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Sensory challenges - please help!

NAS93674

Hello! My 14yr old daughter has recently been diagnosed as autistic (in 'old language' she would probably have been given the Asbergers tag). She occasionally has challenges which I think are sensory but I've not managed to find anyone else who has experienced the same, or found a way to help make these easier for her.

It's a whole-body thing where everything she touches (including the floor she is standing on) 'feels wrong' in an upsetting way. If she is lying in her bed, the bed 'feels wrong'. If she touches anything else, that will 'feel wrong' too. It doesn't happen often but it causes her real distress when it does.

I have suggested her weighted shoulder wrap or even putting trainers on and going a run but she's said no to both of these. I'm thinking it could be a deep pressure nervous system imbalance thing.

I would love to be able to help her overcome the horrible feeling she gets when it's happening but I'm at a loss of what to do/try. Any suggestions are welcome!

  • Maybe if you [help her] keep a diary of what’s happened in the lead up to feeling touch is wrong (once she’s no longer feeling like that)? Then together you can take steps to minimise the feeling/frequency. It does sound like overstimulation, but under stimulation could cause a similar feeling.
    I find that having my gecko walk all over me really helps settle my nervous system, because she’s always moving the ‘wrong feeling’ isn’t in one place for very long but it provides a bit of a pressure-therapy effect. Looking at what clothes she’s wearing and trying different materials/looser or tighter clothing could also help reduce the feeling sometimes. Can she recognise when she’s going to feel like that- are there any warning signs?

  • I sometimes get this sensation of all touch being wrong. I think it's a sign of overstimulation. It happens to me especially with human contact, especially when unexpected, like people hugging me or touching me a lot.

    For a long time afterwards I can still feel the after-effects, as if I am still being touched. With physical contact, it's harder to escape. With visual stimulation you can close your eyes, sounds and smells you can get away from, but you are always in contact with something because of gravity, so there is no escape!

    The best thing is probably to be left alone and allowed to control what you come into contact with - like walking on tip toes, holding your arms up, not leaning on anything.

    Swimming is a possibility, but in my experiences swimming pools are horrible because of the chlorine smell and bright lights and too many people and too much noise.

    The other possibility is the opposite: being totally weighed down and crushed with a weighted blanket can provide relief because of the equal constant pressure across the whole body. That also relaxes me. But I find it's only really a possibility in winter because otherwise I get too hot.

    Edit: also, I forgot. Sometimes textures can just be horrible. The worst for me is towels. Sometimes I don't notice, but sometimes a towel is like kryptonite for me, and afterwards I become hyper-sensitized to all fabrics, so it's difficult to put clothes on and even a cotton bed cover might feel rough and scratchy and too it's too difficult for me to block out the sensations of it against my skin. I don't know what to suggest if that happens. If you are expecting it to happen then you will focus on it and it will be more likely to happen, so I think you need distraction and comfort.

  • in reply to Karin Mod

    Thanks for your help Karin, and taking the time to leave me a reply, much appreciated!

  • Hello NAS 93674,

    I'm sorry to hear about your daughter's challenging sensory issue.

    The NAS website has a guide on 'Sensory Differences' which might help you figure out how to help your daughter. Here is the link: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/sensory-differences/sensory-differences/all-audiences

    If you type 'sensory' in the NAS website search bar, you will find further articles.

    All the best,

    Karin Mod