Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello,
My name is Tom, I am an autistic filmmaker who is currently making an art exhibition for my masters about the use headphones as a barrier to society from an autistic eye and I am portraying society in how it is viewed without headphones - from an autistic perspective - and then the more comfortable viewing of the world through listening to headphones.
I know personally without headphones I really struggle with eye contact - as the pupils seem to burn mine - and hate queuing or people approaching me.
So I was wondering what other people struggle or dislike when out in society as I would like to include these suggestions so as to create a more rounded piece and not just about my feelings when I have no headphone barrier to the world - it could be anything from people eating to staring to all sorts I would love to hear your suggestions.
Thanks everyone,
Tom
Can you and your child make use of the disabled facilities? In this way, there will be nobody else present to activate the dryer and cause distress.
Longman will you take a look at my post on the diagnoses and assment part of the forum please and tell me what you think? you seem very knowledgeable and i am sick to death of battering my head against a brick wall. thanks in advance x
understandable - theyre not exactly quiet, or predictable. Nowadays they just annoy me for being too cold, too weak, or going on and off too much when I try to use them (or the pathetic ones that if there's any soap residue on your hands have no effect at all), but I hate busy toilets with lots of the modern jet power driers going off, because that, -noise and startling unpredicabily around me - means I usually have to leave, find somewhere else or try again later. I really do hate those jet power ones.
Toilets were always places I had difficulty using... but that was before hand driers were invented.
What about hand dryers longman? if i am out and about on my own with my child twice i have left him with a stranger whilst i had to go to the loo,hes ok he can pee in a bush,i cant!
Thanks longman x
I think the supermarkets versus arcades thing is about control, or predictability of noise. It isn't just about volume, its about complexity and the unexpected.
I managed to cope reasonably well with nightclubs because the music, though I don't like loud, was predictable and drowned out everything else. I also like good street cafes, especially good Italian style ones, because the noises are homely and comforting.
I suspect the noise in arcades is predictable, familiar, even quite joyous....clunking money, predictable background music, regular mechanical responses and electronic bleeps and soundbites. Also people tend to stay put, rather than milling around.
Now supermarkets are altogether different. One of the things I've often done is find somewhere to sit or stand and listen, to see what the issues are - lots of people everywhere, fridge motors, ringing tills, air conditioning, ouside noise especially when the automatic doors open, people shoving around trollies, odd smells - it is all unpredictable, alarming, unsettling, - it never gets familiar or comforting - always jarring, oppressive, especially stuck in queus at the till, where you cannot get away from immediate proximity to the uncomfortable or threatening.
Hope that helps mumofboys772. For TomChimiak I really recommend finding somewhere to sit and listen in environments you find hostile, and analyse you feelings with and without the headphones. Knowing your demons helps. May give you some ideas.
My son who is currently undiagnosed it used to be the hoover,so i brushed the stairs for years and hand dryers he will not use a toilet outside because of the hand dryers,supermarkets are definately not compatable with him,yet he gets drawn to arcades??????