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7 Autistic Things Which Are Difficult for Non-Autistic People to Understand
Neurodivergent_lou
Came across a YouTube short where an autistic autism advocate suggested that wearing headphones long-term will desensitize you to sounds. Yeah, no. That's not how it works, and there's literally no research backing this claim.
I wear headphones constantly, especially in public, because my brain processes sounds as literal PAIN. It's physically painful. That's like saying if I repeatedly kicked you every couple minutes, you'd eventually stop feeling it. Or... here's a thought... maybe just don't kick people?
This is such a common thing people do to autistic folks - just telling us to "get used to it." Exposure therapy doesn't work for us because these sensitivities aren't "all in our heads" - our entire nervous systems are literally wired differently. This kind of misinformation is genuinely harmful and extremely disappointing coming from the source it did.
Like teehee let me just get myself used to experiencing daily sensory trauma that's something I should have to do to fit in to society ain't it? Fuck all the way off
(Tw for discussions and descriptions of meltdowns, panic attacks, and self injury)
"Well why is it okay when you listen to music full volume with headphones, but it bothers you when my radio is loud?"
Because they are two different things. My music is the same music I've been listening to for years non stop (fully serious. I listen to music at all times. At school? Music. Drawing? Music. Sleeping? Music. Peeing? Music.). They are sounds I am used to. Sounds that my brain and body are VERY familiar with, along with that, they are sounds that make my body and brain feel good. Listening to them at a loud volume makes me feel good and stimmy. It makes my body feel calm and happy.
Even music that I LIKE hurts my body at a loud volume if I'm unfamiliar with it. I need to listen to it quietly for a long time first.
Once I know it super well, I can BLAST it, and it makes me feel good!
But if it's a song or audio I don't like, it hurts me no matter what. It causes my body physical pain if it plays long enough. Once I become familiar with it, it still hurts, only a little less. But if its loud? No, it's still horrendous pain that has made me have meltdowns and panic attacks.
Whilst yes, I don't like listening to music tastes that aren't my own because I just don't find it enjoyable, it is more than that for me. I am not being bratty or overreacting. Unfamiliar or unpleasant songs at a loud volume (and even a quieter volume if I'm already feeling unwell) cause me PHYSICAL PAIN.
I can't explain it any other way.
A lot of allistics I've spoken to about this don't understand how I can easily blast my music on FULL VOLUME in HEADPHONES for hours on end, but begin to hyperventilate and hit or bite myself if a cars volume is just barely too loud with a genre I don't like or am unfamiliar with.
It isn't that I'm just displaying my usual pain reaction when it plays so I can get you to stop. Its just that some music makes my body feel good inside, and some makes my body feel like it's being actually attacked.
tickle community and neurodivergence
I've noticed that a lot of us have "autistic" or "neurodivergent" in our bios, and I have a theory that our love of tickling may have something to do with how our brains process sensory stimuli. I am curious what proportion of us are neurodivergent, so I decided to make this poll in order to get a better idea.
please reblog so we can get as much data as possible!
which are you?
autistic
not autistic, but still neurodivergent (adhd, spd, etc.)
neurotypical
as this is a silly little poll on tumblr.com, take it with a grain of salt. nevertheless, I'm eager to see the results!
please feel free to leave a comment with any relevant experiences as well. I'd love to hear other people's perspectives. 🩷
Nobody asked but here's a list of stuff that I bring with me when I go out. All stuff that helps me cope and feel more secure and confident when out and about.
My phone. Has an AAC app on it just in case, haven't used yet due to anxiety and complex feelings about it
My school jacket which is a comfort item that also happens to have 4 pockets which I use completely (I've got stuff like small stim toys, my wallet, pads, etc., in them)
My sunflower lanyard
My communication cards which are attached to my lanyard
My noise-cancelling headphones
My prescription sunglasses and the cool tinted add-on lenses that connect to the main frame with magnets
My crossbody bag that I call my "accessibility bag" because I can. Specifically a crossbody bag for easy access to what I bring
What I have in my bag
Bottle of water
Snacks
My glasses case
Mini bag full of stim toys (tangles, pop-its that can turn into bracelets, a chewy, rubber bands, monkey noodles, bubbler pen)
A notebook and small pencilcase
A cheap LCD tablet
An umbrella
Chewing gum
Painkillers and anti-inflammatories
An eye mask
A mask
A wire for my headphones (connects them to my phone like wired headphones) incase they die
Some bracelets that I made, plus other jewellery like rings because sometimes I spontaneously want to wear them
My small orca plushie named Bóinn that is literally my daughter and nobody can tell me otherwise. She's my little portable emotional support animal :]
Most Autistic people I know experience a complex mixture of hyporesponsiveness and hyperresponsiveness. Most have some senses that are both hypo and hyper responsive, changing over time. I can’t give you any single idea of a sensory pattern for an Autistic neurology, because we each have our own combinations of needs.
