What counts as a 'sensory issue' and can you have aspergers without having any?

 The one thing which makes me question my diagnosis and makes me feel different from other people with AS is that I don't think I have any significant 'sensory issues'. This is a good thing as from what I read they sound awful, but I cannot really relate.

Are the following 'sensory issues':

When I read I cannot bear background noise, lawnmowers, music, and need quietude. But then so do many people without AS - this is not a specifically AS problem, although I might take it a step too far because I find it very hard to concentrate with background noise.

Was scared of fireworks as a small child and balloons popping, not so much anymore.

 

But I have no problems with food - eat an extensive diet. No problems with clothing or significant problems with touch, but have never been into cuddles.

Not keen on crowded environments, but I simply avoid them as much as possible.

Noises are never painful, just distracting. I can endure loud noises even if I would rather it were quiet.

At the group I attend, two women there always want to talk about 'sensory issues', but they seem irrelevant to me. For example, one of them always wants the door closed due to noise I cannot even hear. My main issues are socialising, making friends, obsessions, phobias, OCD anxieties.

Can you have Aspergers with minimal 'sensory issues' ?(a phrase I actually can't stand, it is too medical)

I have been properly diagnosed on NHS and meet the full criteria for AS, but I don't really have the sensory part.

Parents
  • Thanks Longman.

    I think I am very analytical of my condition, and I still question myself even though I have a diagnosis.

    It is hard for me to remember too much about my childhood and to know how much something affected me back then. I can't recall 'sensory issues' as such being my main problem, just that I often felt overwhelmed by things, particularly in a busy playground, was an anxious, introverted child and really struggled to relate to people, although I had a very happy childhood.

    Maybe this is just me being overly pedantic but  I can't stand these terms: 'sensory issues', 'meltdowns', 'stimming' - they all seem to be medical terms, imposing structures onto peoples' unique experiences. I much prefer saying that sometimes noise bothers me, which is true, but I would not say I have 'sensory issues'. Of course other people with AS have extreme problems with all their senses, being either hyper or hypo sensitive, but 'sensory' concerns are not my main problem and might not be the main problem of a significant minority of other people with AS.

    I don't  like the term 'meltdown', prefering the word tantrum, emotional upset, or temper outburst. I prefer 'overwhelmed' to 'overloaded'. I rock when stressed, pace, giggle and talk to myself, but I don't call this 'stimming', this is just me. And I can't stand stereotypes. We are all different. Two people at my group annoy me because they keep on talking about 'sensory issues', and I want to talk about problems making friends, relating to people, and anxieties.

Reply
  • Thanks Longman.

    I think I am very analytical of my condition, and I still question myself even though I have a diagnosis.

    It is hard for me to remember too much about my childhood and to know how much something affected me back then. I can't recall 'sensory issues' as such being my main problem, just that I often felt overwhelmed by things, particularly in a busy playground, was an anxious, introverted child and really struggled to relate to people, although I had a very happy childhood.

    Maybe this is just me being overly pedantic but  I can't stand these terms: 'sensory issues', 'meltdowns', 'stimming' - they all seem to be medical terms, imposing structures onto peoples' unique experiences. I much prefer saying that sometimes noise bothers me, which is true, but I would not say I have 'sensory issues'. Of course other people with AS have extreme problems with all their senses, being either hyper or hypo sensitive, but 'sensory' concerns are not my main problem and might not be the main problem of a significant minority of other people with AS.

    I don't  like the term 'meltdown', prefering the word tantrum, emotional upset, or temper outburst. I prefer 'overwhelmed' to 'overloaded'. I rock when stressed, pace, giggle and talk to myself, but I don't call this 'stimming', this is just me. And I can't stand stereotypes. We are all different. Two people at my group annoy me because they keep on talking about 'sensory issues', and I want to talk about problems making friends, relating to people, and anxieties.

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