Kusan38
My self portrait ^
I am not diagnosed with Asperger's/ASD - just considering whether to request the evaluation.
I do have some sensory sensitivities (and also affinities). It's interesting to see how they compare with the sensory profiles of those who are diagnosed.
SENSITIVITIES
Hearing:
> Too many people talking, especially when I have to listen to threads of the conversation, is very frustrating. If it's the drone of an impersonal crowd, that's actually slightly better than a large group of acquaintances whose discussion I'm supposed to follow. The tendency to increase in volume and tendency to interrupt one another is infuriating. Also, my voice is very quiet and I hate trying to interject.
> Too much noise of any kind when I'm trying to sleep.
> Loud truck or motorcycle engines.
Visual / moving objects:
> People standing too close to me causes me to back up. Sometimes during a conversation, they continue to inch forward as I back up. That's frustrating.
> People walking too closely behind me.
> Childhood throwback: When a certain friend would go swimming with me, sometimes she'd swim really close and I'd tell her to stop it. I didn't like her frantic way of swimming right next to me.
Touch:
> Cold water splashing. It kind of hurts. Cold anything becomes unpleasant. I'm always cold and wear jackets in weather when others may not, so people remark on that. It could just be due to the fact that I have low thyroid hormones - but I do take medication and have the hormone levels monitored. Treatment did not remove this issue. And this cold sensitivity was prominent in childhood, long before the hypothyroid symptoms that merited diagnosis.
I have gone swimming in some pretty cold water, but I can't do it for long.
> Touching some things can make me cringe: Dry cotton balls; dry "Magic Eraser" sponges; chalk dust on my fingers. Goosebumps-inducing, all.
> Unexpected touches from others can be anywhere from distracting to startling. "Comforting" hand on shoulder = "Oh, your hand is there now. Now what?" Playful poke in the side = anger. Touching from behind unexpectedly may sometimes make me jump.
Smell:
> Dislike everyone's breath.
> A small minority of people just don't smell good to me, no matter how clean they are.
> As a biology student, I had to dissect a dead shark. I hated the smell. I put on a disposable mask and rubbed my mint lip balm all over the inside in an attempt to block the smell.
--
AFFINITIES
Visual:
> Lights. I wasn't bothered by sunlight growing up - I liked it. Today I'm oddly a little more sensitive than I used to be. Growing up, I had an affinity for artificial lights as well. I collected a bunch of novelty lamps - e.g. a strobe light, a blacklight, a lamp that projects a rainbow on the wall, a light that spins an projects colored spots, a laser pointer, fiber optic lamps, glow-in-the-dark stars for my ceiling... and more. Also, prisms to refract sunlight.
This affinity for colorful, moving or otherwise beautiful light has not left me.
> Rainbows. I like having all the colors together, in order. I have a Pinterest board of color wheels.
Auditory:
> My very specific favorite music creates one of the most intense types of pleasure I've ever known. I'm asexual/aromantic, but I imagine that my feelings during this music might overlap with what people feel when they're in love.
I wonder if other people become this blissful by listening to music.
Touch:
> As a child I had a period when I wanted all things chenille. It's a wonderful-feeling fabric but it doesn't keep out cold air and it's hard to take care of. So I don't have any these days.
> Plush animal fur. In toy stores I unthinkingly touch stuffed animals, especially those that look very soft. I had far too many stuffed animals growing up. In some cases I still remember the textures of their fur. These days I'm space-limited and clutter averse, but I have one very soft plush squid.
Smell:
> While I mentioned some smell aversions above, I probably differ from many of you in that I have an extremely strong affinity for some perfumes. In stores I rarely spend too much time browsing unless there are perfumes and/or candles to smell. That will keep me there much longer. My favorite perfume scents almost feel like bits of my identity - much like my favorite songs.
I do have some sensory sensitivities (and also affinities). It's interesting to see how they compare with the sensory profiles of those who are diagnosed.
SENSITIVITIES
Hearing:
> Too many people talking, especially when I have to listen to threads of the conversation, is very frustrating. If it's the drone of an impersonal crowd, that's actually slightly better than a large group of acquaintances whose discussion I'm supposed to follow. The tendency to increase in volume and tendency to interrupt one another is infuriating. Also, my voice is very quiet and I hate trying to interject.
> Too much noise of any kind when I'm trying to sleep.
> Loud truck or motorcycle engines.
Visual / moving objects:
> People standing too close to me causes me to back up. Sometimes during a conversation, they continue to inch forward as I back up. That's frustrating.
> People walking too closely behind me.
> Childhood throwback: When a certain friend would go swimming with me, sometimes she'd swim really close and I'd tell her to stop it. I didn't like her frantic way of swimming right next to me.
Touch:
> Cold water splashing. It kind of hurts. Cold anything becomes unpleasant. I'm always cold and wear jackets in weather when others may not, so people remark on that. It could just be due to the fact that I have low thyroid hormones - but I do take medication and have the hormone levels monitored. Treatment did not remove this issue. And this cold sensitivity was prominent in childhood, long before the hypothyroid symptoms that merited diagnosis.
I have gone swimming in some pretty cold water, but I can't do it for long.
> Touching some things can make me cringe: Dry cotton balls; dry "Magic Eraser" sponges; chalk dust on my fingers. Goosebumps-inducing, all.
> Unexpected touches from others can be anywhere from distracting to startling. "Comforting" hand on shoulder = "Oh, your hand is there now. Now what?" Playful poke in the side = anger. Touching from behind unexpectedly may sometimes make me jump.
Smell:
> Dislike everyone's breath.
> A small minority of people just don't smell good to me, no matter how clean they are.
> As a biology student, I had to dissect a dead shark. I hated the smell. I put on a disposable mask and rubbed my mint lip balm all over the inside in an attempt to block the smell.
--
AFFINITIES
Visual:
> Lights. I wasn't bothered by sunlight growing up - I liked it. Today I'm oddly a little more sensitive than I used to be. Growing up, I had an affinity for artificial lights as well. I collected a bunch of novelty lamps - e.g. a strobe light, a blacklight, a lamp that projects a rainbow on the wall, a light that spins an projects colored spots, a laser pointer, fiber optic lamps, glow-in-the-dark stars for my ceiling... and more. Also, prisms to refract sunlight.
This affinity for colorful, moving or otherwise beautiful light has not left me.
> Rainbows. I like having all the colors together, in order. I have a Pinterest board of color wheels.
Auditory:
> My very specific favorite music creates one of the most intense types of pleasure I've ever known. I'm asexual/aromantic, but I imagine that my feelings during this music might overlap with what people feel when they're in love.
I wonder if other people become this blissful by listening to music.
Touch:
> As a child I had a period when I wanted all things chenille. It's a wonderful-feeling fabric but it doesn't keep out cold air and it's hard to take care of. So I don't have any these days.
> Plush animal fur. In toy stores I unthinkingly touch stuffed animals, especially those that look very soft. I had far too many stuffed animals growing up. In some cases I still remember the textures of their fur. These days I'm space-limited and clutter averse, but I have one very soft plush squid.
Smell:
> While I mentioned some smell aversions above, I probably differ from many of you in that I have an extremely strong affinity for some perfumes. In stores I rarely spend too much time browsing unless there are perfumes and/or candles to smell. That will keep me there much longer. My favorite perfume scents almost feel like bits of my identity - much like my favorite songs.
