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Welcome to Miss Molly and Aspergers! :)

Hello there, welcome to my blog Miss Molly and Aspergers! My name is Molly and I am a teenage girl with Aspergers Syndrome.

I have created this blog to help create awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

TIP: Search Aspergers on Facebook and you will find dozens of amazing communities and support networks! If you choose to interact in one of these communities, you may even make some great friends who are also Aspies, like I have.

Why you may find use in my blog:
Insight, support, self-research/experience and understanding (awareness) will be covered in the content of Miss Molly and Aspergers, including the following subjects and more:

- Bullying/dealing with peers
- Surviving in social situations
- Hobbies/Obsessions and Interests
- School/Life
- Communication - Social skills - Understanding spoken and unspoken language norms.
- Sensory Issues/ sound, smell, sight, taste, feel, (textures) - the ability to experience heightened senses - and coping with the strong diversions (intolerance)
- Importance of Routine and Structure
- Friendships
- Coping with Meltdowns and dealing with the aftermath (consequences - I.e Social embarrassment)
- Dealing with people who do not acknowledge the existence of The Autism Spectrum (ASD). People who therefore are unable to acknowledge the rhyme and reasons for your differences.

Copy Cats Beware

© Molly Tylor and Miss Molly and Aspergers, 2013-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Molly Tylor and Miss Molly and Aspergers with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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Saturday, July 12, 2014

Sensory Overload

Hello again!

So what are sensory issues/ overloads?

Many people who have Autism and Aspergers can have a heightened sense of, taste, touch, sound, feel and sight.
A sensory overload is a common cause of a 'Meltdown'. This is typically a result of having to deal with a real dislike and discomfort of certain textures and the inability to function and process too many sounds and sights at once. Outbursts are common in such situations because processing becomes extremely difficult. Aspies can fall behind in class or misunderstand instructions due to these sensory issues. This results in further trauma as those who do not understand 'sensory issues/overloads' (teachers, class mates, authority figures) will deem the behaving Aspie as rude or misbehaving. When in fact their behaviour is a result of having a 'sensory overload' not an intention to misbehave.

My Experiences (may be different to other Aspies):

1. I can not process more then one sensory situation at one time.
For example: If two or more people are talking in the same room as me, while I try to watch the television. It deems as an impossible task for me to do.

2. I have experienced having my little sister make noises and crack silly jokes at me while I am on the phone to someone. In these situations I fail to interpret all of the information said by the person on the other end of the line.

3.Sudden and very unexpected noises will cause me to freak out physically. I have felt embarrassed on many occasions after my body has experienced jolts and spasm like movements. This is due to the arise of an unexpected loud noise, thus having no prior knowledge of needing to interpret.

4. Smell. I often smell things earlier or stronger then other people. My sense of smell is heightened. Example: If the fireplace had been lite and caused some smoking; even though my family believe the smell had dissipated, I can continue to smell its linger for days. Many times I have said 'I can smell....." And people would reply "I don't know what're you're on about".


5. Sight- I can not handle a sudden image or object coming in close proximity of my line of sight or from a blind sight. This is similar in the way of noises - unexpected or loud in movement.

6. Touch/Feel- Textures are a big issue for Aspies. Certain feelings are uncomfortable and make it difficult for to us to maintain a sense of comfort.
As a young girl (and still to this day), I removed tags and strings off clothing and could not handle the feel of thick wool jumper and oily feelings on my hands (finger food. I.e. chicken drumsticks).
These oily textures are unpleasant for me and other Aspies. Having to deal with these feelings are often avoided by using eating utensils, gloves or cleaning my hands straight after consuming.
I also could not stand handling fish bait with my hands as the feel and smell would be obvious to me on my hands for an extensive periods of time afterwards. I remember trying to get the smell out of my hands with vinegar after coming home from fishing, even when others would perceive your hands as being 'clean'.
Many times whilst road traveling, my mum had to stock up on wet wipes for me, or I would be irritable if I couldn't clean textures off my hands.
Also dish washing can be unpleasant for me too. As I get frustrated with not being able to get the oiliness out of dishes and then having to deal with the dry and funny feel of my hands afterwards , as a result of this and the soapy hot water.

Conclusion:
So basically sensory issues are a heightened sense of feel, and the difficulty of interpreting numerous noises/movements/instructions. Having these heightened senses, when an unexpected noise and sight occurs, it is in reason to be frightening and a struggle to deal with.
For these reasons many Aspies avoid big crowds, loud concerts, night clubs, 3D-Movies, shopping centers and public transport. Sensory overloads in these areas in particular are common for us. As well as avoiding over powering fragrances, certain clothing textures, certain foods, toiletries and products.

Thank you for reading!
Question: Do you have any sensory issues or sensory overload experiences to share?

x Molly

2 comments:

  1. I can't stand having sticky fingers! I always have to wash my hands after eating things like this, too! Ihate the feeling of sweaters. All I will wear are t-shirts, jeans and athletic pants. And tastes? Don't bring vinegar near me. It tastes and smells rancid! Two things that don't bother me so much are loud sounds and bright lights. While I am easily startled, and these things are unpleasant, I don't have a strong aversion to them.

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  2. Thank you for your input Sue! :) I do understand that all Aspies are different! I didn't explain taste, however I thought as always its best to share what I have most experience with. I didn't have much to share about tastes apart from I can taste things strongly. Texture is a feeling felt all over the body, so it stands to reason if certain feelings on your hands you dislike you would in no doubt have struggle feeling comfortable with certain textures in your mouth.

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