Sensory Processing

A look back at some of the autism questions groups have raised and I contributed my answers to. Do share and comment if the information below is interesting and helpful to yourself or people you may know!

Sight

Because I am fairly alert and observant I am very aware of what I see and any changes to my sight, which helps my opticians keep up to date. I also use the computer a lot and can work using a very dimmed backlight. Bright or florescent light and colours reduce my appetite, especially when they are paired with a contrasting or similar colour (e.g. red and gray, or red and florescent pink). I am careful about my own clothes and have to think of polite comments when someone shows me a bright outfit and asks my opinion! I am much better with sparkly things than when I was a child and I had an absolute phobia of the colour red. I don’t mind it as much but neon colours still make my eyes ache…

I also have a thin retena so blood-cells in my eye create a static tv effect on my vision. It is very noticeable on plain surfaces, and in the dark. It’s less noticable when I look at grass and gravel.

Sound

I bring earplugs just in case but this sense fluctuates depending on how tired or anxious I am. Sometimes my state can affect how sensitive I am, but other times noisy environments drain me or set me on edge. I do counting and close my eyes to reduce visual sensory stress but sometimes I still end up stimming after a tiring day, until I get to a quieter place.

Taste

I am actually hyposensitive to taste and don’t make a great connoisseur for food and drink. I also don’t like gum as the sound and texture is distracting and outweigh the benefit of the taste. I do however have a low tolerance for spicy food and even Chinese-style curry can be too hot for my pallet!

Smell

Smell can really affect my appetite and the first thing I experience when I am run down is a smell in the back of my throat. It might be psychological, as it doesn’t affect my actual breath. I also smell sewage much stronger than other people and I have resorted to using a scarf or mask (like in East Asia) to reduce it a bit. I keep body spray in my bag in case it turns out to me. It can come in useful when I am the first to smell gas leaks.

Touch

Weirdly enough, I have to wash and dry my hands half way through washing up as I don’t like my hands to stay soapy or wet for more than 10 minutes. If I don’t do this, my co-ordination gets really bad and my focus wavers so I end up almost breaking things. I keep hand cream in my bag in case I handle dusty stock at the shop I volunteer at, and also hand wipes for when I eat food, or touch something slimy or sticky by accident. My face gets very oily when I’m even slightly warm so wipes a gentle way of drying my face without having to use loads of spot creams which can dry skin out too much with daily use.

Senses “blending”

Sound if at a high pitch or loud enough volume can have a metallic flavour for the duration but doesn’t leave an after-taste so I know it is a psychological experience. In some cases I also get phantosmia triggered by certain colours or stressful circumstances. These aren’t entirely to do with sensory input, but it does affect my sense of smell and thought it was worth mentioning.