#sensory processing

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Life in an Autism World

[aki-bara]

Also don't call it a kids menu. Just let it be part of the regular menu please.

people are absolutely EVIL about the boundaries of "picky eaters". no, they do not have to try it. yes, they can know they don't like it without having eaten it before. no, they probably have not suddenly grown a taste for the food they've said they hate. no, they probably are not going to like it in the Special Way This One Place Cooks It. yes, you are being a bad friend if you try to "trick" them into eating it anyway

[nld-as-insights]

What does vestibular mean?

Many people think that we have only five senses, but we actually have three more senses that many people do not know about.

The vestibular sense is the sense of where our head is compared to where up and down are, and it helps us balance. Our vestibular system is the parts and the workings of both our inner ears and our brain that interprets the information from our inner ears.

Here is a link to a 4-minute YouTube video that explains the parts and workings of the vestibular system:

Here is a link to a 2-minute YouTube video that explains the vestibular system from a sensory occupational therapy perspective:

https://youtu.be/ueDQjhJDqIg?si=TPU5q32DuQdesnBX

Some people are more or less sensitive to vestibular input than most people are. People who are more sensitive to vestibular input tend to avoid it, and people who are less sensitive to it tend to seek it out, even if they do not know that that is what they are doing.

Vestibular input tends to make people feel more awake. (If you want to use vestibular input to help yourself feel more awake, please be careful to not make yourself feel sick to your stomach.) Some slow and rhythmic activities, like rocking back and forth, can be calming.

Any activity that involves moving our head a lot stimulates our vestibular system. These activities include:

-Bouncing or rolling on an exercise ball

- As a small child: being thrown up in the air, getting bounced on an adult’s lap, or getting pulled around in a blanket

- Doing gymnastic moves such as handstands, cartwheels, and somersaults

- Playing on playground equipment such as swings and slides

- Doing team or individual sports with very fast movement

- Spinning in a chair

- Going on amusement park rides

- Riding in a car that is going fast onto the highway

Cheers,

Julia

[therapyshoppe]

Effects of Sensory Overload

[fedorahead]

game idea:

everything around you goes into your inventory. every noise, every item you touch, every gaze upon your skin. they all get inventory slots. when your inventory is full, you have a meltdown!

also your inventory is variable between each in-game day and the longer you go without having a meltdown the smaller it gets.

there can be items like ear protectors that will expand your sounds inventory by small slots, but won't have any effect over things that take up a 1x2 or bigger inventory position, and add a sensation to your sensation bar. or earplugs, which might give you more sound slots or might not do anything at all, and can pop out randomly; this adds the event earplug vigilance to your processes page.

[potsiefaerie]

you and me both.

Is it Really social anxiety or is it processing difficulties?

Probably both, but the processing difficulty probably turned social situations into poisoned cues that trigger more anxiety... and then of course the anxiety makes processing more difficult. Fun times.

On the other hand, dealing with my anxiety better has somewhat improved my ability to make phone calls.

i wonder how much of my social anxiety actually stems from sensory processing issues. Like I feel I would be at least 67% less anxious if I could just HEAR people and wasn’t having to formulate responses in real time to something I only heard like a third of

[shepandem]

have you ever gone to a day program and do you recommend them

Yes! I've been to two. They didn't work for me personally, because they were very understimulating from an activities perspective, and overstimulating from a sensory perspective.

At my first day program, we mostly hung out in a dirty basement playing uno or colouring in torn colouring books with broken crayons and dried out markers. I have a college degree.

At the second one, we had group outings, but they were always to Walmart or a basically abandoned mall.

Because everyone was grouped together, we had people with very high needs mixed with those with lower needs. Sometimes they would scream or invade our personal space, and that really wound me up, and I'd have meltdowns.

I also need 1:1 support for group outings, because I get easily overwhelmed and agitated by an environment's sensory experiences, and if something interesting catches my eye, I'll get distracted and wander off from the group without realising. The day programs didn't have enough staff to provide me with a 1:1, so I struggled.

