Sensory Sensitivity

"...a person with Asperger's syndrome can have:

- both hyper- and hyposensitivity to sensory experiences
- sensory distortions
- sensory "tune outs"
- sensory overload
- unusual sensory processing
- difficulty identifying the source channel of sensory information

...the sensory world is certainly perceived differently by people with Asperger's syndrome.

...there are three types of noise that are perceived as extremely unpleasant. The first category is sudden, unexpected noises, that one adult with Asperger's syndrome described as "sharp", such as a dog barking, telephone ringing (...) the second category is high-pitched, continuous sounds (...) the third category is confused, complex sounds such as occur in shopping centres or noisy social gatherings.

"I still hate balloons, because I never know when one will pop and make me jump."

...we are starting to recognize that listening to music using headphones can camouflage the noise that is perceived as too intense and enable the person to walk calmly round the shopping centre or concentrate on work in a noisy classroom.

...while some sounds are perceived as extremely unpleasant, it is important to remember that some sounds are extremely pleasurable: for example, a young child being fascinated by specific theme tunes (...) [Ich habe tatsächlich schon 2018 geschrieben über mein autistisches Verhalten, ohne zu realisieren, dass ich ein Autist sein könnte]


...everyday gestures of affection, for example a reassuring touch on the forearm or an expression of affection and love by an embracing hug, may not be perceived as a pleasant sensation by the person with Asperger's syndrome. [Ich habe Flo damals erklärt, dass er einer der ganz wenigen Menschen ist, den ich gern in den Arm nehme]


...the young child may insist on a plain or restricted diet, such as only having boiled rice or sausages and chips for every evening meal for several years.

...children and adults report being "blinded by brightness" and avoid intense levels of illumination (...) There can also be an intense fascination with visual detail, noticing specks on a carpet or blemishes on one's skin.

...for the person with Asperger's syndrome, there can be intense pleasure in examples of visual symmetry. For young children this can be the parallel lines and sleepers or ties of a railway track, a picket fence or electricity pylons in a rural landscape. Adults with Asperger's syndrome may extend the interest in symmetry to an appreciation of architecture. [Ich dachte damals, das hätte mit Hochbegabung zu tun - im Studium habe ich eine Hausarbeit über einen Architekturstil geschrieben, und während ich Jugendstil nicht gern mag, bin ich ein großer Fan von Frank Lloyd Wright]


...concern regarding the perceived intensity of colours can lead to a preference for wearing only black clothes, which is not necessarily a fashion statement. [Damals hatte ich geschrieben, das ich schwarz als Schutz trage, aber es beruhigt mich auch; deswegen ist auch dieser Blog schwarz - weil mir andere Farben zu grell erscheinen]


...the child is "gravitationally insecure", becoming anxious if his or her feet leave the ground, and feeling disoriented when having to change body position rapdily, as required in ball games such as soccer. (...) In contrast, I have known children with Asperger's syndrome who have experienced extreme pleasure when on a roller-coaster ride, to such an extent that roller coasters have become a special interest. They are great to listen to and watch. [Ich habe Angst, auf Leitern oder auch nur kleine Tritte zu steigen, weil ich ja fallen könnte, und wenn man mir früher bei'm Handballspielen einen Ball zugepasst hat, war ich überfordert, was ich damit machen sollte - deswegen war ich ein Ersatzbank-Spieler]


...the child or adult with Asperger's syndrome may appear very stoic, and not flinch or show distress in response to levels of pain that others would consider unbearable. The child's attention can be drawn to a bruise or cut but the child can't remember how it happened. (...) on freezing winter days the person may insist on continuing to wear summer clothes. It is as if he or she has an idiosyncratic internal thermostat. (...) [Gerade erst vor ein paar Wochen hatte ich mir im Unterricht meinen Fingerknöchel am Fenster blutig geschlagen - ich habe es erst gemerkt, als ein Schüler mich darauf hingewiesen hat, und öfters finde ich an meinem Körper mal blaue Flecke, Schrammen oder kleinere Wunden und weiß gar nicht, wobei das passiert ist]


"At low levels of stimulation the response is exaggerated, but at higher levels the senses seem to shut down and I can function better than normal in most instances. A trivial event can quite dramatically hamper my ability to function, but when faced with trauma, I can think logically and act calmly and efficiently when others would panic under the same reaction." [Total seltsam, dass ich zum Beispiel bei kleinen, harmlosen Stößen "Aua" sage (oder mich bei dem Möbel entschuldige, gegen das ich gestoßen bin), obwohl es überhaupt nicht schmerzt, aber wenn es richtig wehtut, so wie der gebrochene Finger, den ich zurückgebrochen habe, dann ist das irgendwie alles entspannt (und nein, das lag nicht nur am Schock)]


...it is possible that such children were less able to perceive the internal signs of bladder and bowel discomfort to prevent toileting "accidents".

...there is a rare form of sensory perception, synaesthesia, where the person experiences a sensation in one sensory system, yet perceives the sensation in another modality. (...) He explained that specific sounds are often accompanied by vague sensations of colour, shape, texture, movement, scent or flavour."

(Attwood, Tony: The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome, London 2007, S.284-301)

Natürlich treffen die Beschreibungen nicht nur auf Aspis zu; so kennen bestimmt die Hypersensitiven (HSPs) unter Euch auch eine Menge der beschriebenen Wahrnehmungen.

Die beiden spannendsten Kapitel "College and Career" und "Long-Time Relationships" liegen noch vor mir - ich bin sehr gespannt!