#autistic info

[stim-wise]

NEW VIDEO!!

Chewigem Chube Review

Featuring Chewigem Canada

https://youtu.be/y24JMes9hPo

[neurospicybirb]

Autistic adult troubles

I knew I had learning disabilites in school but never knew what it was until after I graduated. I was tested and it turns out I'm autistic. My mom says that if she knew sooner she would have faught harder for my accommodations at school. Some people have known since they were younger and had professional help to help them through it. The only way I get help is from autistic blogs telling me what autism is like and what stim are what. I'm too scared to ask them questions but others aren't.

[stim-wise]

What is Sensory Overload?

Sensory Overload is when an individual with SPD has too much Stimuli to one or more of their senses. When one or more sense is Stimulated too much, we become overwhelmed and our body goes into a panic or breakdown.

Sensory Overload feels a lot like an anxiety attack to me. I get too overwhelmed and I start to sweat more, my heart rate goes up, I start crying. There are many symptoms that are visible and invisible to the eye.

Visible:

-          The person is started to turn red or pale

-          The person is rocking back and forth a lot more or is a lot more fidgety

-          The person is covering their eyes, ears or nose

-          The person has become more irritable and gets mad easily

-          The person is having troubles concentrating (more than normal)

Invisible:

-          Heart rate goes up

-          Start sweating more

-          Feeling flushed

-          Feeling an irrational fear

-          Feeling the need to escape

-          Feeling the need to Stim

-          Breathing is harder

-          Feeling dizzier than normal

There are many more possible symptoms but remember that each person is different and will experience Overload in different ways. Some may withdrawal while others become more aggressive or verbal.

Sensory Overload can be avoided to a degree by knowing your triggers and having coping skills ahead of time. Sensory Overload is not something that can just stop happening but you can learn how to manage them easier and how to avoid them.

Contact an Occupational Therapist for more information or check out some online resources, like the ones listed in my first post (https://stim-wise.tumblr.com/post/166878708869/what-is-spd)

Feel free to comment about how Sensory Overload feels like to you

For more information about the 8 senses go to: https://stim-wise.tumblr.com/post/167127232547/the-eight-senses 

[stim-wise]

What are Stim Toys?

Stim Toys are toys or objects used by people to Stim (or self Stimulate)

Some Stim Toys are created for people who Stim and others are not, we call these Accidental Stim Toys.

Stim Toys can be sold online or in store. If the Stim Toy is in a store it is most likely because it is a trend right now, so it may be gone soon (for example, fidget spinners and fidget cubes). You can usually find lots of accidental and on purpose Stim Toys in the baby area of stores or in stores especially for children with or without special needs.

Some stores with physical locations are:

-          Walmart, Target – These stores carry kids’ toys and baby toys that can be used for Stimming. They also will be carrying Fidget Cubes and Fidget Spinners, as of right now.

-          Winner, TJ Max, Marshalls, Home Sense – these stores sometimes carry children toys or baby toys that can be Stim Toys and they will currently have Fidget Cubes or Spinners

Some online stores are:

-          Amazon.com (or .ca, etc.), Ebay.com, Aliexpress.com – these places will be carrying Fidget Spinners and Cubes currently as well as any other Stim Toy that may be popular at the moment.

-          Stimtastic.com, Chewigem.com, SpecialNeedsToys.com – stores dedicated to selling Stim Toys

Stim Toys are something I get very excited about and love buying and trying new ones all the time!

I will be posting reviews soon and I’ll be posting any great Stim Toy finds I find in local stores, like Michael’s!

Comment your favourite Stim Toys below!

[stim-wise]

The Eight Senses

Everybody has eight main senses but not everyone experiences them the same way. For someone with SPD, our eight senses can interfere greatly with our lives.  

The eight senses are as follows:

1.            Visual – what you see

2.            Auditory – what you hear

3.            Olfactory – what you smell

4.            Gustatory – what you taste

5.            Tactile – what you feel

6.            Vestibular – sensation of where you are in space, this also includes balance

7.            Proprioceptive – sensations from our joints and muscles

8.            Interoception – sensations of internal movement and feeling, such as, hunger, heart rate or breathing.

Someone can be over responsive, under responsive, or even seeking one or more of these senses.

These senses can cause confusion or even anxiety due to the false message the body will send to the brain.

Here are some personal examples of how I react to certain senses.

