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Highly Sensitive Person and Autism

Deleted user
over 3 years ago

About 10 years ago, I discovered the trait called Highly Sensitive Person:

Description here: https://hsperson.com/

I took the test back then, and discovered I was Highly Sensitive. Some of the features are: 

  • easily overwhelmed by such things as bright lights, strong smells, coarse fabrics, or sirens
  • gets rattled when you have a lot to do in a short amount of time
  • needs to withdraw during busy days, into bed or a darkened room or some other place where you can have privacy and relief from the situation
  • has a rich and complex inner life
  • your parents or teachers saw you as sensitive or shy

I bought the Highly Sensitive Person handbook and it was like getting 'the handbook for how I function'. I should read it again tbh.

So recently I was diagnosed as autistic, as you know, and it just occurred to me that these features would fit an autistic person as well. I wondered if I could be HSP *and* autistic. Or maybe I'm one or the other, not both- maybe one has been mistaken for the other? What do you think?

Parents
  • over 3 years ago

    Thanks for this Kiki. I've read all the descriptors and it's confused me. They all seem to be the same autistic traits that I have and so I'm confused now whether I have a different condition.

  • over 3 years ago in reply to ☕Tassimo ☕

    HSP doesn't take into account other things like executive dysfunction, rigidity of thought, repetitive behaviours, special interests, alexithymia,  regulation of emotion. Communication difficulties could look the same but have a different root cause (eg autism / socisl anxiety).

  • over 3 years ago in reply to out_of_step

    Ah, you see, I never thought of myself as having EF issues, communication difficulties or any of this.  Plus I regarded my interests as simply interests and not "special".  So the whole concept of being a HSP delayed my realisation that i'm autistic by years.  And this also meant I failed to identify that the rest of my family are autistic too.  Particularly as a parent, I let others down.  No identification equalled no support or awareness and lots of judgment, criticism and blame.  We ended up being pushed into crisis situations before autism was even mentioned.   

  • over 3 years ago in reply to Jenny Butterfly

    I'm dealing with a lot of anxiety, paranoia and loneliness right now.  I keep thinking things refer to me that most probably do not.  I have the constant need to communicate but no real life friends to talk to.   Just feeling very vulnerable.  There must be some sort of guilt too.  Or a self perception of myself as this horrible person.  Because of past mistakes i have made.

    Would love a neurodivergent therapist..

Reply
  • over 3 years ago in reply to Jenny Butterfly

    I'm dealing with a lot of anxiety, paranoia and loneliness right now.  I keep thinking things refer to me that most probably do not.  I have the constant need to communicate but no real life friends to talk to.   Just feeling very vulnerable.  There must be some sort of guilt too.  Or a self perception of myself as this horrible person.  Because of past mistakes i have made.

    Would love a neurodivergent therapist..

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