Published on 12, July, 2020
I've decided to try and explore Autism from a "How it works" or perhaps "Systems analyisis" perspective.
I hope that perhaps between us we can codify a set of insights that will eb genrally helpful to the wider community.
Going to start with sound sensitivity, because it's a sense I've used and explored a lot as a hi-fi buff and as a babysitter for a screaming sibling so I have a little bit of insght I believe.
Here's what I think I know:
In me, (I believe I'm AUDD) processing sound seems to require an amount of mental bandwidth and attention that I do not always have availalble. When I am committed to whatever is in front of me, using all my focus, I generally miss the first part of the conversation. As a kid I had my ears syringed a lot because they thought I was "a bit deaf"
In my teens I discovered that combining hyperfocus with listening, really listening, to a piece of music bought me rich rewards whilst passing teh time in a way that did not bring down trouble on my head, BUT there was a downside. I really don't like having my listening sessions interrrupted, so I had to pick my time and place.
Then I discovered that I cannot drive and talk very well at the same time. And when things get busy in the driivng experience (fog, or other complications) I tend to turn off the music first. If I'm speeding excessively, there will be no music...
I believe certain sounds "trigger" an abrupt requirement for "processing power" in some way and it's literally an unpleasant experience for us, and curiously enough, the louder the sound, the more call for "processing time" which I experience (with a slamming door fro example as an actual "Shock to the system".
I provide an example from my personal life today which clearly ilustrates where my Autism made me an "unpleasant person to be around" as a result of this process.
I was minding my own business, when I was tasked with feeding a cat. I enter the living room to do this focussed on getting to the food without tripping over the little bugger who both demands and impedes the process at the same time. (it's the way he's wired, I have to cope) and he's making repetitve noise at me, when there's a really substantial sounding clattering noise from my G/F's part of the room. I completely overreact, furiously demanding to know "What the *** was that" at the top of my voice. She kindly explains it was her new mobile phone and I switch gears then to being concerned about her poor phone and I pick it up for her and inspect it for damage quickly. The noise it made really sounded like it should have broken, but thankfully it did not.
Unexpected sounds with a sharp rise time command a "fight or flight" reflex in me, which instantly overwhelms my reason until I have identified the nature of the sound.
Conversation then places a burden on me which temporarily makes my I.Q. plummet into the eighties. I'm only skipping away on the edge of the I.Q. bellcurve if I don't actually have to discuss things whilst I do them.
When I get up in the morning, I find that my brain, like my muscles is quite low performing, and EVERYTHING is difficult for a while for about an hour. I've noticed this is a feature also in my ND kid and my father.
Ear defenders seem to give me more bandwidth and because they roll off the "sharper rise times" very well are pretty good for me to wear, and improve my demeanor no end when performing tasks, but I keep forgetting this!
Now, does anyone out there relate to any of this and can you expand on it and ideally strategies I can follow to react less to such sounds?
I completely get where you're coming from, and relate with much of what you've written. I'm on very low bandwidth at the moment, tho, so have very little energy to respond. What I would say, though, is that your reference to 'shock to the system' is a massive help: when things are very quiet (usually at home), my body 'hears' everything, and I physically feel the sound in my body - different sounds, different areas affected. Examples include obvious sounds, such as my daughter closing the microwave door (it hits me with a thud, usually upper body - chest, upper arms) or even her plugging in her laptop (it's got a magnetic connection) - which generally delivers a much 'smaller' sensation, in my lower arms and hands. NB if there is general noise around (eg the radio or TV is on) my body doesn't seem to register these assaults - which seems to tie in with what you call 'sharp rise time' very well; for me, if my body is 'hearing' low/mid sound constantly, there is much less of a sharp rise time. But in the silence, the physical hit to my body from specific sounds really does feel like an assault.Like you, I appeared to have a hearing problem when I was young, and was taken to a clinic for tests (age ca 4) when the district noticed I didn't respond to my name like my three sisters did. (Autistic? Not sure. I'm diagnosed with ADHD and dyspraxia; my ADHD report from 2015 said 'does not show autistic traits', but I wasn't formally assessed for it. Since then, my daughter has been diagnosed autistic, and I certainly have traits.)On a separate note my body feels extreme emotional pain as a sweep of tingling sensation across my knuckles, hands, wrists and/or right arm.Hope that helps, and thank you for raising the topic. Intrigued to see what other answers you receive!
My daughter likes to suddenly scream. For me it’s panic, in case if my ears are not covered, I cover my ears and have reflex of running away, also slamming a car doors outside makes me shiver. My daughter’s Duplo blocks make me feel like my brain is trembling.