-              Visual – I seek slow and calm movement and avoid rapid colour changing gifs

-              Auditory – I enjoy many forms of music but have a hard time focusing on one thing when there is a small repetitive noise or crying baby in the background

-              Olfactory – I love candles, I could spend hours testing candles but the smell of food cooking makes me very nauseous

-              Gustatory – I like certain foods and hate others but this sense isn’t a major one for me (other’s examples are only liking bland food, hating spices and sour tastes.)

-              Tactile – I LOVE SOFT, FLUFFY AND WARM THINGS. I absolutely hate warty pumpkins, just looking at them causes my hands to feel as though I am touching it and I have breakdowns/Sensory Overload/anxiety attacks just by seeing it. The texture just grosses me out

-              Vestibular – I love swinging on a swing or rocking back and forth but hate when my head or body is upside down

-              Proprioceptive – I enjoy tight hugs, weighted blankets and resistant bands and am fairly clumsy but this is not a major problem sense for me

-              Interoception – I constantly have the sensation that I have to pee… It’s awful…

Feel free to add your examples below 

and check out my last post about SPD here:    https://stim-wise.tumblr.com/post/166878708869/what-is-spd 

For more information please see:  https://www.spdstar.org/basic/your-8-senses

[stim-wise]

What is Stimming?

What is Stimming? The term Stimming is short for self-Stimulatory behaviours. Stimming refers to the act of purposely Stimulating one or more of your senses to keep you grounded, focused or calm. Stimming is very important and can help one with SPD cope with stressful and overwhelming situations. Stimming can be done through Stim Toys, “Accidental” Stim Toys or body movements. Some examples are: Stim Toys – toys that are created to help you Stim or fidget: - Fidget spinner - Fidget cube - Tangle Jr - Twiddle - Clicks “Accidental” Stim Toys – toys or everyday objects that were not created for Stimming or fidgeting but can be used for these purposes: - Blankets - Pen - Toy balls - Play dough - Slime - Putty - Dice Body Movements- moving your body in a repetitive motion: - Hand flapping - Hair twirling - Biting nails - Snapping - Clapping Stimming should not be stopped or called out because it is helping the person with SPD cope with the current situation. The only time to stop someone from Stimming is when they are hurting themselves or others by doing it. Sometimes body Stims can be harmful, such as hitting their head, this is the only time you should stop the person from Stimming. To stop the person, place barriers in-between them and the body part or object they are using to hurt themselves (or others). Do not restrict their movement as this can make things worse. If a Stim is distracting others around them, have the person use a more discrete Stim Toy or tell the other people to mind their own damn business. Do not stop someone from Stimming because it is distracting or embarrassing for you. Stimming is a healthy thing to do and should be celebrated not made fun of. How do you Stim? Please let me know in the comments below! Stay tuned for more information on Stim Toys, reviews and more helpful knowledge. For more information about the 8 senses go to: https://stim-wise.tumblr.com/…/167127232547/the-eight-senses For more information about SPD go to: https://stim-wise.tumblr.com/post/166878708869/what-is-spd

[stim-wise]

The Six Types of SPD

SPD is a very diverse disorder. No two people with SPD are the same. In every person’s body, we have 8 main senses, (to learn more about that please read: https://stim-wise.tumblr.com/post/167127232547/the-eight-senses) that tell us information so we can react appropriately. For someone with SPD, this information is corrupt and tells the brain different information than most peoples sense would.

People with SPD are not wrong, we just experience things differently.

There are 6 main types of SPD:

The first three fall under the sub disorder, Sensory Modulation Disorder.

1.       Sensory Over-Responsivity – this means that the person is Stimulated too much by one or more of their senses.

2.       Sensory Under-Responsivity – this means that the person doesn’t get Stimulated enough by one or more sense.

3.       and Sensory Seeking – this means that the person is actively looking for more Sensory input

The next two fall under the sub disorder, Sensory Based Motor Disorder.

4.       Postural Disorder – this means that the person doesn’t understand where their body is in space, this causes clumsiness.

5.       Dyspraxia – this means that the person has a hard time understanding how to do a task unless given detailed instructions.

And finally, the sub disorder...

6.       Sensory Discrimination (in one or more senses) – this means that the person doesn’t understand get the proper Sensory input when doing a task. The child may not realise that they are using too much pressure for one thing and not enough for the other thing.

For more information please go to: http://special-ism.com/defining-the-6-subtypes-of-spd/