Which of the senses is the most sensitive for you?

[mw2530]

For me it is the sense of hearing. Back before I was aware I had ASD, I did not realize that I had sensitive hearing. I mean, it is difficult to know you have a more sensitive sense than others b/c you don't really know how they are taking in information and experiencing things. You kind of just assume everyone experiences sensations in the same manner that you do. I recall that I didn't even like eating an apple in an office setting for lunch, because I thought the chewing was too loud that I would be annoying others. It seems like the sound was just too loud for myself. I recall being able to hear conversations my mom was having with my brother even when I was on another floor in my bed. A few times when I said something about the overheard conversation, my mom would be confused as to how I heard them.

I am easily overwhelmed by sound and this is the root cause of so many of my problems. I don't have a breakdown from experiencing too much noise, but after a sustained period of noise without much rest, I can't seem to think clearly. I can't hear myself think and can't make coherent thoughts. It is if my brain is short circuiting. The problem is not my ears, but the processing of sounds. I need a lot of quiet times built into my schedule to function optimally. Hearing words spoke to me is often not processed into anything meaningful. Sometimes, they may as well be animal noises. When I am overwhelmed by noise, I lose my opinions, thoughts, feelings, and desires. I'm just existing. My personality disappears so it looks like I don't have one to others. Unfortunately, humans communicate primarily through the sense of sound.

 

[dragonfire42]

It's hearing for me, too. Despite being easily overwhelmed by noises, I hate wearing things like earplugs because I actually rely on my hearing almost as much as most people rely on sight. I'm just always taking in so much information from it, wearing earplugs really is almost like trying to walk around blindfolded for me. I too have issues with auditory processing. For example, I can't tune out noises, so if the TV is on, there's a fan going, cicadas are buzzing outside, and someone is trying to talk to me, I can't filter out the person's voice, so I can't understand what they're saying.

 

[Wolfnox]

Hearing, smell, and skin sensitivity.

 

[Tom]

Sight for me.

 

[Streetwise]

Hearing ,smell,skin.

 

[Mia]

Hearing

 

[Aspychata]

I actually calm myself with noise. Or l use noise to drown out other noise. If smell bothers me, l apply perfume in my nose area. I have become a little more sensitive re: clothes.Today my boss was going on and on, l realised l have always hated meetings. My foot was tapping like bonkers. But l noticed he was tapping his foot too. Meetings are too many people and l feel l have to project l am part of the group. I did try to get out of meeting. One thing l have come to realise is l can hate certain people's voice tone. Like l hear their voice and become mildly irritated but then l let go of it So l am able to instantly dislike you if l hate your voice. Pretty stupid of me. So is this sensitivity to certain musical tones, or what? I hate a harsh voice, l can't wait to get away from the person. It's like fingernails on a chalkboard.

 

[Daydreamer]

In order (most sensitive to least):

• Hearing

Especially high pitched sounds. I hate most whistling and when people chew gum near me. People sometimes use my hearing to their advantage, for example asking me to go track down where a sound is coming from. I often find myself eavesdropping on conversations, that are going on in another part of the building, without meaning to.

• Smell

My sense of smell is a close second. Certain foods have too strong of a smell and I have to leave the situation sometimes in order to recover. I am frequently overwhelmed by smells. There have been instances where I've talked about disliking the smell of something, only to be met with someone informing me that apparently that particular item doesn't have a smell to them. Whilst it does for me, and it's a strong one at that.

• Taste

I find fizzy drinks such as lemonade to be sharp. People tend to be baffled when I water down my lemonade, but that is the level of sensitivity my taste buds have. I prefer plain food.

• Touch

Admittedly, I'm not fully sure whether my aversion to close contact occurred because of the bullying I went through, or if the bullying happened because it was already there. My sensitive eczema prone skin doesn't like certain fabrics. Labels tend to irritate me somewhat. I don't like firm hugs (mainly due to my claustrophobia) and I usually only like to be hugged by people I am emotionally close to. Sometimes I tense up awkwardly when hugged. I've also been known to panic and push people away. Although I suspect that this sensitivity was induced (or at least increased) because of bad experiences rather than being inherent.

• Sight

Whilst I am occasionally bothered by bright lights, my eyes generally adjust to changes in light fairly quickly. My other senses are considerably more likely to overwhelm me.

As for pain, it varies. Sometimes I'm slow to react at first, other moments I show pain at minor accidents immediately. Also, I flinch or act like I'm in pain when I see others hurt themselves without really thinking about it at times.

 

[Major Tom]

Most definitely hearing, then smell.

 

[Michael Balog]

Touch is my most sensitive feeling, my favorite stim is to rub a microfiber fabric sample to calm down. Light bothers me tremendously to the point I want to wear safety sunglasses inside work but haven’t got the courage to do so yet. I can hear better than most people, sometimes I think I’m part dog or something cause i can pick up in little sounds mint others can’t hear like fluorescent lighting humming. Smell is very limited for me since my sinuses are so bad all the time.

 

[Bikutoso]

Most sensitive towards hearing. Can not handle being near four or more people talking for long periods of time before having to retreat. Listening to the conversations of strangers have always been good entertainment while on the the bus.

 

[On the Inside]

Sound. Even though I have partial hearing loss in my right ear, I still hear things other people miss.

I think I am most effected by visual stimulation, though I wouldn't say it is my most sensitive sense.

 

[tlc]

I say smell. I have sensitive hearing too but can at least go on with my life if there is noise. So many smells just make me feel sick and pretty much immobilize me from being productive at what I am doing.

 

[Jeremiah]

For me, touch, especially pain. Also gives me trouble with certain food textures, although I rarely have difficulties with clothing.

 

[Schism]

Hearing. As Dragonfire said, background noise (which NTs don't even notice). I can completely lose the thread when say a bike goes by. I suffer in summer due to all the power tools used, I can feel my brain shaking! Even though I now have tinnitus, I can still hear acutely & sounds can be very 'sharp'.
Smell would be next - I pick up smells others don't.
Visual would be I have an adversion to flickering, flashes. I lose my sense of balance & feel physically nauseous & panicked if prolonged.

 

[xudo]

Hearing. People joke that I can hear things only dogs would. We just got a new TV and I keep hearing new stuff that our old TV didn't show up...but husband can't hear it

Sometimes makes me feel like a crazy person, when I'm the only one that can hear stuff. When in parties on the PS4 I always hear stuff in the background of other people's houses.

Probably why loud noises bother me so much.

 

[SusanLR]

Hearing definitely.
It's super sensitive and I can hear sounds others don't.
Like the ticking of clocks all over the house no matter what room I'm in.
Can't tolerate prolonged talking around me.
The city sound through the day. Planes, cars, TV's in another room, sirens and loud thunder
are the worst. Mom always said I had cat ears.
Being in supermarkets and restaurants can make my head feel dizzy from the sounds.
Yet I need certain sounds to keep me calm and it helps drown out other noise, so I keep
ambient music playing low in the background inside the house all day.
I need it to sleep also.

Touch as in clothes and bedding. Must be soft and easy to move in.
I find a soft fuzzy blanket the most soothing so I sleep with nothing on but the blanket.

My eyes are sensitive to bright light so I wear tinted glasses indoors as well as out.
Rose or lavender are the best for me.

 

[Progster]

Sound and touch. I have hyperacusis as well, which makes high pitched sounds unbearable.

 

[NothingToSeeHere]

Definitely hearing. I'm actually partially deaf in one ear but loud noises are still physically painful for me.

 

[Bolletje]

Hearing, closely followed by smell. I get laughed at by people for hearing and smelling things they can’t. Doesn’t change the fact that I can.