious injury. She was so concerned because she thought I must be in shock not to be wincing when touched or crying out or at least asking for pain meds.

Certain smells will make me feel panicky and I have to get away from them, especially florals, and wintergreen. But other smells can overwhelm me as well.
 
Loud, high-pitched noises that are continuous. That gets me every time. The other day my mum was fiddling about with my nan's phone because she was trying to find an appropriate ringtone for it and they were all so shrill. But it didn't really get to me until she got to the one in particular that was just a continuous ring. It made the vacuum cleaner sound pleasant.
 
Sudden loud noises, unexpected touching (esp. an unsolicited hug), strong light, I'm super sensitive to barometric pressure changes (will cause migraines, sinus issues), crowds will cause me to meltdown.

Oh, and someone mentioned smells...the smell of Eucalyptus drives me mad!
 
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With me,it's the smell of Ammonia, the cleaning solution, I refuse to use this to clean anything quite simply because this stinks to high heaven, and makes the whole house smell like over-used,dirty kitty-litter box! Another is bleach,this one is physically irritating for me and irritates my throat nose,and sinuses, I can even smell a small amount added to water,and avoid drinking the water if it has even the slightest hint of bleach odour to it. Another one,vineger. I cant stand this one either,as it smells of 'rotting' fruit. I cannot figure out exactly why anyone would use any of these chemicals to 'clean' any thing with.They are harsh on the system,irritate my mucous/sinus membranes,and smell horrid. Personally, I use pine,or citrus-based cleaners as they to me smell freash. I also do not like synthetic perfumes,and actually start running at the nose and sneesing when any one passes me wearing too much of these perfumes.Loud noises,it depends on level of pitch and whether or not they are harmonious. I can tolerate a modern school fire-alarm,but those private security, and fire-alarm systems drive me batty! I also do not like it when someone sings off-pitch to the music being played,this is as annoying as fingernails to a chalk board to me.:wtf:
 
I do not like loud pitched noises, or loud noises period. Being around crowds especially noisy ones sends me into a anxiety attack. I don't like being touched only certain touch I can handle, and it can't be for a very long time, or I feel like I am suffocating, or about to go nuts. I don't like bright lights, I always wear sunglasses outside even on a cloudy day, or keep it dim in my place. Food is a big issue for me, if it smells or looks like I wont like the texture, I refuse to eat it. I would rather go hungry. My son who also as AS is the same way, except about lights.
 
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Don't ****ing touch me. :cute: K?
LOL I'm not exactly like that, but I'm not the most physically affectionate of people either. Don't expect to be showered with kisses and cuddles, and don't expect me to enjoy the same from you. Unless of course you are my siblings or my best best friend, then you're fine.

Oh yeah I can't stand being too hot either, or being in a stuffy room or car. It makes me feel bleh when I'm in the car in summer it's so stuffy. I can barely breath.
 
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In my case, mainly noise. I have to have a fairly quiet space if I'm going to do any kind of work without distraction. Also, certain sounds like that horrible screeching noise babies make (one of the many reasons I'm probably never going to be a parent) are almost physically painful for me to hear.

I also have a few sensory issues with clothing, which is supposed to be a fairly common aspie thing. I can't stand wearing scratchy clothes, and I absolutely hate having to wear a necktie (which I don't have to do very often, thankfully). If I ever get a job where I have to dress up a little bit, I really hope it's one where I don't have to wear a tie, or, if I do, I can get away with wearing a clip-on tie.
 
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Mine are light and sound. When I was a child, my sister had to have light and sound. We had to share a bedroom, and she gets what she wants. Light and sound. I can never sleep or do anything but be annoyed. I later got my own room, but my brother and mother would talk right outside. It is more horrible because of my sonar hearing. I would be in a crowded room (not that I want to be) and hear a conversation on the other side. They weren't talking really nicely about someone, and I got really angry. I also get bothered by feeling sometimes. I have to wear gloves so I don't have to feel plastic or glass.
 
Also Ice, cold ice being dumped down my back,when it is quite cold enough outside,this actually feels like fire to me,and is painful.
 
Sudden loud noises, like people opening my door when I'm studying, or someone sneezing and coughing. It really scares me and takes a few minutes to recover. Also, I've noticed when I'm in a noisy environment I become very quiet and prefer to talk as little as possible. It's as if the noise is too much to process and my brain goes into a protection mode.

I'm also very sensitive to touch. I really don't like people hugging me or touching me. I avoid it as much as possible, even when it's family members. I have noticed that not all sensory oddities are issues for me. For example; I really like cold weather and prefer to wear a t-shirt rather than a hoodie or jacket. People give me odd looks for doing this.
 
:D
Sudden loud noises, like people opening my door when I'm studying, or someone sneezing and coughing. It really scares me and takes a few minutes to recover. Also, I've noticed when I'm in a noisy environment I become very quiet and prefer to talk as little as possible. It's as if the noise is too much to process and my brain goes into a protection mode.

I'm also very sensitive to touch. I really don't like people hugging me or touching me. I avoid it as much as possible, even when it's family members. I have noticed that not all sensory oddities are issues for me. For example; I really like cold weather and prefer to wear a t-shirt rather than a hoodie or jacket. People give me odd looks for doing this.
'Odd looks' ? You would be accepted quite readily here with the 'touristas' that arrive wear 'daisie-duke shorts,and thin blouses and shorts. You have an advantage in your ability to withstand cold temperatures,as this means that if you so choose you could move into any of the states in the 'frost/snow line' and not be adversly affected by this. I on the other hand,will have a time of it until summer arrives again. Enjoy your resistance to cold,you are extremely lucky to have this.
 
Certain cleaning solutions give me a headache. The sun hurts my eyes all the time. I hate being touched, unless it's from my immediate family or my best friend. The feeling of fleece on me is extremely uncomfortable.
 
My biggest one is noise sensitivity. When I was very small I used to be terrified of public restrooms. The sound of a toilet flushing sent me right up the wall. My parents did not understand it and thought I was being willful since I obviously had no problems at home. Then I read in one of Dr. Grandin's books that noises are amplified in public bathrooms because of the way they were designed. I called my parents up and started reading the chapter to them . . . I was NOT crazy after all!
 

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