Maxfield Sparrow
you know, i absolutely have sensory differences and a lot of stuff that autistic ppl talk about makes sense to me (i can be very sensory seeking but i’m also very particular about textures and scents and even sounds though the latter more rarely as i’m hearing impaired)
i mean just as an example, i love spinners, they really do something for me, but i don’t like the hand-feel or the sound of plastic ones, and i don’t like the smell of metal ones (though i have settled on a high-quality metal one)
i’m very shy of calling myself autistic (tho my mum often jokes that i am - she’s autistic, and so is my brother and my uncle) because i feel like i’d be co-opting it
but i don’t know if there’s something else that describes my situation
Autistic Sensory Differences
What are they?
Autistic people experience the sensory world very differently from non-Autistic people. One Autistic person might be hyper-sensitive to certain sensory experiences, and do whatever to avoid them, whereas another might be hypo-sensitive and crave heavy sensory input (or both/a mix). Sensory differences include the main 5 senses:
Sight
Sound
Touch
Smell
Taste
addition to 3 lesser-known senses:
Interception
Movement
Balance
SIGHT: A person might struggle with intense eye contact, bright lights, a chaotic mix of colours or a lack of visuals for support. Another might seek out loud colours, lots of lighting or certain visuals (e.g. shiny things).
What might help:
Sunglasses to block out light
Reducing eye contact
Using visual prompts such as labels/lists
Using calm/dim/ mood lighting
SOUND: A person might struggle with loud/sudden noises, overlapping voices, certain pitches or a lack of noise. Another might seek out loud music, repetitive sounds/words/songs or white noise.
What might help:
Using subtitles for videos when the audio is too overwhelming
Wearing headphones to reduce noise/utilise music for comfort
Using ear plugs to lower background volume
TOUCH: A person might struggle with rough surfaces and textures, the feeling of dirt or unclean skin, clothes labels or human contact (e.g. hugs, handshakes etc.).
Another might seek out objects to squeeze, fabrics to feel or people to embrace.
What might help:
Setting a boundary to not be touched without consent
Removing fabrics and materials from your environment that you dislike
Find clothes with stamped labels rather than ones with external tags
SMELL: A person might struggle with strong or pungent smells, odours that are too overwhelming for them, or just too many different smells at once. Another might seek out powerful smells or like to overload themselves on favourite scents.
What might help:
Keep to hand something that smells nice to you to counter any bad smells
Use unscented products
Use candles, diffusers or air fresheners to surround yourself with comforting smells
TASTE: A person might struggle with different textures in food (e.g. soft with crunchy), certain flavours or unfamiliar foods. Another might seek out hot/spicy/sour foods or chewy/stimmy foods.
What might help:
Providing familiar/safe foods at meals
Don't force trying new foods if not interested
Be aware of clashing textures
INTERCEPTION (processing info about physical needs on and inside the body):
A person might struggle with recognising physical needs (e.g. going to the toilet, feeling unwell, needing to eat/drink) whilst another might feel them intensely.
What might help:
Creating routines/alarms/reminders for fulfilling bodily needs
Be well prepared/equipped to fulfil needs e.g. taking water with you to places
Fulfilling bodily needs earlier to avoid pains of thirst, hunger, full bladder etc.
MOUEMENT (Proprioception): A person might struggle with an overly aware sense of body positioning, becoming tired easily from movement or disliking tight clothes. Another might seek out physical activity (running, climbing etc.), have less awareness of personal space and have a need to fidget/cannot remain still.
What might help:
Use of deep-pressure products like weighted blankets
Keeping active through slower movements, e.g. walking instead of running
BALANCE (Vestibular): A person might struggle with sensitivities to balance and spatial orientation if moving too fast or have difficulties with motion sickness.
Another might struggle with not moving at all or seek out movements such as dancing and swinging around.
What might help:
Using trampolines, rollercoasters, rocking chairs to meet vestibular needs
Physical support such as with stairs to help control balance with steps
Autisticality
Autism
Sensory Processing