Because I'm "twice exceptional" meaning I'm academically gifted while also having extreme difficulty with day to day functioning in normal life, there was never anyone else like me in the groups; they all had some degree of intellectual disability, while also not needing as much support with sensory things or in the community. That made it hard to make friends.

Every day program is different, and if you think one might be a good fit, there's no harm in trying it.

These days I get a service called supported community connector (SCC) instead, which is a single staff member who works with just me to do community activities. I also attend a small group that does community outings, and get 1:1 support within the group. That works much better for me!

[titan-god-helios]

bitches be like "oh i don't get sensory overload" and then nearly scream and smash their phone into the ground because their little cousin wanted to play roblox and they really like their little cousin and adore her so much but this time the fact that she is constantly talking and her voice grates ever so slightly on the ears and that she's very loud and bubbly and that she's singing and talking and there's music from the game blasting through her tablet as well and cooking noises and smells in the background from their mum and their sister who is also a darling keeps putting her fucking arm on theirs and they can feel their clothes and skin and its also hot and they're also expected to talk and play and be high energy and they just cant fucking take it so wind up ranting on tumblr about it whilst also wishing never to interact with a human ever again.

its me, i'm bitches <333

[getthatmoodindigo]

You know sometimes I think I'm over exaggerating my sensory processing problems. And then my neighbour finally turns off their bathroom light/fan and I say 'oh thank fucking God' out loud at 1am

[fluffygif]

Fluid Acrylics art

[lunaiz4-misc]

I have sensory processing issues around touch in particular, and my bed is a safe space. It is so, so SO nice to have one place where all of the textures are not just not bad, but actually good.

Also, my bed is a hammock. That is an option. A hammock and stand is a lot less money than a mattress and bed frame, and you can cocoon yourself *and* rock yourself to sleep. I have worked out a technique for putting sheets on mine, but you can also get a cotton (canvas) one and just wash the whole thing. I am aware that this is strange, but I sleep so much worse in a conventional bed.

Regardless of what kind of bed you have, if you live in a colder climate, be aware that wool mattress toppers are a thing. They are not cheap, but they're warm and toasty and still breathable, which helps your body thermoregulate.

Sheets that fit your mattress -- what you're missing here is probably pocket depth. Most half-decent sheets will list a "pocket depth," or mattress thickness. You'll need to actually measure your mattress to make sure it's within the listed range. Include any toppers or mattress covers in your measurement.

comfortable, decent quality bedding will change your life I'm so serious

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Autism and Water: A Special Bond

The Autistic Teacher

[incognitopolls]

We ask your questions so you don’t have to! Submit your questions to have them posted anonymously as polls.

[guardianspirits13]

As a neurodivergent person, what is the worst sensory hell you can think of?

For me it's getting my teeth drilled for a cavity and elementary school band concerts

[snakeautistic]

I recently finally got a weighted blanket and I have mixed feelings. On one hand I love being compressed and it’s generally a pleasant sensation to lie down flat with it over me. I could even do with it crushing me a little more. On the other hand this thing is heavy, and hauling it around is probably single-handedly going to get me jacked. It’s too heavy for me to go tent mode in it and pull it over my head. If I try to do something with my arm half under the blanket and half not I get bogged down. None of that is really all that surprising I suppose, but it is starting to drive me insane every time I have to move the blanket. Also I had to put a cover on it… impossible needed my mothers help

[neurodiversitysci]

"Am I asexual, or am I just not visual?"

When people wonder if they're asexual, others ask, "do you look at people you find attractive and think about, imagine having, or want to have sex with them?"

They say, if yes, you're allosexual; if not, you're asexual.

However, desire is more complex than that. The question asks about just one form of desire, based on vision at medium to long range.

One can also experience desire through other senses: the sound of their voice, moving together (as in dancing), proximity, scent, touch, or even a feeling of intimacy and trust.

Consider all senses when you try to figure out whether and when you experience sexual desire. Maybe you're truly asexual, or maybe you just aren't visual.